Sugared + Bronzed<\/p>\n
After hosting a pop-up in The Shops at La Jolla Village in October, Sugared + Bronzed now has a permanent store there.<\/p>\n
![\"Sugared](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LJL-L-BIZ-ROUNDUP-01.jpg\")
Sugared + Bronzed opened at 8843 Villa La Jolla Drive on Feb. 2. (Miami Real Estate Productions and The Snap Market)<\/p>\n
Sugared + Bronzed opened Feb. 2 at 8843 Villa La Jolla Drive. The previous pop-up served as an introduction to the business as work on the new storefront began. The pop-up was dismantled and relocated upon the store\u2019s opening, according to spokeswoman Maggie Fowler.<\/p>\n
The Southern California-founded business offers services for sunless tanning and sugaring, an Egyptian technique using sugar, lemon and water to exfoliate the skin and remove hair from the root.<\/p>\n
\u201cS+B helps clients prepare for vacations, weddings, red carpet moments or everyday confidence with services and spaces that feel elevated and luxurious while remaining affordable,\u201d Fowler said.<\/p>\n
The store is inspired by \u201cSan Diego\u2019s sunny, laid-back lifestyle\u201d and features coastal and Mediterranean influences including Moroccan checkerboard tile toward the entrance. The lobby includes Gray Malin\u2019s photography<\/a> as part of a partnership.<\/p>\n Learn more at sugaredandbronzed.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Navore Market<\/p>\n Navore Market, akin to a virtual farmers market, expanded its scope starting Jan. 13 with the opening of its first aggregation hub, or centralized community pickup location, at La Jolla United Methodist Church, 6063 La Jolla Blvd. The hub operates at the church from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays.<\/p>\n Navore Market was launched in early 2025<\/a> to \u201cprovide a convenient online marketplace that connects users to fresh local produce directly from local farmers and producers,\u201d according to founder and La Jolla resident Caroline Driehaus.<\/p>\n Navore offers both pickup and delivery for local food orders, but the aggregation hub is \u201cexpanding access to fresh local food for community members and local organizations,\u201d said representative Jamie Paris.<\/p>\n Paris added that the rollout is supported by the USDA Local Food Promotion Program available for enterprises involved in processing, distributing, aggregating or storing locally or regionally produced food.<\/p>\n Navore currently is offering a half-off promotion with the code \u201cLAJOLLA50\u201d for La Jolla residents who would like to try Navore and its aggregation hub. Learn more at navoremarket.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Krista Schumacher Art Gallery<\/p>\n After opening her first La Jolla gallery in 2021, palette-knife oil painter Krista Schumacher\u2019s work is back with a new location in The Jewel.<\/p>\n Krista Schumacher Art Gallery opened in October at 1111 Prospect St. and had a grand opening Dec. 5.<\/p>\n The gallery features Schumacher\u2019s art, defined by its heavy textures, bold color palettes and striking multi-dimensional form. Beyond her original paintings, she offers custom commissions for collectors\u2019 homes and commercial spaces.<\/p>\n Schumacher has lived in La Jolla since 2017. Her first local gallery operated for 3\u00bd years.<\/p>\n Her work also has been featured in collaborations with high-profile brands including Paramount Studios and Kaiser Permanente.<\/p>\n The new gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit kristaschumacherart.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n George\u2019s at the Cove renovations<\/p>\n George\u2019s at the Cove\u2019s most recent renovation project is nearly complete, and the restaurant plans to reopen its Ocean Terrace dining area and bar on Friday, Feb. 6.<\/p>\n According to partner and chef Trey Foshee, the retooled Ocean Terrace<\/a> includes new flooring, a 4-foot-tall perimeter glass wall, umbrellas with LED lighting, permanent heaters, wall sconces and dining tables. There also will be a new host stand for greeting guests.<\/p>\n George\u2019s, at 1250 Prospect St., closed its Level2 dining area and bar for renovations in April. Work on the Ocean Terrace began in November.<\/p>\n The last time the terrace closed for a notable stretch of time \u2014 to make way for an elevated bar area \u2014 was in 2016.<\/p>\n To celebrate the reopening, George\u2019s is offering 50% off select Hill Family Estate wine bottles for a month.<\/p>\n Learn more at georgesatthecove.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coming to Westfield UTC<\/p>\n Katsuya Ko: This spin-off of Katsuya, a 25-year-old Los Angeles-based Japanese restaurant, is set to open Thursday, Feb. 5, at Westfield UTC mall at 4303 La Jolla Village Drive.<\/p>\n Katsuya Ko is designed to be a more casual, youth-oriented, approachable restaurant featuring shareable plates, a central robata grill and a design-forward ethos.<\/p>\n Ko means \u201cchild\u201d in Japanese, representing chef Katsuya Uechi\u2019s casual, family-friendly, experimental approach to dining. Offerings include sushi rolls, sashimi, specialty cocktails, Ko burgers and miso cod bites.<\/p>\n The new 3,000-square-foot location is near True Food Kitchen on the northeast corner of the mall.<\/p>\n Onigilly Japanese Kitchen: The restaurant\u2019s UTC location, slated for opening this year, is part of the San Francisco-based chain\u2019s ambitious Southern California expansion plan.<\/p>\n Onigilly Japanese Kitchen, founded by Koji Kanematsu, specializes in a popular Japanese rice ball snack called onigiri.\u00a0The recipe looks a little different in the United States than it would in Japan. The rice snacks sold at Onigilly are not fashioned as balls but rather as triangular \u201csandwiches\u201d so the filling is clearly visible, Kanematsu said.<\/p>\n The fillings include teriyaki chicken, tempura shrimp and shitake mushrooms.<\/p>\n While onigiri differs from sushi in that it typically doesn\u2019t include raw fish, a few rice snacks on the Onigilly menu are filled with raw fish.<\/p>\n The chain, which started in 2006, currently has seven locations. It plans to open 20 to 30 outlets in Southern California, including six or more in San Diego.<\/p>\n Westfield UTC\u2019s location is expected to open by summer, depending on how long it takes to secure permits from the city of San Diego, Kanematsu said.<\/p>\n Lucien named one of most beautiful restaurants in America<\/p>\n La Jolla\u2019s Lucien fine-dining spot was named to the Robb Report\u2019s list of the 21 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America<\/a> for 2025.<\/p>\n Lucien landed ninth on the list. The 12-course tasting-menu restaurant<\/a> at 7863 Girard Ave. was opened in July by chef Elijah Arizmendi and his partners and is named after his young son. It features an outdoor garden bar and a dark interior with tables tucked in sea-cave-style alcoves.<\/p>\n Le Coq chef Tara Monsod again a semifinalist for James Beard Award<\/p>\n Could the third time be the charm for Tara Monsod?<\/p>\n The executive chef for La Jolla\u2019s French\/Asian-inspired restaurant Le Coq and Animae restaurant in downtown San Diego has again been named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation\u2019s 2026 Best Chef: California award \u2014 the third consecutive year she has been so honored.<\/p>\n The past two years<\/a>, Monsod made it all the way to the final round without winning the trophy. The next round of the competition March 31 will winnow the candidates down to five finalists in each category. The final awards will be handed out in New York City on June 15.<\/p>\n Monsod is among 20 California chefs to make the semifinals this year.<\/p>\n She is the only San Diego County chef who has ever made it to the final round of the James Beard Awards\u00a0 competition, recognized as the Oscars of the culinary world. They honor the nation\u2019s top restaurateurs, chefs, restaurants, bakeries, bars, bartenders, pastry chefs and more.<\/p>\n Monsod said she\u2019s excited to receive another semifinalist honor and is grateful for how the news could bring in new diners.<\/p>\n \u201cYou become busier and more tired than the year before, but it\u2019s a privilege to be this tired,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Monsod said honors like this couldn\u2019t happen without her sous chefs and kitchen teams she oversees at Le Coq and Animae. Many of those staff members have followed Monsod from kitchen to kitchen as she has moved up San Diego\u2019s restaurant ladder.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very blessed to have a strong team,\u201d she said. \u201cI worked really hard in my entire career to build relationships that are long-lasting, and it\u2019s nice to see it\u2019s being paid back. Being a nice person, it actually works.\u201d<\/p>\n For the full national list of semifinalists, visit\u00a0jamesbeard.org\/stories\/james-beard-award-semifinalists-2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 San Diego Union-Tribune staff writers Pam Kragen and Lori Weisberg contributed to this report.<\/p>\n La Jolla Business Roundup is published monthly by the La Jolla Light. Send your business news to staff writer Noah Lyons at noah.lyons@lajollalight.com. \u2666<\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"To](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ljl-l-navore-1.jpg\")
To use the online Navore Market, customers enter their address on the website and find local farmers and producers who serve their area, then assemble a cart with what is available and schedule delivery if offered or arrange pickup. (Navore Market)<\/p>\n![\"Krista](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Krista-Schumacher.jpg\")
Krista Schumacher\u2019s art gallery is at 1111 Prospect St. in La Jolla. (Zach Lopez \/ Surreal Exposure)<\/p>\n![\"Katsuya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sut-l-dine-katsuyako.jpg\")
Katsuya Ko is a new Pan-Asian restaurant that will open Feb. 5 at the Westfield UTC shopping center. (Katsuya)<\/p>\n![\"For](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sut-l-dine-tara-monsod.jpg\")
For the third year in a row, Animae and Le Coq executive chef Tara Monsod has been named a semifinalist for Best Chef: California in the James Beard Foundation\u2019s competition. (Matt Furman)<\/p>\n