One Night, Five Courses, and a Top Chef Canada Champion at Balboa Bay Resort

Balboa Bay Resort is bringing something special to Newport Beach this summer. On Thursday, Aug. 6, the resort will host an intimate chef's dinner with Coulson Armstrong, winner of Top Chef Canada and Culinary Director of Toronto's Our House Hospitality. Tickets are $415.90 per person and available on Eventbrite and at balboabayresort.com.

Armstrong is one of Canada's most compelling culinary voices. He serves as Executive Chef of the celebrated Prime Seafood Palace, where he works alongside restaurateur Matty Matheson, and his Season 12 win on Top Chef Canada earned him fans well beyond the industry. But what shaped his cooking most was a decision he made at the height of his early success: he walked away from it all and spent three years traveling the world.

During that time, he staged at Noma in Copenhagen and State Bird Provisions in California, explored flavors across Southeast Asia and New Zealand, and built the relationships with farmers, fishers and producers that still define how he cooks today. "For me, this work always comes back to one idea: get the best possible ingredient, then respect it enough to leave it alone," says Armstrong. "That respect starts upstream, with the farmers, fishers, and producers I've built relationships with over years, the people who make great food possible long before I ever touch it. Each course in this menu is an exercise in clarity, technique in service of the ingredient and never the other way around, every element sourced with intention."

The five-course menu reflects that philosophy from the first bite. The evening opens with a Crab and Asparagus Tartlet and Cured Pickerel on Toast, then moves through a Shrimp Chawanmushi, an Eggplant Parmigiana with sesame crust and Thai basil, and a pasta course of Littleneck Clams with smoked bacon and chives. The centerpiece is Armstrong's Grande Tournedos Rossini, the beef tenderloin with king crab, caviar, foie gras and black truffle that became one of the signature moments of his Top Chef Canada championship run. A vegetarian option is available. The meal closes with a Maple Tart with maple custard and fresh cream, a nod to his Canadian roots. Wine pairings are included throughout.

Balboa Bay Resort is the only Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond waterfront resort in Newport Beach. An evening like this, on the water, with a chef of Armstrong's caliber, is a rare one for OC diners.

Image credit: Our House Hospitality

A True Full-Circle Moment: Artist Brothers Use ChatGPT to Help Create Bonita Canyon’s 50th Anniversary Mural

Shelby and Sandy, two brothers and professional artists, are returning to Bonita Canyon Elementary in Irvine with a meaningful mission: creating a mural to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary.

For the artists, the project is deeply personal. Bonita Canyon is the elementary school they attended as children, and returning to the campus as working artists has made the mural feel especially significant.

“Coming back to our elementary school to create this mural was incredibly meaningful because it’s where so much of our creativity first began,” Shelby said. “Being able to contribute something lasting for the school’s 50th anniversary feels like a true full-circle moment.”

The project was designed as a community effort from the beginning. Current students and faculty shared drawings and ideas that helped inspire the mural’s final design. Shelby and Sandy wanted the finished piece to reflect the imagination of the people who make up the school today, while also honoring the campus that helped shape their own creative paths.

“Making this project a collaboration with the students and faculty made it even more special,” they said. “Their drawings, ideas, and imagination helped inspire the final piece, and we wanted the mural to feel like something created by the entire school community.”

The mural also marks a new step in the artists’ creative process. Shelby and Sandy used ChatGPT and its image-generation tools for the first time to explore concepts before beginning the hand-painted final piece. The technology helped them test visual directions and bring early ideas into focus before paint went on the wall.

“This was also our first time using ChatGPT and its image-generation tools as part of our creative process,” they said. “It was exciting to use a tool that shows how technology can unlock creativity.”

The completed mural was revealed during a ribbon-cutting celebration with students, school leaders, and families.

Join Me at the Costa Mesa Historical Society Speakers Program

I'm honored to be the featured speaker at the Costa Mesa Historical Society's upcoming Speakers Program on Sunday, July 12.

During the presentation, I'll share stories from my book, Born in OC: The Artists, Entrepreneurs, and Visionaries of Orange County, California, and discuss what I've learned from interviewing many of the people who have helped shape Orange County. The book features 50 individuals whose creativity, leadership, and vision have left a lasting impact on our community.

I'll also talk about my journey as the founder and publisher of Greer's OC, the inspiration behind the book, and the importance of preserving local stories for future generations.

Event Details

Sunday, July 12, 2026
2 to 4 p.m.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m.

Norma Hertzog Community Center
1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa

Admission is free for Costa Mesa Historical Society members and $15 for non-members. Get tickets, here. 

I hope you'll join me for what promises to be a fun and engaging afternoon celebrating Orange County and the people who make it such a special place.