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Ingrid Croce

Q: What is a necessary extravagance?
A: Travel.

Q: Classical, or classic rock?
A: Classic rock.

Q: What’s your best (and worst) virtue?
A: Tenacity.

Q: If you could be reborn in any era, what would it be?
A: Just where I am!

Q: If you could play anyone in a movie, who would it be:
A: Ingrid Bergman, my namesake.

Q: What’s one thing you won’t leave the house without?
A: My cell phone.

Q: What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
A: Hit the ground running.

Q: What is your motto or slogan?
A: When you have two choices, always pick the one that’s most fun!

TWENTY YEARS AGO, she took a gamble and opened Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar on a seedy downtown San Diego street corner—as a tribute to her late husband, famed singer-songwriter Jim Croce, who died in a September 1973 plane crash after scoring a succession of Top 40 hits. Croce’s, along with Horton Plaza, became a cornerstone of downtown redevelopment and remains one of the Gaslamp Quarter’s most popular nightspots. Most weekend nights, Ingrid Croce can be found right there at the front door, greeting guests, then retiring to the patio for a quiet dinner with her husband, Jim Rock. She’s just finished a new book, The San Diego Restaurant Cookbook (out this month).

FAVORITES

Beer: Kingfisher

Car: The one that gets me there on time . . . when my husband drives

Charity: Emilio Nares Foundation

Clothing store: Anthropologie and Nanette Lepore

Coffee: Sumatra Bold

Commercial: The credit-card theft commercials and the ones that end in “priceless”

Fast food: A homegrown tomato with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers and basil

Flower: The frangipani and the giant peony

Hike: Trekking the Himalayas

Jeans: “Ingrid” by Mankind

Place to travel: Moorea, Huahine, Rome, Florence, India, Africa . . .

Record store: Tower Records

San Diego beach: Coronado

San Diego landmark: Croce’s Restaurant & Jazz Bar, of course!

San Diego music venue: Humphrey’s

San Diego radio station: KPBS

San Diego TV newscast: Lee Ann Kim, Carol Le Beau (Channel 10)

San Diego restaurant: Croce’s, Buon Appetito

San Diego shopping area: Fashion Valley

Sports team: Padres

Thing about yourself: My shyness

Workout: Iyengar yoga, long walks and weights

Seen

	Speaking Up Laura and Ethan Boyer chaired Voices for Children’s annual Starry, Starry Night gala, which netted more than $500,000 for programs benefiting local foster children. The gala was held at the La Jolla estate of Joan Waitt, who served as honorary chair, and featured gourmet fare by Jeffrey Strauss and entertainment by Pink Martini and the Dana Garret Jazz Trio. Robert Hughes (KPRI 102.1) and Rory Devine (NBC 7/39) emceed. BY JULIA BEESON POLLORENO

	Big Brothers Big Sisters Gourmet Dinner T. Boone and Madeleine Pickens were honored as persons of the year by Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County and LPL Financial at San Diego's premier fall charity gala. BY Steven Hyde

	Battle of the Chefs The Fifth Annual Chef Showdown was held at NTC Promenade in Point Loma. San Diego's culinary giants battled centerstage before a hungry crowd that enjoyed food prepared by local area restaurants. Showdown proceeds will be used to increase domestic violence awareness.

	Bubbly Time Ocean Discovery Institute, formerly Aquatic Adventures, raised $150,000 for youth programs that encourage nature and ocean exploration at its 10th annual “Bubble Up!” gala at the Birch Aquarium. Founder and executive director Shara Fisler unveiled the organization’s new name and Web site, oceandiscoveryinstitute.org. Bill Menish hosted the evening’s program. Attendees included Assemblymember Lori Saldaña, San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria, San Diego Unified School Board president Sheila Jackson and vice president Richard Barrera, author Richard Louv and Olympic medalist Guenter Seidel. BY JULIA BEESON POLLORENO