Today we had the pleasure of sitting down with Chelsea Coleman to talk and sip on some natty wine. She flies under the radar, but if you have enjoyed food and wine in San Diego, you probably already know her.

A homegrown San Diegan rooted in the kitchen, Chelsea has embraced the farm to table movement from the beginning. Early childhood fine dining experiences fed her native entrepreneurial spirit which benefited from working in fabulous places around the world.

Today Chelsea owns The Rose Wine Bar in South Park with business partner Rae Gurne. Natural wines take center stage while the kitchen turns out thoughtful, delicious empanadas and pizzas in a comfortable setting with amazing staff.

Full disclosure, I also have the luck to be part of Chelsea’s Nat Diego crew.  Nat Diego celebrates natural wine by bringing dozens of winegrowers and winemakers from all over the world to San Diego to pour their wines over a weekend of seminars and parties. Our second annual festival in July 2018 sold out!

Chelsea Coleman leads organically, leaving plenty of room for collaboration and free exchange of ideas.

With an arts background at Bishop’s School and a degree in Gender Studies and Italian from University of Virginia, she empowers her people with creativity and humor.  The success of The Rose and Nat Diego proves the effectiveness of her style and gives the finger to the authoritarian model.

We sat down in my backyard one sunny afternoon with some natty wine and this is what she told me….  

To be continued in Campestre Mag “THE ZINE”…..