Derek Marso isn’t just selling great food — he’s carrying on a legacy. As the third-generation owner of Valley Farm Market, a San Diego institution since 1956, Marso has spent years transforming his family’s shop into a destination for hard-to-find, small-batch specialty products and quality meats. Now, San Diego Magazine has recognized him as a Tastemaker in its annual Best Restaurants issue — and it’s easy to see why.
At his Del Mar Plaza location, Marso is doing more than stocking exceptional product. He’s expanding the Valley Farm Market vision with the launch of High Marea, a health-conscious restaurant where every dish is cooked entirely in tallow with zero seed oils. The menu leans into quality at every level: heirloom tortillas, grass-fed beef, and wild-caught shrimp. A standout dish to try? The Turf & Surf Tallow Fries — tallow fries topped with baby jack cheese, elote, cotija, lime-pickled onion, salsa, coconut serrano crema, chimichurri shrimp, and arrabiata steak.
It’s the kind of food that reflects exactly what Valley Farm Market has always stood for: knowing where your ingredients come from and refusing to cut corners. Read the full article
