Taylor takes a first in SPJ journalism contest

SAN DIEGO – Nathalie Taylor, who has been affiliated with the Village News since 2003, took a first place award at the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists (SDSPJ) awards banquet at Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island, July 17.

Taylor's award came in the highly competitive Review/Criticism category – competitive because the category includes all reviews, including restaurant, film and theater. The judges commented that they were impressed with the story's detail.

Taylor's story, "127 West Social House – A Phoenix rising from the ashes," chronicled the two-year restoration of Faro Trupiano's popular restaurant that suffered major fire damage only 15 months after it opened in the historic 1884 structure.

Excerpts: "It was a challenge to renovate the historical building to create a restaurant...It was an even more difficult task to renovate and restore it the second time, due to the debris removal and the acrid scent of smoke permeating the interior. However, the result of the restoration was a structure where the historical and the modern mingled harmoniously."

"During the restoration, Trupiano gave life to the word, 'repurposed.' Floorboards that survived the fire were too damaged to be used as flooring, but Trupiano had them transformed into stunning tables."

"The restaurant's new interior is inviting, with muted tones, crisp lines, and light from the windows. A cheery fire flickers in the oven...Ernest Hemmingway would have felt at home there – he would have called it, "A clean well-lighted place."

Taylor, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, has won 72 writing awards since 2004.