Orchids & Onions is a fundraising program of the San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF), a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization committed to inspiring excellence in our built environment.

The SDAF "reinvented" and relaunched O&O in 2006, after 3 years of dormancy. After taking the program over in 2004 from the American Institute of Architects, San Diego Chapter (AIASD), a great deal of thought was given to the program; where it had been and where it should go in the future. In spite of its general popularity, much legitimate criticism had been leveled at the program, from professionals as well as the community at large. The chief areas of complaint:

• Awards were sometimes given to trivial, arbitrary or frivolous submittals, while more significant projects hadn't been addressed or even on the radar!
• In the interest of "humor", the awards ceremony could come off as demeaning and petty, rather than informative and educational.
• The quality and significance of the awards had varied widely based on the composition of the jury.
• The jury had often times not been provided sufficient information on which to determine the true circumstances of a nominated project and had, therefore, reached conclusions that were potentially inaccurate, presumtuous or incomplete.
• There had been little follow-up to the awards presentation from which the community, or the project representative(s) might gain insight, clarity or education.
• The O&O event itself was overblown and expensive, and as a result not accessible to the broad populace.

These and other objections prompted the SDAF to take stock of the basic purpose and mission of the Orchids & Onions program. Some strongly advocated that the program be discontinued altogether. Others have acknowledged that O&O, in its best incarnation, has been the most visible, popular and effective vehicle for stimulating community awareness and response to San Diego's built environment.

In the past, O&O had been organized and administered by a multidisciplinary steering committee comprised of representatives of from various professional organizations. Staff support had been provided by the AIASD, and in general the AIA had taken the lead role in coordinating the activities of the steering committee. Within the AIA membership, however, the program had always been highly controversial. As a result, in 2004 the AIASD board of directors voted to disengage from O&O and turn the program over the the SDAF for further consideration; as the SDAF's mission states dedication "...to the development and appreciation of outstanding architecture and urban design throughout the San Diego region".

The next two years were spent conducting a number of meetings with an ad hoc committee representing most of the professional organizations previously involved in the Orchids & Onions program. Freewheeling idea exchanges evolved into lengthly conversations with a focus on the question of how to make O&O more relevant, effective and meaningful to the community. As the meetings progressed, concensus evolved about the need for specific guidelines to govern the O&O program and its steering committee. These guidelines, detailing topics such as jury composition; submittal screening; background research; the "event" and follow-up, devised the rebirth of O&O as we now know it.