NOTE: If this is your first Breadness Buzz, or you've been part of our tribe but missed earlier posts, visit the Breadness Buzz Archive here and catch up on some Breaducation written especially for you. It's a great way to be part of this journey I started back in 2016. And now for this week's Buzz... |
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ELIZABETH, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER FOR MPMA, ADDRESSES THE MEMBER MERCHANTS
I must admit, I didn't know what Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) was when they took over the building a couple blocks east of our bakery that used to be an eyebrow salon.
However, when the Magnolia Park Merchants Association (MPMA) (of which Random Acts of Breadness is a member) decided to hold their networking mixer at BAM, I considered this an opportunity to find out what BAM was and provide some of our Organic Artisan Sourdough Bread and Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the food table.
Turns out, Bricks & Minifigs is a franchise store that specializes in all things LEGO! If you're into LEGO, this is the motherlode...
As for the food, we were in good company, sharing the table with offerings from Porto's Bakery and World Empanada, both establishments also located on Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank.
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I sliced the bread by hand for each guest who came by to try our award-winning bread, and asked if they'd like a bit of the Tuscan Herb Olive Oil for dipping (all of them did!). After each had a chance to experience their samples, I told them we were located just a couple blocks west of BAM and to come by and sample all of our products.
Magnolia Park is a neighborhood in Burbank that has a vibe of its own. The stretch of Magnolia Boulevard that runs from Hollywood Way to Victory Blvd covers the corridor of businesses (mostly small businesses, locally owned) and residences that run from Chandler to Verdugo.
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This mile of Magnolia is unique in that it has an eclectic blend of vintage clothing shops, barber shops, beauty salons, restaurants, bakeries, specialty foods shops, boutique coffee spots, a real hardware store, thrift stores, vintage vinyl records, a mystic museum, retro-themed shops, a unique grocery store, and lots more!
Strolling down Magnolia Boulevard is like going back in time; when the world was a simpler place; where food was made and served with loving care; where you got to know the shopkeepers by name, and they knew you as well.
It's a street that's fun to walk up and down; each storefront beckoning you to come inside and hear the story of how it came to be.
And every time you explore "The Park," it helps support the small businesses that create that Burbank vintage vibe... |
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It's that time of year when football takes center stage. And although NFL fans will have much to get excited about this weekend with the field narrowed down to the "elite eight," all hoping to eventually secure their place in Super Bowl LX (60) next month, let's not forget that the College National Championship game is being played on Monday, January 19th, between the #1 seed, Indiana Hoosiers and the #10 seed Miami Hurricanes. |
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Interestingly, this game is being played in Miami making it appear that the Hurricanes have a "home field" advantage. But that's just where the Orange Bowl is always played so it's quite a coincidence that it worked out this way.
Still, Indiana has been unstoppable this season, beating every opponent in the playoffs quite handily. Prior to 2024, Indiana's football program was one of the worst in the nation, for decades. (The school is more known for their basketball team that won 5 National Championships between 1940 and 1987, with the 1976 team going undefeated.)
But with the arrival of Coach Curt Cignetti, the football program went from worst to first in just 2 years, breaking and setting school records along the way. Monday's championship game will make history, no matter how it ends up! |
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Meanwhile, this weekend's NFL divisional playoffs are historical to say the least! Making things interesting is the fact that both of last year's Super Bowl teams will not be playing in this years contest. Kansas City failed to make the playoffs for the first time in years, and the Eagles lost last week in the wildcard round to the San Francisco 49ers.
Closest to home, the wildcard-winning LA Rams travel to Chicago to face the Bears, another Cinderella story with former USC star quarterback, Caleb Williams, leading his team to their first division title since 2018. Credit is also due to new head coach Ben Johnson, former offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, who turned the Bears fortunes around in just 2 years!
On the Rams side of the ball, no one expected this team to make the playoffs after having lost their star defensive tackle, Aaron Donald, who retired in 2024, and Cooper Kupp, their star receiver who also had much to do with the Rams' Super Bowl win in 2021, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.
But the Rams clinched a playoff berth and were headed to the #1 seed in the NFC, until they lost to those Seattle Seahawks in a pivotal game. Still, they made the playoffs as a wildcard team and won their first match-up against the Carolina Panther's last week. |
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CCCCCCCOLD FOOTBALL ~ BRRRRRRR!!!! The game is in Chicago and the weather forecast is for zero degree temperatures on the field! This is going to be a most challenging game for both teams. If Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford, is on his game, and Coach Sean McVay calls the right plays, the Rams have a good shot at moving on the the NFC Championship game. Other worst-to-first stories include the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots on the AFC side. (The National Football League [NFL] is divided into 2 conferences - the American Football Conference [AFC] and the National Football Conference [NFC]. The Super Bowl is played between the winners of the NFC and AFC Championship games. Refer to the brackets chart above to see which teams are competing in their respective conferences.)
The Buffalo Bills, perennial playoff participants, have never gotten past the Kansas City Chiefs in the post-season. But with no KC to deal with this year, Buffalo with their star QB Josh Allen, have a decent chance to make it to Super Bowl LX.
Denver and New England both have young quarterbacks having breakout seasons. Their head coaches are seasoned veterans who have made fantastic strides in the past year or two. (Remember the New England Patriots were dominant for many years with Tom Brady leading the way and coach Bill Belichick setting the standard for successful coaching in the NFL while taking his team to the Super Bowl 9 times, winning 6 of them [both records].) But Tom Brady is now an analyst in the broadcast booth and Belichick is coaching college football in North Carolina.
The Houston Texans had the best defense in the league this season and they're traveling to New England to duke it out with the aforementioned Patriots. And the 4th match-up is San Francisco traveling to Seattle to decide who's going to the NFC Championship game. Seattle trounced SF in SF a few weeks ago. And with the 49ers having lost several key players to injury, this will be their toughest challenge yet. |
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If you're wondering where I find the time to watch these games, I only watch the highlights on YouTube; full games compressed down to a few minutes. If there's a game on the radio while I'm driving, I might tune in for a bit. But in this day and age, I certainly don't have 3-4 hours to devote to watching a single game, except for the Super Bowl, which is a gathering event where we all can't wait to see the commercials!
And speaking of gatherings, whatever game or games you'll be watching, there's got to be some good eats on the table. We've got lots of options to choose from at Random Acts of Breadness, including some loaves with a football score cut on the top. (By score I mean the cut lines on the dough, not 27-14...)
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I'm interested to know how many of our Breadness Buzz readers have an interest in football. Reply to this email and let me know... ❤️
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Here's what we have at the bakery for you this week... (Availability subject to change - visit breadness.com to see what's currently available)
— Organic Artisan Sourdough Country Loaf
(Boule, Batard, XL Batard, Petite, Bread Bowls, Slider Buns/Rolls) — Organic Artisan Cinnamon Raisin Maple Pecan Sourdough
(Boule, Petite, Rolls/Buns) — Organic Artisan Chocolate Sourdough (Boule, Petite) — Organic Artisan GingerBreadness (Boule - only 2 left!) — Organic Artisan Sourdough Flatbread Crisps
(Naked, Tuscan Herb, Smoked) — Organic/non-GMO Blueberry Muffins (Grain-free, Sugar-free) — Organic/non-GMO Breadness Brûlée Muffins (Gluten-neutral, Sugar-free) — Organic/non-GMO Choco Chip Chookies (Grain-free, Sugar-free) — Organic/non-GMO Sourdough Shortbread (Gluten-neutral, Sugar-free) — Organic Pineapple Sorbet (Gluten-free, No Added Sugar, Vegan) — Organic Strawberry-Coconut Popsicles (Gluten-free, No Added Sugar, Vegan) — Chocolate Chill (Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Keto, Vegan)
Random Acts of Breadness is located at 2214 West Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, 2-1/2 blocks east of Buena Vista on the south side of the street.
We're open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12 to 6pm, and Sunday 11am to 4pm.
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