Breadness Buzz - My Fake Birthday, Toluca Lake Gift Guide, Culturing Community...

NOTICE: WE WILL BE OPEN WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY THANKSGIVING WEEK. RESERVE YOUR THANKSGIVING DAY BREADNESS BY ORDERING ON LINE AND PUTTING "WEDNESDAY 11/22" IN THE BAKERY PICKUP FIELD. WEDNESDAY'S BREAD WILL BE BAKED WEDNESDAY SO IT CAN CURE OVERNIGHT IN YOUR HOME AND BE READY TO EAT THURSDAY! STUFFING LOAVES WILL BE BAKED AHEAD OF TIME, CURED, SLICED THICK AND FROZEN, READY TO BE THAWED WEDNESDAY TO MAKE YOUR STUFFING AT ANY TIME!

NOTE: If this is your first Breadness Buzz, or if you've been part of our tribe but missed earlier posts, visit the Breadness Buzz Archive here and catch up on this content written especially for you. It's a great way to meet like-minded artisan sourdough aficionados and be part of this journey I started back in 2016. And now for this week's Buzz...

Mom uttered the phrase that would change my life from that point forward. You see, all my life up to that point in time, I had celebrated my birthday on November 18th. I was now 13 years old and looking forward to my birthday when she dropped the bomb: "Your birthday isn't November 18th!" What could I say? What would you say if you were in my shoes? Mom revealed that my actual birthday was December 18th. She then went on to explain why.

She told me that Burbank (where I spent my first 7 years) had a 1-year school term, not 2 semesters like LA city schools. The cutoff date was November 30th. She didn't want me to be put back a year in school, so she had my birth certificate "modified" to show November 18th instead of the actual birth date, December 18th. Smartly, the reason I wasn't told of this is because I would have blabbed the truth had I known, which would have blown the whole plan. So she did this for my own good.

The down side to this (pretty significant down side) was that I went from having a birthday well clear of the holiday season to having one a week before Christmas! This lowered the attention and value of presents I received for my birthday from that point forward. But hey, I graduated high school when I was 17 so all in all, it wasn't so bad.

And, I get to celebrate 2 birthdays each year. Sure... I generally don't receive any presents on November 18th, but I get to tell the story, which is my present to you!

Prestigious Toluca Lake Magazine just published their 2023 Holiday Gift Guide as part of the November issue. Once again we are honored to be featured, along with a short list of Toluca Lake establishments, in this exclusive listing. About 8000 hard copies of this gallery-quality publication are mailed to residents of Toluca Lake and select areas of Burbank (like the Burbank Rancho Equestrian Neighborhood where we live) and Studio City. Click/tap the image below to access the digital edition of the gift guide!

TINA THORNTON ~ RANDALL MICHAEL TOBIN ~ ELAINA LUTHER

I first heard about Culture Club 101 (CC101) from Linda Tourjé. It was a unique storefront in Pasadena featuring fermented foods made on the premises and a collection of artisanal foods, many made by local certified home kitchen operations. One could also purchase pastured meats from Harvest Gathering Farm and raw dairy products from Organic Pastures (now Raw Farm). CC101 had a restaurant inside, and was home to many in-store workshops on health-related topics. The brainchild and heartbeat of CC101 was Elaina Luther. Those of us who were part of the community appreciated having a place to go where we could purchase various living foods under one roof. (Early in my search for retail space, I checked out CC101 and its community kitchen as a possible location for Random Acts of Breadness.)

Sadly, CC101 closed its physical doors last December. But Elaina kept her e-mail newsletter going, edited by Tina Thornton, and the growing community of aficionados from her store and their friends remain a vibrant force for health. The newsletter features various events, hikes, seminars, and artisanal food purveyors (Random Acts of Breadness among them).

If you'd like to get on the list to receive Elaina's Culturing Community newsletter, send an e-mail to elainascommunity@gmail.com

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). Come to the bakery and sample our artisan wares, or order on line for bakery pickup, or have Breadness delivered or shipped to your door. You may also order by phone at 818-562-7303 and pay when you come pick it up. We're open Friday & Saturday 12 to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Reminder: If you (or someone you wish to gift) live within 120 miles of Los Angeles, we can ship on Thursday (via UPS Ground) and in most cases your Breadness Box will arrive on Friday (Saturday at the latest). Place your order before Thursday at noon here.

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