Breadness Buzz - Maui Prayers, Starlight Finale, Hurricane Heading, Meet the Chef...

Hawaii holds a special place in my heart...

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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 (by me!). 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...

My older sister, Michele, lived on Oahu for several years. My younger sister, Francie, lived on Maui for 30 years and ran MAPA (Maui Academy of Performing Arts). My wife, Cyndie, lived in Honolulu before I ever met her. And I've been to Hawaii 7 times. Hawaii and all of her islands are mystical and magical places on this planet. Hawaii is also home to some of the finest restaurants and resorts in the world and it attracts the best chefs due to its fertile volcanic soil for growing amazing fruits and vegetables, and the bounty of fresh-caught fish that usually ends up on dinner plates within hours of being caught. With this idyllic backdrop, to think that part of Maui has fallen victim to freak wildfires is indeed tragic. Our prayers go out to all who have been affected by this tragedy and to those who are helping in the relief efforts. E loaʻa iā ʻoe ka ikaika e kū ai i ka wā e hiki mai ana. (May you have the strength to face the future.)

L-R: My longtime friend Randy, Mike (Brian May, guitar), Gregory (Freddie Mercury), Peter (Roger Taylor, drums), Parker (John Deacon, bass)

Queen Nation are arguably the best tribute to the classic rock band Queen in the nation (and possibly, the world!). I first saw them at the Starlight Bowl in 2013. In 2016, I met Gregory Finsley (who plays Freddie Mercury in the group) when he came to see Starr Parodi perform at one of my recording studio house concerts. Starr had invited him and during intermission, I talked with Gregory and found out he played Freddie Mercury in Queen Nation! I knew they were going to be playing the Starlight again for the summer concert series so I asked if I could mix their show. Gregory was delighted to hear my request and gladly accepted. The result was a concert performance for the ages highlighted by fans from the audience coming up to me after the show and saying it was the best sound mix they'd ever heard at the Starlight! Fast forward to 2023 and Queen Nation closed out the Starlight Bowl summer concerts season with a killer show! I did not mix this show as, being a sponsor for the intermission raffle drawing, I was busy passing out samples of Breadness Sourdough to fans throughout the audience (which is why I'm wearing my chef's coat). But my friend Randy and I managed to meet up with the band after the show and another fan was kind enough to take this photo.

All in all, Random Acts of Breadness donated $300 in Gift Cards to the Starlight Bowl and I personally handed out about 10 loaves of sourdough samples to over 100 fans in the audiences across 6 shows. I'm looking forward to the winners presenting their Gift Cards in our store and leaving with at least $50 worth of amazing breads and gourmet items!

Last Sunday afternoon Lisa Grabow of Beyond the Olive in Pasadena talked about and gave samples to our customers of her Tapenades we carry in our store. Lisa's been busy traveling and attending gourmet food shows, many of which she is also an exhibitor, and we were fortunate to have her for a couple hours that day! Customers bought several jars of her tapenades and we sold out of the Parmegiano Tapenade. We were out of the 3 other flavors before Lisa arrived, but fortunately, she brought our order for a case each of the other 3 flavors with her. Come by this weekend and taste some tapenades...

If you follow the latest news, you'd think LA was going to be underwater by this weekend! Fortunately, the storm is way out at sea for now and as it moves north and closer to land, the water temp drops which will take all the wind from its sails and we'll just get a bunch of rain starting Monday and lasting for a couple days. With all this heat, the rain is most welcome! Having lived in Florida for a year and experienced a full-on hurricane in 1975 (Eloise), I can attest to the power of these storms. But that's not likely to happen here. However, if you want to stock up on Breadness and supplies just in case, come to the bakery Friday, Saturday or Sunday and we'll help you fill your emergency coffers with all the things you and your family have come to love here at Random Acts of Breadness.

We're back to making our Cinnamon Raisin Maple Pecan loaves this week. If you prefer walnuts to pecans, we still have a few of the Cinnamon Raisin Maple Walnut Sourdough loaves in the freezer. If you've had our frozen bread before, you know that it rehydrates very well when allowed to come to temperature sealed in the included zip bag.

Many of our customers buy more than one loaf of bread so they can freeze some for later use (or give it as a gift in the middle of the week). If you plan on freezing your bread, let us know so we can give you bread that's already frozen and double bagged. Many of the frozen loaves are already sliced, making it easy for you to take only the slices you want from the frozen loaf and letting them thaw in another sealed bag on your counter for about 30 minutes. We have fresh and frozen Country Loaves and the Cinnamon Raisin Maple Walnut/Pecan Loaves described above.

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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