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(Enjoy this "extended-play" edition of the Breadness Buzz; just the thing to spend some quality time learning about the history of Random Acts of Breadness while mother nature does her best to replenish the water supply in this historically dry city. And by the way, we'll be offering curbside pickup for online orders, so you can get your Breadness without getting wet! See below for details...) 

The first song I ever wrote was titled "Rain."

The only remnant of the lyric I remember was something like "Rain... rain... comin' down in Mississippi..." I was at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, for tech training (fixing ground-to-aircraft radio equipment) and it rained a LOT; way more than in my home town of Los Angeles! On my off time I was doing a deep dive into music, an activity that would later lead me to setting up a small recording studio in my barracks room while stationed at Bitburg, Germany. (As a point of reference, Bitburg, located about 30 miles east of Luxembourg, was famous for its beer, Bitburger Pils, which I've seen for sale at, of all places, Trader Joe's!)



The above photo (circa 1975) shows part of my barracks studio at Bitburg Air Base. I'm on the left engineering a 4-track mix with my co-writing/producing partner, Doug, running the 2-track mixdown tape deck (some of this equipment has been preserved in the "Theta Sound Museum of Audio History" located in the reception area of my recording studio). And, yes... we have short-ish hair because that was the military regulation (although we pushed it as much as we could get away with)!

"What's this got to do with Rain and Sourdough Bread?" Well... the more you know about my approach to life, the more you can see how I never let apparent barriers get in the way of my creativity! Once I got the recording studio bug, I was all-in! From that point on, every place I lived, I've had a recording studio.

THE BEGINNING OF THETA SOUND STUDIO CIRCA 1977

And I also had many culinary excursions during my time in the service, eating at some amazing restaurants and developing a discerning palate along the way.

GUEST GRILLMASTER GARY TAKING OVER THE BBQ SO I CAN DO SOME ENGINEERING IN THE STUDIO

In a few short years after the Air Force, my recording studio would become known for its Annual Barbeque and Music Fest, which happened from 1980 to 2017! Awesome music and amazing food... it doesn't get any better than that!

SINGER/SONGWRITER ANDREA ROSS-GREENE PERFORMING AT THE THETA SOUND BBQ & FEST


When I was moving in the direction of developing a restaurant concept, one of my recording studio clients, Susan Kohler, produced a series of dinner shows at the studio where I did the chef thing for a sit-down dinner in the studio courtyard, followed by doing the engineering thing for her concert in the studio.











CHRIS COLANGELO (BASS), JEFF COLELLA (PIANO) AND SUSAN KOHLER FOR THE CONCERT PORTION OF THE EVENING

These dinner concerts, along with a few catered events at clients' homes, and two "testaurant" popups laid the groundwork for what would eventually become our brick & mortar micro-bakery on Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank!



It's about 1 a.m. and the rain has started. According to the forecast, it's going to rain for about a week. Which poses a conundrum: this is perfect weather for soups/stews and sourdough, as well as open-face cheese melts, but you'd rather not go out in the rain. I have two options that will help you stay warm and dry and still be able to get your Breadness (and accoutrements) for the weekend/week:

1. If your car is parked in an attached garage, you can order on line (let us know if you'd like your bread sliced or not), then hop in your car and drive over to Random Acts of Breadness. When you arrive, call us at 818-562-7303, let us know you are in front ready to pick up your order and we'll bring it out to you right away. 

2. If you have a DoorDash account and are within our delivery zone (which is really large), visit our DoorDash Storefront page and place your order there (let us know if you'd like your bread sliced or not). We'll be notified and will have the order ready for pickup by your Dasher!

KATY, LAURA ANN (THE JAM LADY) AND CYNDIE


Farewell to Katy...

Katy was the first person I hired to be part of the Breadness team. In the beginning, her and I made all of the bread and worked the front counter on the weekends. It was a heck of a lot of work for two people, but we did it! Soon after, Rhys came on board to take over Katy's dough-making duties, and Cyndie came aboard to assist Katy at the front counter. Alex joined the bread-making crew last fall and that's been our core team. 

But as with all things, life interposes a certain amount of randomness into one's journey: Katy and her husband are moving to Florida. I knew this was coming for several months, and we do have plans to open another Random Acts of Breadness in the Tampa Bay area, affording Katy the opportunity to pick up where she left off. But after a year and a half of stellar production here, her enthusiastic presence will certainly be missed. 


 
Darth Vader is still in Mardi Gras mode and we've got 2 of the 3 things he'll need to make that flavorful Muffuletta sandwich: the bread and the muffuletta spread. Just add your favorite sliced meats and cheeses and you're halfway to NOLA (that's short for New Orlean's, Louisiana).



Alex and Rhys are shaping the first dozen loaves of a batch of 60, to be baked Friday and cured overnight for sale on Saturday.



We've got plenty of Fresh Friday Artisan Country Loaves and Cinnamon Raisin Maple Pecan Loaves that can be sliced (or not) and taken home to warm your heart (and the hearts of those you love...).


 



We are open Friday & Saturday 12 to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.(-ish)

Use us any time you need something special for any occasion: Birthdays, Weddings, Baby Showers, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Housewarming, Appreciation, Hostess Gifts, Date Night, etc. Besides our talk-of-the-town artisan breads, we have a wide selection of premium olive oils, balsamics, butters, honeys, jams and tapenades, as well as our cutting boards, tea towels and the perfect bread knife! And in case you can't make it to the bakery, we always have Breadness Gift Cards available right from our website which will get e-mailed to your lucky recipient to be used at their convenience!


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. 

Note: 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.


Have a warm and cozy weekend and I look forward to seeing you at the bakery, even if it's in your car!

From our hands to yours...

Randall Michael Tobin
Artisan Baker/Chef, PC, ACF

Breadness.com


 
Copyright © 2023 Randall Michael Tobin, All rights reserved.


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