Good morning everyone.
I am in Orange County for the weekend for a CrossFit competition in Huntington Beach. Yesterday, I went to Eller, a sick bakery in Costa Mesa.
I got to connect with the two owners, Ken and Thomas. Ken owns a coffee shop in Newport and oversees the coffee roastery. He’s from Portland, Oregon, and I felt the PNW brotherhood. Thomas is the head chef and is from Austria. He was slightly annoyed by my enthusiasm for what they were doing, which was honestly very European and cool of him.
They opened three years ago, and they’ve been cranking out croissants and sourdough from their stone mill ever since. They source their grains from farms across the West Coast, primarily in Washington’s Skagit Valley.
I got there in the afternoon, so most of their inventory was already sold out, but I was able to snag a ham and cheese croissant, and it was fantastic. The layers were eternal, and the sharp cheddar complemented the nuttiness of the fresh-milled flour pastry.
I also got their market salad, which was okay. I liked the poppy seed dressing, but there was too much cheese (saying this as someone who loves cheese), and the peaches were immature. (Video evidence below.) Serving unripened peaches is a Running On Butter criminal offense. And what’s a bummer is that the salad had perfectly ripened plums. They did not need to add the stone hard peaches. Unforced error.
The iced espresso was a medium-light moment and was so enjoyable that I ordered a second.
I got two plain croissants and their last sourdough chocolate chip cookie to go—carbs that are really coming in clutch for this weekend’s fitness. (4K beach run tonight!)
I asked owner Ken how business was going, and he said that running a business in SoCal sucks. The taxes, the rent, the minimum wage.
Nevertheless, they persist. They’re looking to add on to their building, and are going to start selling their flour in addition to the coffee they roast.
I lowkey pleaded with him to open a bakery in the more business-friendly Arizona, and he said he might be up for it. Between Gavin Newsom pushing them out and ROB readers inviting them in, Scottsdale could be the place for Eller Bakery.
Overall rating of Eller Bakery: 9/10. Drop the unripe peaches for a perfect score.
Also, a very sweet mom named Hailey came up to tell me how much she appreciated my wife, which was cool but caught me off guard. A week ago, I was known by, like, the 14 people who read Running On Butter. That number recently dropped to 12, as both of my grandmothers passed away.
This week, I touch down in LA and I’m basically being swarmed by fans. At what point do I hire a publicist, and at what point do they start calling the paparazzi?
A new study following over 2,000 children aged 10–17 taking GLP-1 drugs found high rates of nutritional deficiencies, particularly in vitamin D, iron, and calcium. Gosh. This makes me so sad. These poor kids and their families are victims. First, of Big Food, which knows exactly what it’s doing when it makes dopamine-roller-coaster products targeted at families. Now, of Big Pharma, which is profiting billions from the truly diabolical idea that a child needs a drug to lose weight. And now the drug is depleting bodies that are already struggling of key nutrients essential for development. The American Academy of Pediatrics, an institution whose guidelines are followed closely by pediatricians across the nation, recommends GLP-1s for obese children as young as twelve. An analysis estimates that GLP‑1 drug developers paid the AAP $1.9 million to $2.6 million in corporate sponsorships between 2012 and 2024. While I certainly think industry is influencing these guidelines, I mainly believe the doctors making them are dim-bulb MDs whose methodology is: health problem = medication. They think that way because med school taught them too. Industry doesn’t even have to bribe these people as much nowadays. They’re pretty much programmed to reach for the newest meds without asking many questions. We lack smart physicians who are bright enough to discern that the effects of a childhood diet of corn syrup infant formula and Fruity Pebbles can be reversed without a drug.
REM sleep helps protect against a multitude of diseases, according to a new study examining 90,000 individuals. Conversely, getting less than five hours of sleep was associated with a 17% increase in disease occurrence. It cannot be said enough: there is no medicine like sleep. This is when the body restores itself and builds resilience to chronic and infectious diseases alike. I know it’s hard sometimes, depending on the season of life. But I also know that many of us are blue-screen scrollers before bedtime. This disrupt our natural circadian rhythm and robs us of precious medicine (unconsciousness!). I am not perfect in this area and need to do a better job of tech hygiene—putting away my devices when I should be winding down.
LA is doing electric-bike buybacks, paying residents $1,000 to give up their e-bikes, which have risen in popularity by over 1,000% since 2020. A plethora of serious accidents have been reported as 12-year-olds whip around SoCal beach towns on what are technically motorcycles. I, for one, am all about these buybacks. I despise e-bikers who take up running lanes! I have almost been hit many times on runs in Scottsdale and even went full-on Karen and complained to a city manager about it. They should be outlawed on pedestrian pathways. People need to, like, use their own legs to pedal. ROB stands firmly against e-bikes.
Sea bass and bok choy were served at the state dinner with President Xi of China, which had a “subtle Chinese influence.” Alexandra discovered she loves bok choy this spring and requests it at least once a week. I stir-fry it with coconut aminos, fresh ginger, coconut sugar, red pepper paste, and a dash of sesame oil.
Starbucks is closing 250 stores. Is it just me, or have we as a nation moved beyond PSL season? I don’t see the hype around it anymore. Are people still drinking pumpkin spice lattes? ROB ships a pumpkin spice flavor but rebukes Starbucks’ take on it. It’s got an ungodly amount of sugar and uses fake flavoring agents. Instead, make your own with real pumpkin and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, which are so good for your cells.
After an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Sprouts agreed to stop spraying ProduceMaxx on all of its produce nationwide. It also agreed to stop using any synthetic antimicrobial pesticide on organic produce. Did not know that stuff was on our bok choy.
I am my wife’s #1 fan and implore you all to watch her hilariously entertaining new podcast episode this weekend:
Proof bread in Mesa is great if you haven’t checked them out. Freshly milled as well. Good ham and cheese croissants.
I think PSL is dying. I used to wait with great anticipation every year when they would bring it back and I would enjoy multiple lattes during the short time that it was available every year. I still have yet to try one this season, maybe I won’t. Honestly, I’ve changed my ways when it comes to Starbucks and I try more frequently to get drinks that are less sugary and sweet and if I do order something that’s sweet I request less syrup or none at all. Btw, your wife is 1 in a billion!!!