Latest news with #Plummer
Eater
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
TikTok's Most Popular New Cinnamon Rolls Are Drawing Massive Lines in Pasadena
Since Badash Bakes opened its doors on April 29, sweets enthusiasts have found a consistent line out the door on Colorado Boulevard, just east of Marengo Avenue. One social media influencer reported over an hour-and-a-half wait for Cunningham's traditional and beautiful ceremonial grade-matcha cinnamon rolls, coffee, matcha lattes, red velvet cake, banana bread loaf, blueberry muffins, brownies, and banana pudding. Cunningham also offers 10 different cookie varieties, such as s'mores, toffee chocolate chip, matcha, and a slightly salty and sweet cornbread. Staff frequently bring out freshly baked goods to the display case, but most still sell out. 'We sell out of cinnamon rolls every day,' says founder and pastry chef Ashley Cunningham. 'We sell out of cookies most days. Last week, someone came in and said, 'Whatever you have, I'll just take the rest.'' And in mid-May, an unofficial passing of Los Angeles's Black-owned bakery torch was underway at Badash Bakes. Sweet Red Peach's legendary owner, Karolyn Plummer, visited Southern California's hottest bakery and introduced herself to Cunningham. Plummer opened her Pasadena outlet for Sweet Red Peach in late March, but doesn't see Badash Bakes as competition. 'She is so genuine with a sweet spirit, and a passion for baking,' says Plummer. 'It's inspiring for anyone to follow their dreams, especially at such a young age (Cunningham is 29). Ashley reminds me of when I started baking at [that age].' (Plummer has just turned 55.) Cunningham, who grew up in Lakeview Terrace near Sylmar, started competing in culinary competitions during high school and won a scholarship to the Art Institute of North Hollywood, earning a degree in Culinary Arts. After that, she worked at Katsuya in Glendale before transitioning into work as a private chef for three years. In her work with clients like filmmaker Jordan Peele and NBA player Karl-Anthony Towns, she started making waves on social media for her cooking. Drawn to the quieter element of being a pastry chef, Cunningham started baking from an industrial kitchen in November 2023 until late 2024. Her followers started buying them immediately. 'I amassed a large following on TikTok,' says Cunningham about her nearly 600,000 followers. 'People love to see what famous people are eating. They followed me through the transition to baking and shipping cookies all over the country.' Cunningham ceased cookie shipping operations after signing a lease directly across the street from the Paseo retail mall and working with Nicole Rangel to design the bakery. From day one, Badash Bakes has remained busy — it will host a grand opening on Saturday, May 31. Badash joins a rush of Southern California Black-owned bakeries that opened in recent years, including Fleurs et Sel in West Adams, View Park-Windsor Hills' Creme Brulee LA, Culver City's Lei'd Cookies and Des Croissants, and the forthcoming brick-and-mortar location for All About the Cinnamon in Sherman Oaks. Cunningham is overwhelmed and asks for patience from those waiting for sweets, but is also grateful for the support. 'I'm so proud of everyone. Sweet Red Peach's owner came in yesterday, and they were so supportive and kind. We need these spaces with faces that look like us, and owners who look like us. It's such a positive thing,' says Cunningham. Sign up for our newsletter.
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. Affairs: Oh, how my body wanted my pickleball partner! Then he opened his big mouth
When Noah walked into the indoor pickleball complex in Carson that rainy morning, my body said, 'Wow. Look at that guy.' The 30 minutes it took me to get to Carson from Mar Vista suddenly seemed worth it. Pulling into the parking lot of PowerPlay Pickleball, I got to see the Goodyear Blimp tethered and pivoting in the wind across the street. My pickleball friend Hailey had booked the court. She texted me the day before that she had lined up a fourth player: a guy from Plummer Park in West Hollywood. She gave me nothing to go on about his relationship status, not that I cared. My status was 'married my entire life and now separated for two years.' My husband was loud and controlling. I wasn't sure I even wanted to be in a relationship again. Hollywood Hailey, with her long blond hair, rocked a tennis dress, thigh-high socks and baseball cap. Sometimes she wore sunglasses indoors. Men gravitated toward her like a mouth to a candy apple. She got our friend Gary to play. Gary was a lawyer whose affability never offended off the court, but on the court I found him pushy. I met his lovely older wife at a pickleball party last year. He and I tossed our pickleball bags onto a table near the court. Gary's bag was wadded with used towels. I asked to borrow his eraser to remove the scuff marks from my paddle. Noah swung his backpack off his broad shoulders onto our table. I felt his body in my knees. From low to high, I noticed everything: his shoe size, muscular calves, graying temples, intelligent face. In my mind, I saw our hands laced, running on a beach, seagulls flying, the look in our eyes at the altar, the country garden with pickleball roses. 'This is Noah,' Hailey said. 'He plays at Plummer.' Noah smiled at me, reached out his strong hand to shake mine. A soft pillowy grip. No wedding ring. Gary didn't wear a wedding ring either. My fingers were certainly bare. (There should be a ring finger for being separated. The middle finger would be a good candidate.) Hailey wore no rings. The four of us stepped out onto the reserved court. It was loud inside from paddles hitting pickleballs and piped-in music. Hailey knew I didn't love playing with Gary, who poached too many of my shots, so she let me have Noah. 'Do you want to serve first?' Noah's voice was pillowy like his palms. He backed up toward the baseline. He offered me the ball. I took it. My bobbed hair was tucked under a baseball cap I had started wearing to emulate Hailey. Hailey swayed her hips back and forth in ready position looking like the volleyball player she once was. I was wearing leggings and a long-sleeve top covered by a puffy vest. 'Zero-zero-two,' I called out to begin the game. My serve sailed long. 'Ugh,' I sighed. Noah gave me a tender look. 'It's OK,' he said. 'We got this.' He walked over, extended his hand to mine. I slapped it. Hailey served next. I returned the ball to her, but Gary overreached to poach it, driving a shot into Noah's waiting forehand. Noah put the ball away. Our point. Noah smiled at me. I smiled back. To celebrate a winning point, partners usually slap paddles. But Noah kept offering me his bare hand. Skin-to-skin contact. I tried not to read into it. We traded points, pounding out volleys, firing rounds at the net, reacting quickly, lunging, grunting, all of us panting. The score was tied 9-9. There's something that happens on a pickleball court when points go the distance. Players get giggly, euphoric, sweaty. The euphoria bonded us in honey. When Noah and I took the win, we howled. We all clinked paddles. Time for a breather, to grab some water, for me to say something profound to Noah to capture the moment. 'God, I'm thirsty,' I came up with. I stared at Noah's bobbing Adam's apple as he suckled at his bottle. Warmth spread through my breast, and my breathing quickened. In my mind, I saw us in a hotel room in Greece beneath gauzy white curtains. 'Can I ask you a question?' he said, setting down his water. 'Yep,' I said aloud. ('I do take thee,' I said to myself.) 'Did you know you have too big a backswing on your volleys?' If my heart were a blimp, his unsolicited advice was a needle. My husband was an expert in everything, even in the way I cut tomatoes, hemmed pants, folded socks. I had had enough of men self-improving me. Hailey took a swig of water from her bottle. Her thigh tips were glowing. Gary offered Noah his paddle eraser then toweled off the top of his bare head. 'Hmmm,' I finally said. When pickleballs are hit too hard, they crack. Before they crack, tiny fissures show up between the holes. The score in the second game reached game point for Hailey and Gary. Gary served. I returned hard and deep to Hailey. She popped up a juicy lob to my forehand. This was the first lob to my forehand all game, and I had something to prove. Decades of smashing overheads in tennis would sweeten me to Noah like no candy apple could. 'Mine,' I screamed, cocked my paddle back over my head, and whipped my forehand down with all my might to pound that ball into Noah's heart. I felt a thud. Noah had jumped across my body to poach the lob with his backhand. My paddle hit his back. The ball hit the net. Game over. Honeymoon over. Noah crossed his arms trying to massage his own bruise. His expression was sheepish. He knew he had poached my shot and cost us the game. Hailey ran over to him. 'Are you OK?' she asked. Gary said, 'Brutal.' Noah said, 'Can't believe I missed.' He did not say he was sorry. I did not apologize for flogging him. Hailey said, 'We've got to give up the court now anyway. Great games, guys.' Hailey clinked my paddle, Hailey clinked Noah's. Gary clinked mine, Gary clinked Noah's. I didn't clink Noah's. I gathered my stuff, made sure I stuffed my water, my paddle, my cap back into my tote. I grabbed my car keys. 'Noah and I are headed out for lunch. Do you guys want to join us?' Hailey said. It sounded like a plan made before we got there. Had there been something going on between them after all? Gary said he couldn't go. I said I couldn't go. Noah extended his hand for a goodbye handshake, clueless to the heights and depths of our relationship. I slapped it. This author is a pickleball enthusiast and daydreamer from Mar Vista. L.A. Affairs chronicles the search for romantic love in all its glorious expressions in the L.A. area, and we want to hear your true story. We pay $400 for a published essay. Email LAAffairs@ You can find submission guidelines here. You can find past columns here.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local GOP leader backed state rep after calling sexual misconduct claim 'disgusting'
May 22—Local Republican leaders continued to support the reelection campaign of state Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, in November despite having knowledge of a criminal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. Creech has denied the allegation against him. A special prosecutor in October 2024 opted not to charge the lawmaker — whose district includes Preble and parts of Montgomery and Butler counties — but noted that he found Creech's behavior to be "concerning and suspicious." As part of the investigation, state Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp. was interviewed by state investigators in February 2024. The interview revolved around a conversation the two had in which Plummer found Creech to be making light of the allegations he was facing from a teenage minor female. "So, to me, that's disgusting and uncalled for," Plummer told state investigators. "I'm not sure if it's a total criminal element here, but it's uncalled for. I mean, as a father myself, I think it's just appalling. Those are the statements he made directly to me." Plummer, who chairs the Montgomery County Republican Party, still included Creech on his party's slate endorsement card months after his cooperation with state investigators. Creech won with 77% of the vote. Before that, Creech ran unopposed in the March 2024 primary. Creech, having noted that Plummer might be a potential opponent in a 2026 Republican primary to replace term-limited Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, has chalked up the ordeal as a "political hit job." "He wants to say this is all political. Well, it's not political and that's a very good reason to show people it's not political, because I included him on the slate card and that's my decision as a party chairman," Plummer said when this outlet asked him to explain why the party still supported Creech but not Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley, who is facing criminal charges. "I could have kept (Creech) off, but, you know, I decided to put him on. I did keep Mike Foley off because he did have a nine-count indictment," Plummer said. Creech has since threatened legal actions against Plummer, who said he received directive from Creech's attorney to maintain all his communications in case of a lawsuit. When the criminal investigation became public this month, Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman said he had asked Creech to resign from the Ohio House. Huffman used his power to remove Creech from all of his committees. While Plummer had no position in House leadership when he participated in the investigation, today he's third-in-command under Huffman. Huffman says he only learned about the Creech investigation and Plummer's role in it when the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation informed him they were about to release it to the media — the Dayton Daily News had requested a copy of it using Ohio public records laws. 'Failure of leadership' Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Mohamed Al-Hamdani frames the delay of any political sanctions against Creech as a "failure of leadership." "The allegations against Rodney Creech are deeply disturbing," Hamdani told this news outlet. "What is equally disturbing is that some leaders within the Republican Party have known about these allegations for over a year and chose to remain silent." "Ohioans deserve leaders who will do what's right, who will protect our children, and who will hold their fellow lawmakers accountable for their actions," Al-Hamdani said, calling for Creech to resign. Other prominent Republicans with at least some knowledge of the allegations include Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost's office oversees BCI and shared the investigation with Huffman only after it was about to become public. Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson and Prosecutor Martin Votel had some knowledge of the allegations in 2023. The alleged victim's stepfather contacted Simpson in July 2023. Simpson says the alleged victim's stepfather — an Ohio police chief — reached out to him to ask if the chief was required to report possible inappropriate behavior involving Creech he learned about through a family discussion. Simpson says he took the issue to Votel, who advised them that it didn't have to be reported. Simpson says he didn't open an investigation or make any documentation of what he was told, and doesn't remember what specific information he was told about the allegations. Votel has not returned requests for comment on why he reportedly advised the sheriff and police chief the allegation did not need to be reported for criminal investigation, despite the stepfather being a mandated reporter. Votel donated $100 to Creech's campaign in September 2024. Votel was elected in November as a Preble County Common Pleas Court judge. The state got involved in the investigation on Nov. 8, 2023 after Simpson and Votel recused themselves from the case after it was brought to them after being reported in Montgomery County in September. Another local Republican who would have known about the allegation and investigation is Preble County Recorder Jeanne Creech, who is the state lawmakers' wife.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local GOP leader backed state rep after calling sexual misconduct claim 'disgusting'
May 22—Local Republican leaders continued to support the reelection campaign of state Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, in November despite having knowledge of a criminal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. Creech has denied the allegation against him. A special prosecutor in October 2024 opted not to charge the lawmaker — whose district includes Preble and parts of Montgomery and Butler counties — but noted that he found Creech's behavior to be "concerning and suspicious." As part of the investigation, state Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp. was interviewed by state investigators in February 2024. The interview revolved around a conversation the two had in which Plummer found Creech to be making light of the allegations he was facing from a teenage minor female. "So, to me, that's disgusting and uncalled for," Plummer told state investigators. "I'm not sure if it's a total criminal element here, but it's uncalled for. I mean, as a father myself, I think it's just appalling. Those are the statements he made directly to me." Plummer, who chairs the Montgomery County Republican Party, still included Creech on his party's slate endorsement card months after his cooperation with state investigators. Creech won with 77% of the vote. Before that, Creech ran unopposed in the March 2024 primary. Creech, having noted that Plummer might be a potential opponent in a 2026 Republican primary to replace term-limited Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, has chalked up the ordeal as a "political hit job." "He wants to say this is all political. Well, it's not political and that's a very good reason to show people it's not political, because I included him on the slate card and that's my decision as a party chairman," Plummer said when this outlet asked him to explain why the party still supported Creech but not Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley, who is facing criminal charges. "I could have kept (Creech) off, but, you know, I decided to put him on. I did keep Mike Foley off because he did have a nine-count indictment," Plummer said. Creech has since threatened legal actions against Plummer, who said he received directive from Creech's attorney to maintain all his communications in case of a lawsuit. When the criminal investigation became public this month, Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman said he had asked Creech to resign from the Ohio House. Huffman used his power to remove Creech from all of his committees. While Plummer had no position in House leadership when he participated in the investigation, today he's third-in-command under Huffman. Huffman says he only learned about the Creech investigation and Plummer's role in it when the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation informed him they were about to release it to the media — the Dayton Daily News had requested a copy of it using Ohio public records laws. 'Failure of leadership' Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Mohamed Al-Hamdani frames the delay of any political sanctions against Creech as a "failure of leadership." "The allegations against Rodney Creech are deeply disturbing," Hamdani told this news outlet. "What is equally disturbing is that some leaders within the Republican Party have known about these allegations for over a year and chose to remain silent." "Ohioans deserve leaders who will do what's right, who will protect our children, and who will hold their fellow lawmakers accountable for their actions," Al-Hamdani said, calling for Creech to resign. Other prominent Republicans with at least some knowledge of the allegations include Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost's office oversees BCI and shared the investigation with Huffman only after it was about to become public. Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson and Prosecutor Martin Votel had some knowledge of the allegations in 2023. The alleged victim's stepfather contacted Simpson in July 2023. Simpson says the alleged victim's stepfather — an Ohio police chief — reached out to him to ask if the chief was required to report possible inappropriate behavior involving Creech he learned about through a family discussion. Simpson says he took the issue to Votel, who advised them that it didn't have to be reported. Simpson says he didn't open an investigation or make any documentation of what he was told, and doesn't remember what specific information he was told about the allegations. Votel has not returned requests for comment on why he reportedly advised the sheriff and police chief the allegation did not need to be reported for criminal investigation, despite the stepfather being a mandated reporter. Votel donated $100 to Creech's campaign in September 2024. Votel was elected in November as a Preble County Common Pleas Court judge. The state got involved in the investigation on Nov. 8, 2023 after Simpson and Votel recused themselves from the case after it was brought to them after being reported in Montgomery County in September. Another local Republican who would have known about the allegation and investigation is Preble County Recorder Jeanne Creech, who is the state lawmakers' wife.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Woman 'loves' new horse rescued from motorway
A yard owner who helped rescue a horse after it was spotted running across two motorways says "everyone has fallen in love with him". The loose horse was found by Jade Plummer, who works at Blossom Hill Equestrian centre near Gloucester, on the M32 in Bristol at about 20:00 BST on Thursday. After seeing the horse, she manoeuvred her car to block traffic from potentially hitting the animal. Ms Plummer said: "We didn't really think at the time. We just did it because we didn't want the horse to get hurt or people to get hurt." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire Ms Plummer said the "worst bit" was when the horse reached the M4 slip road, where cars were travelling fast. "I had to use my car to get him up and down on to the hard shoulder, that was probably the worst part of it," she said. Avon and Somerset Police arrived and closed the road so the animal could be captured safely, and Ms Plummer agreed to take care of the horse, who she has now called Dash. It is still unclear where Dash came from or how he managed to reach the M32. Since taking him in, a vet has said Dash is four years old. She said: "But if you were to look at him you would think he is 18 months old. He's quite skinny, you can see his hip bones and you can feel all his ribs." She added Dash is "a lot brighter in himself" but "he's still got a long way to go". "At the minute, he won't drink water," she said. "We're having to feed him certain feeds which are quite hydrating to get as much water into him as possible. "We're having to syringe water into him regularly to keep him as hydrated as possible." She added: "He will be a permanent addition. Everyone on the yard has fallen in love with him, he's only been there for a couple of days." Dash is now in need of vet treatment as he as a range of medical needs such as skin tumours, and Ms Plummer has set up a crowdfunder. It has so far raised more than £1,100. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Badminton Horse Trials: Putting on the show Woman still riding at 100 with no plans to give up Bonfire night 'catastrophic' for horses and zoos Avon and Somerset Police
