Malibu Granola Makes a Breakfast Splash
Malibu City Councilmember Laura Rosenthal moonlights as a food entrepreneur.
Layer Malibu Granola with blueberry yogurt for a delicious breakfast!
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Malibu City Councilmember Laura Rosenthal is many things: a clinical psychologist specializing in eating disorders, an education activist and the owner of Malibu Lice Patrol—literally a nit-picking business.
Over the years, she has been a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, Public Works Commission, the city's Economic Advisory Committee and the Malibu Business Roundtable. Her public positions have also included PTA president at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School, Shark Fund director at Malibu High School and event coordinator for the Malibu Youth Leadership Summit.
To that resume, you may now add food entrepreneur.
Laura is selling her longtime beloved recipe for granola, under the name Malibu Granola.
It's everything granola ought to be—crunchy, packed with interesting things and tasty. It contains a panoply of seeds (sunflower, sesame and flax), nuts (almonds, pepitas and pecans), grainy-type ingredients (oats, oat bran and wheat germ), fruity items (coconut and cranberries) and flavorings (vanilla and organic honey) and corn oil. There is no butter, and thus no cholesterol.
Laura has been making it for 12 years. The recipe, originally her mother-in-law's, has gone through many renditions, as she has tweaked it this way and that, to suit her evolving tastes. "I think I have changed it about 40 percent from the original, to make it more flavorful, a little more natural, a little less fat," Laura said.
She began giving it out as teacher gifts when her sons, Will, now 16, and Joe, now 19, were small. She also gave it out to friends during the holidays.
Laura began selling it some four years ago. Her busiest sale times are the holidays, Valentine's Day and at the end of the school year (people order it as teacher gifts).
"One of the reasons I felt competent selling the granola is that everyone who tastes it says it's the best granola they ever had," Laura said. "My milkman, if he smells it cooking when he comes for a delivery, goes crazy and asks for some. The smell fills my entire house—it's a great smell! It lasts for a couple of days. It's like having a turkey in the oven, only better."
She says some people eat it as a snack, much as you might a handful of nuts. Others eat it for breakfast with milk, or stir it into yogurt. However you choose to eat it, it's delicious!
Now, Laura must decide whether to take the endeavor to the next step—a commercial kitchen, professional packaging, selling at outside locations, etc.
She sells the granola in an eight-ounce bag for $6.50 and a one-pound bag for $12.
To order, e-mail Laura at MalibuGranola@gmail.com or go to www.malibugranola.com.
Have you tried Malibu Granola? What do you think?
Tell us in the comments.
In This article
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Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School
6955 Fernhill Dr, Malibu, CA -
Malibu High School
30215 Morning View Dr, Malibu, CA
Laureen Sills
9:20 am on Friday, January 7, 2011
I have to admit, there is nothing better than Malibu Granola! I love it with yogurt and fruit but it is just as delicious right out of the bag. I love Malibu Granola!!!
Deirdre Roney
5:12 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
I buy Malibu Granola for holiday gifts, teacher and hostess gifts, and we eat it at home for breakfast and instead of croutons in salad. Every Malibu Granola recipient insists it's the best granola they've ever had. Some now buy it for themselves. One taste and you just can't go back to the stale cardboard cholesterol crumble of any other granola. Go Malibu Granola!
Dorothy Reinhold
7:40 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
Deirdre,
What a great idea...using it instead of croutons in salad! I hadn't thought of that.
Jennifer Kurtz
11:03 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
Malibu Granola is the best you'll ever taste! I like to take it with me when I travel and munch it right out of the bag. It sure is a healthier alternative to stale processed pretzels and peanuts.
It's truly delicious.
Janet Tholen
12:01 am on Saturday, January 8, 2011
I have always been very particular about granola; most of it is too sweet and tastes somewhat "processed". Having made plenty of my own granola over the years, I thought mine was pretty good until I tried Laura's. Malibu Granola is simply the best granola I have ever had.
Paul Bartick
5:04 am on Saturday, January 8, 2011
Laura Rosenthal has evolved granola to high art. Granola was invented in 1876 by John Kellogg (the Director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium and later founder of Kellogg's), improved by Charles Post (the future founder of Post Cereals was introduced to granola when he was a patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium), and later embraced by the hippies of the 1960s. Malibu Granola is the best in the land because of the simple quality ingredients Laura uses. I am enjoying a bowl right now as I ready to shovel some snow here in New Jersey. Malibu Granola is "get-up-and-go" in a bowl.
Kim Ledoux
9:52 am on Saturday, January 8, 2011
Good News:I bought several bags as gifts
Bad News: None of the intended recipients received them!
Good/Bad News:I ate them all!
Malibu Granola is irresistable and soon I must join M.G. Anonymous..........maybe tomorrow?
shelley weinstock
1:02 pm on Saturday, January 8, 2011
I've loved Laura's granola for years. It doesn't last long in our house because we eat it for breakfast, lunch with yogurt and just out of the bag. In the past we only got it from Laura or others as gifts. But now, since we can buy it, I'm so happy to be able to have this delicious, high quality AND
healthy product whenever we want!!!
Ken & Barbara Kearsley
1:28 pm on Saturday, January 8, 2011
Greatest granola we have ever had. Gave to all our kids in their stockngs for Christmas.
Ship it to our son in Hawaii. He can't get enough. Laura, please don't ever quit making
this granola. Our family will be lost. Ken & Barbara Kearsley
Marie Wexler
1:53 pm on Saturday, January 8, 2011
I love Malibu granola, not too sweet and just the right amount of nuts and fruit!
Elise Vazelakis
3:01 pm on Saturday, January 8, 2011
Laura's granola is the best!
Fred Von Renner
5:49 pm on Saturday, January 8, 2011
This is the best granola I've ever had! In the past, I've tried different granolas from my local health food store, but I never knew granola could ever taste this good. Because I'm from the Bay Area, I go directly to the 'Malibu Granola' website and order. It's so easy. My apologies to our local health food store!
harley
3:50 pm on Tuesday, January 11, 2011
I love Malibu Granola and I'd have it every morning if my wife would quit hiding it from me!