Mark Trombino owns Donut Friend in LA and plays drums in the recently reunited Drive Like Jehu.
What was the food highlight of your year?
I don't really have any single food highlight, just a lot of small victories that only I would appreciate. Like, little triumphs in the kitchen, either perfecting a recipe, or figuring out better techniques or procedures... I don't know. I'm still so new to baking that it really doesn't take much for me to feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I learn something new dumb thing!
What was the music highlight of your year?
That would have to be, hands down, the Jehu reunion in San Diego. Everything about it was magical for me. The turnout was way beyond anything I had imagined, the venue was beautiful. we got to play with a massive pipe organ, the weather and time of day was perfect, we played well, and, most importantly, I didn't embarrass myself like I thought I would! It was probably one of the best nights of my life and I still smile whenever I think about it.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
Donut Friend got to be a part of both Coachella and FYF last year. Coachella was cool because it was our first festival and we basically had everything we needed to make donuts on sight, and we actually managed to pull it off! It was so much fun, and having an air conditioned tent to use as a home base wasn't too shabby, either. I was floored by The Knife, and slightly embarrassed by how much I loved Empire of the Sun. FYF was rad too, but totally different. There, we just brought donuts we made back at Donut Friend, so it was a lot less stressful, and the quality and variety was way better. One of my favorite memories of FYF was going to see the Blood Brothers with my staff after wrapping up the second day, and how excited we all were. Me, a 48 year old dude, and a bunch of 20-somethings all equally excited to see the same band. It was weird and awesome and made me thankful to have put something together like Donut Friend.