For Petite Madeline

Written By Tali Nay

This one’s for the bakery. Because Petite Madeline is truly the best thing about downtown Oceanside. Today I stopped in for the last time ahead of their closing, and after my favorite of their breakfasts (the Greek Egg Bowl), I took home my favorite treat for later (the turtle cheesecake) as well as the seasonal offering (chocolate Guinness cake).

I could tell a lot of stories about PMB, ever since the friend who gave me an O-side tour when I was moving from Carlsbad pointed out the bakery on the corner, but I’m just going to pick two. 1) Once when it was my turn to pick the location for a regular brunch group of friends, I of course picked PMB. None of the others had been before, and more than one went home with treats for later, even after we’d eaten. The next time our group met, one of my friends pointed a finger at me and said, “I have a bone to pick with you.” He went on to explain that his husband had loved the treat he brought home from PMB so much that now anytime they were at all in the Oceanside vicinity, his husband insisted they stop for treats. 2) My parents developed a rather instant attachment the first time they visited me after I’d moved to Oceanside. They insisted on going to PMB multiple times each stay, and on one occasion I remember we went two days in a row. My dad, who likes to wear Hawaiian shirts, was of course wearing one on both days (they were different shirts, but similar in style), and when we ordered our food on the second day, the woman taking our orders looked at us for a second and asked, “Were you here yesterday?” Why yes, yes we were. When we ordered pastries and treats after our sit-down breakfasts, the servers came over with all the treats packed neatly in to-go boxes, sure we had meant to eat them later, since we had JUST EATEN FULL MEALS. We politely corrected them, letting them know that, no, we were not taking them with us. We were eating them there. Now. The servers promptly brought more plates and silverware.

So thanks for all the good times, PMB. We are truly sad to lose you, but we wish you all the best in retirement!!

Tali Nay

Tali Nay always wanted to be a fiction writer and was thus surprised when "real life" is what came out when she actually sat down to write something substantial. Tali studied writing in college, and then—entirely by accident—found herself working in business. She went on to earn an MBA, although recently left Corporate America in order to pursue her dream of becoming a gemologist. After a stint in New York City earning her diploma at the GIA, Tali now works in the gemology industry and lives in San Diego, California.

https://talinaybooks.com
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