For those of you didnt know who my grandfather was. Headline of Orange County Register In-N-Out bun maker remembered as pioneering Bread Man John Markulis boasted that his Puritan Bakery, which he saved with a mortage investment in the 1960s, made the “Best Buns in Town.” John Markulis, known by many in the fast-food industry as the “Bread Man” of Southern California, said that behind every great burger was a great bun. “He would always say, when you bit into the hamburger, the first thing you would taste is the bun, so the quality had to be very important,” said his daughter Cathy McIndoo of Yorba Linda. Markulis, co-owner of Carson-based Puritan Bakery, died Sunday in a Torrance hospital. He was 83. Markulis, who was well-known in the Southern California Greek community, peddled the premium qualities of his bakerys old-fashioned sponge-dough buns for nearly 50 years. That perseverance earned him the business and loyalty of more than 2,000 restaurants in California, including iconic chains In-N-Out Burger, Johnny Rockets, the Habit Burger Grill, Original Tommys and Fatburger. McIndoo said her father refused to retire though he suffered from various illnesses over the years. He would often wander around the Carson factory greeting his workers by name. “He always came in. His employees were so important to him. Many had worked for him for 20 to 25 years,” McIndoo said. A feisty workaholic, Markulis began working in the bread business at age 12. He cut his teeth at various bakeries throughout Los Angeles before partnering with the owners of Puritan Bakery in 1965. Back then, the bakery was struggling amid tough competition from larger California rivals, including Van de Kamp Bakery. Corporate bakeries began cheapening their breads. With the fast-food industry growing at a rapid clip in the 1960s, his philosophy was to outclass large chains like McDonalds with a better product. He mortgaged his house and invested $5,000 in the near-bankrupt Puritan Bakery. “It takes a quality product to beat a cheap burger,” Markulis would tell his clients during deals that often ended in a handshake. Early on, independent eateries like Bravo Burgers, Toms Family Restaurant and a slew of Greek-run burger houses became his biggest supporters. They were the backbone of the company, along with legacy clients such as In-N-Out and Tommys. Markulis, who lived in Palos Verdes, worked with each client to customize buns. The 4-inch buns for In-N-Out, a customer since the 1950s, are “tweaked” (Puritan wont say how) for better grilling results. Tommys buns are made to better support its heavy chili-slathered burgers. Dean Kim of OC Baking Company in Orange called him a pioneer for mass-producing the artisan-style buns, which need a long fermentation process to acquire their chewy “good for toasting” texture. “He went above and beyond what anyone else would do with a hamburger bun,” Kim said. “He was avant-garde.” If I didnt tag you and you Are part of the family its not that I forgot about you I just dont know your Facebook name. Please feel free to tag yourself in these photos or share this on your wall. We all love grandpa very much. Grandpa was a legend not only to us but to many people. We were very fortunate to be able to grow up and be raised by a man like this. Grandpa was truly one-of-a-kind and will never be replaced. But in the same sense his legend will never be forgotten his lessons he taught us will be carried on forever. My love for my grandfather cant be expressed in any words. He truly was my father, my best friend and my grandfather/papou. Him and my Grandmother always believed in me no matter how crazy I was or how bad my grades were. My grandfather used to always tell my grandma dont worry honey he is going to do something in life, I just dont know what. My grandpa used always tell me behind every great man there is a better woman. My grandpa and grandma are the definition of true love. They have been married since my grandma was 16 years old and my grandfather was 19 years old. They have been married for 63 years now. As this truly hurts for all of us grandpa would say its life, you have to take things as they come. I love you grandpa RIP
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:27:29 +0000
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