“Feed Me remains a bootstrapped operation with no outside investors.” Will always be the biggest flex ever. And I can’t believe my Feed Me dreams are coming true, LFG L.A.
Feed Me is truly one of probably three Substack newsletters (of the maybe 30ish that I subscribe to and which regularly publish) I read in full as soon as it hits my inbox/Substack app - I look forward to seeing what lies ahead in 2026!
I have a funny memory of one of our fragrance school classmates excitedly telling me, “You know Emily from class is Feed Me Emily, right?” Love that and love reading this! Big congrats on all 🫶🏻
West Coast Feed Me: "Andreessen Horowitz was apparently scouting founders in the bathroom line at the Cal-Stanford football game over the weekend. I just looked up the man who came up to us, it was Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz."
Kidding! So hyped for this. Some of the traditional great West Coast papers have slashed their culture coverage over the past decade. The NYT's dedicated "California" section is excellent and I'm sure this will be, too.
Yeah I've been impressed with their coverage, and encouraged to see Coyote Media (the Bay Area journalist collective you covered a few months ago) take shape as well.
IMO, probably the best alternative culture magazine in SoCal is L.A. Taco though they haven't released as much recently. And of course C. Magazine for CA luxury lifestyle stuff.
I hope that if you start writing regularly about LA that you're aware of the real estate shenanigans that displace working-class people in this city. For example, Chinatown is so much more than Baby Bistro.
Sorry about my flippant inclusion about Baby Bistro. I just get annoyed when people bring restaurants up like that constantly and champion the changes they bring/respond to without considering the impact on people and businesses who have been in the neighborhood for decades. I'd personally love coverage that gets out of the Sqirl/Erewhon/Courage Bagels/Canyon Coffee/Hollywood bubble.
You weren't asking me (above), but: it would be great to know how young people in SF spend their money! Especially with the unprecedented wealth creation over there & its skew toward the young.
As one example of the scale, OpenAI just authorized its employees (who are overwhelmingly young and SF-based) to sell $6.6B of shares on the secondary market. That's so much money! Where's it actually going? Anecdotally, it seems like very few people in SF drink, party, or have kids. And hiking is free.
With all this wealth generation, why hasn't there been an explosion in cultural institutions and philanthropy as we might expect? Or if there has been, why haven't we heard about it?
Definitely stories related to the Olympics. For example, an air taxi company is trying to move in: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-11-24/california-air-taxi. Also developers are trying to build a gondola from Union Station to Dodger stadium which is heavily opposed by the Chinatown community (and even the City Council) but regional/state authorities and business interests seem determined to see that through. There are a bunch of bonkers infrastructure/business stories to mine out of the Olympics plus the World Cup. Torched.la is another great newsletter that goes deep into LA megaevents.
What's really special to me about LA is the small and independent businesses and restaurants. But the city has a reputation for being really hostile to their survival. It could be good to look into Red Car Development, which pushed out Sunset Beer Company in Echo Park, ostensibly to get the store's conditional use permit (which is tied to a location rather than the business itself if I'm understanding correctly): https://knock-la.com/sunset-beers-closure/.) I would just love to know more about big developers here and their effects on various neighborhoods, as well as the related red tape/permitting shenanigans.
I hope that's helpful! Thanks for being so receptive
Dispensary sales up the day before thanksgiving because being with family is stressful or because boomers are asking their kids who are home for the holidays to go buy them weed because they don’t know how? 🙂 Probably both!
I waited half an hour in that bathroom line and didn't get scouted, le sigh. Great game, though! Go Bulldogs. Congrats on your three fabulous years, Emily ✨
Continually one of the best parts of my weekdays and seeing the FM cohort grow, evolve, and dominate is essential to the whole journey. (Who needs an operator?! Get outta here.)
The fact that you asked someone - "Do you smoke weed" without a question mark is the type of interaction that I love - it's bold, funny and imperfect. Feed Me team is smart and articulate without being try-to-hard. Congrats on 3 years!
“Feed Me remains a bootstrapped operation with no outside investors.” Will always be the biggest flex ever. And I can’t believe my Feed Me dreams are coming true, LFG L.A.
You were absolutely part of the decision to expand WEST.
L.A you owe me a round!!
Feed Me is truly one of probably three Substack newsletters (of the maybe 30ish that I subscribe to and which regularly publish) I read in full as soon as it hits my inbox/Substack app - I look forward to seeing what lies ahead in 2026!
Madison, THANK YOU. I try very hard every day to maintain that bar for you.
West Coast Feed Me intel is going to be so 🔥 happy 3 years, it’s been such a privilege to see this grow from the start!
Adore you, thank you for being a day one friend and occasional source
I have a funny memory of one of our fragrance school classmates excitedly telling me, “You know Emily from class is Feed Me Emily, right?” Love that and love reading this! Big congrats on all 🫶🏻
Awww <3
I miss that class a lot
Same. It hit the right mix of nerdy and creative.
Congratulations, Emily. Love how you write exactly what you think (or at least that’s how it comes across, so either way, win win).
I do write exactly what I think! Sometimes I have to restrain myself a bit but I find you guys are usually open to hot takes.
One of the main reasons I subscribe is because you say what other people won’t.
West Coast Feed Me: "Andreessen Horowitz was apparently scouting founders in the bathroom line at the Cal-Stanford football game over the weekend. I just looked up the man who came up to us, it was Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz."
Kidding! So hyped for this. Some of the traditional great West Coast papers have slashed their culture coverage over the past decade. The NYT's dedicated "California" section is excellent and I'm sure this will be, too.
I also love The SF Standard
Yeah I've been impressed with their coverage, and encouraged to see Coyote Media (the Bay Area journalist collective you covered a few months ago) take shape as well.
IMO, probably the best alternative culture magazine in SoCal is L.A. Taco though they haven't released as much recently. And of course C. Magazine for CA luxury lifestyle stuff.
You have managed to grow and keep it true to yourself ♥️ congratulations
<3 love you melanie!
You've earned every success!
Appreciate every comment you've ever written David. I'm so happy to have met you.
I hope that if you start writing regularly about LA that you're aware of the real estate shenanigans that displace working-class people in this city. For example, Chinatown is so much more than Baby Bistro.
Do you live there? Maybe you can tell me more about it! But I know Chinatown is more than Baby Bistro.........
Sorry about my flippant inclusion about Baby Bistro. I just get annoyed when people bring restaurants up like that constantly and champion the changes they bring/respond to without considering the impact on people and businesses who have been in the neighborhood for decades. I'd personally love coverage that gets out of the Sqirl/Erewhon/Courage Bagels/Canyon Coffee/Hollywood bubble.
Another example, Cafe Telegrama, where Feed Me popped up, might be part of all those buildings bought up by the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and his son. I read that here: https://nobaddaysinla.substack.com/p/a-running-guide-to-the-holiday-markets. A few years before, I read about the neighborhood in Vanity Fair where the headline called the area a "forgotten corner." https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/06/david-zwirner-galleries-los-angeles. Forgotten by who?
Incidentally, the newsletter I linked to above encapsulates what makes LA fun and special. And reading LA Taco can also do that.
This is such valuable feedback, I appreciate it
LA Taco is awesome. Someone else was mentioning them in the comments today, and I got turned on to them a few weeks ago when I was in LA.
If you were to assign me stories for Q1 of 2026, what would they be
You weren't asking me (above), but: it would be great to know how young people in SF spend their money! Especially with the unprecedented wealth creation over there & its skew toward the young.
As one example of the scale, OpenAI just authorized its employees (who are overwhelmingly young and SF-based) to sell $6.6B of shares on the secondary market. That's so much money! Where's it actually going? Anecdotally, it seems like very few people in SF drink, party, or have kids. And hiking is free.
With all this wealth generation, why hasn't there been an explosion in cultural institutions and philanthropy as we might expect? Or if there has been, why haven't we heard about it?
Definitely stories related to the Olympics. For example, an air taxi company is trying to move in: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-11-24/california-air-taxi. Also developers are trying to build a gondola from Union Station to Dodger stadium which is heavily opposed by the Chinatown community (and even the City Council) but regional/state authorities and business interests seem determined to see that through. There are a bunch of bonkers infrastructure/business stories to mine out of the Olympics plus the World Cup. Torched.la is another great newsletter that goes deep into LA megaevents.
What's really special to me about LA is the small and independent businesses and restaurants. But the city has a reputation for being really hostile to their survival. It could be good to look into Red Car Development, which pushed out Sunset Beer Company in Echo Park, ostensibly to get the store's conditional use permit (which is tied to a location rather than the business itself if I'm understanding correctly): https://knock-la.com/sunset-beers-closure/.) I would just love to know more about big developers here and their effects on various neighborhoods, as well as the related red tape/permitting shenanigans.
I hope that's helpful! Thanks for being so receptive
Dispensary sales up the day before thanksgiving because being with family is stressful or because boomers are asking their kids who are home for the holidays to go buy them weed because they don’t know how? 🙂 Probably both!
Congrats on 3 years!
And thank you for being a loyal reader!
Do you smoke weed
Once, but I didn’t inhale.
I waited half an hour in that bathroom line and didn't get scouted, le sigh. Great game, though! Go Bulldogs. Congrats on your three fabulous years, Emily ✨
They MISSED OUT.
Continually one of the best parts of my weekdays and seeing the FM cohort grow, evolve, and dominate is essential to the whole journey. (Who needs an operator?! Get outta here.)
thank you for your patience and belief as i morph and grow this thing <3
100% belief; Would subscribe in advance for the decade if that was an option
Brava!!!! The only newsletter I regularly comment on even when I shouldn’t!!
(You make media goss too hard to not ‘like’)
Appreciate you Catherine!!! Need to get to DC soon....
HBD Feed Me! Really inspiring to see what you've grown. Also very excited about the WEST coast expansion.
The fact that you asked someone - "Do you smoke weed" without a question mark is the type of interaction that I love - it's bold, funny and imperfect. Feed Me team is smart and articulate without being try-to-hard. Congrats on 3 years!
KISSES
We’re not just surviving, we’re default-alive-ing. Cheers to three years, Emily. 🥂Congrats on all of the success - it’s been fun to watch.
YOU'RE THE BEST