Sarah Black sadly passed away on February 15, 2024. To commemorate this kind and thoughtful baker and teacher, we are re-publishing Mark's chat with Sarah from Episode 153. Recorded in October, 2021 Sarah's family announced her passing via Sarah's Instagram page. Helpful Links Support the Podcast Here Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4B…

The podcast hits a major milestone by going back to the beginning. In this special 200th episode, Mark is joined by Daisy Chow of Breadboard Bakery in Arlington, Mass. and Nate Houge of Brake Bread in St. Paul, Minnesota for a wide ranging conversation about everything that's changed since they first met back at Wheatstalk in Rhode Island in 2018, …

Claudia Fimbres and her husband Brad named their store and restaurant Mamacita after Claudia's mother, but these days, it's Claudia who is mother and aunty to an entire community of Latin food lovers in her new home of Pearl Harbour, Newfoundland. In this episode, Mark catches up with his old friend and learns of her life in cooking, from growing u…

Working with a coach or consultant can be a leap too far for many small business owners, especially owner-operator independent bakeries. Lisa Arnold set out to bridge the gap in her town of Springfield, Tennessee, with Small Town Startup, a marketing agency, startup incubator, coaching practice and meeting space. Lisa is bringing the skills and bes…

After working as a baker on both coasts, Amy Corliss returned to her home state twelve years ago to open her own place in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado. She recently moved down the road to a new space and is focused on building community, growing her team and feeding the people in a converted 1905 heritage house. In this episode, Mark and Amy tal…

Ed and Natasha Tatton have been building an outstanding, 100% plant based bakery in Whistler, BC for several years, and have just launched a stellar cookbook from the bakery. The book is both approachable and very detailed, explaining the intricacies and advantages of vegan baking while bringing Ed's incredible flavour combinations to each recipe. …

Martha Barber began her baking career by taking cookies into the office at Christmas time. Now she's shipping her delicious shortbread all over Vancouver Island and onto the mainland too. In this episode, Mark and Martha discuss the steady growth of her bakery, how strategic partnerships have helped the business grow, finding predictable, repeatabl…

Okotoks, Alberta is a small community south of Calgary that boasts an old-fashioned main street, beautiful views of the Rocky Mountain foothills and, for the past few years, a top notch bakery and cafe. In this episode, Mark talks to Brad Labrenz and Marie-Luce Denis, owners of French50 Bakery, who are attracting hungry folk from well beyond the to…

With the cost of living continuing to rise, bakers and other food service workers are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. The Living Wage for Families Campaign is focused on identifying the real costs of living in Canadian cities and works with businesses to move toward paying employees a real living wage. In this episode, Mark talks wi…

Tabitha Langel wanted to serve her community in Winnipeg first and foremost. After much prayer and deliberation, she decided that baking was the way to do it. Now, over 35 years later, Tall Grass Prairie Bakery is at the heart of two core neighbourhoods in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In this episode, Tabitha and Ryan Stoesz talk about the origins of Tall G…

Black Market Bakers is taking off like a rocket ship in Annapolis, Maryland. Steve O'Leary, his dad and his brother have grown the business from a home kitchen (with Steve's mom selling the loaves door to door) to a food truck, to a full bakery/cafe to recently launching a second location. But through it all, the business has had a singular focus o…

Stefan Spicknell knows who his bakery is for. All he has to do is look out his door on Great Western Road in Glasgow and look at the flats, the schools and the people walking by. And his deep focus those people, and his craft, is what keeps Cottonrake Bakery grounded in his community. In this episode, Mark and Stefan talk about Stefan's journey to …

Maurizio Leo has been writing the excellent Perfect Loaf blog for a decade now, teaching thousands and thousands of people to bake amazing sourdough bread. His writing and teaching style, paired with top-notch photography, makes his site one of the most important resources in the baking community and his new book is helping him reach an even larger…

Ron Bokenfohr is looking for a new (old) way to grow grain and feed the soil at the same time. His farming and milling operation north of Edmonton, Alberta is focused on regenerative agriculture: farming with a focus on building a complex, healthy soil. In this episode, Mark and Ron talk about the process of shifting to a regenerative farming model…

Charlie and Hilde Muller were bakers before they moved to the middle of the forest in western Michigan and began carving a home, a bakery and a life from the woods. Laughing Tree Bakery has been going strong for the past 14 years, feeding the people via the Muskegon Farmers Market and several stores and cafes in the region. In this episode, Mark, H…

Moving to an island in the Pacific Northwest is not easy. Moving intentionally, with a view of contributing to the community is even more difficult. But Sage Dilts and Nathan Hodges have done just that with their farm and bakery on Lopez Island, Washington. In this episode, Mark learns how Sage and Nathan met in grad school in the Bay Area, where S…

Tom Giancola caught the bread bug watching Netflix seven years ago, and his friends and neighbours have never been happier. His generous spirit feeds an ever larger group of people in Annapolis, Maryland, through his exceptional basement bakery, Makeathe. In this episode, Mark and Tom talk about the intricacies of building a professional bakery und…

Fry's Bakery has been a stalwart of Craigflower Road in Victoria for a decade, a shining as an example of how a baker with an old mixer and a brick oven can feed a neighbourhood. In this episode, Mark and Byron sit down at the bakery (well, directly above it) to talk about how the world needs a bakery in every neighbourhood, about starting business…

All it took was a well made hollandaise sauce for Daniel Saez to switch from life as a lawyer to a life in food. Starting as a culinary chef in his native Venezuela, Daniel eventually made his way to Canada and shifted from culinary to pastry and finally to bread. Now his bakery, Noctua Bread Project in the Junction in Toronto is focused on serving…

Haley Landa and Curtis Helm met in pastry school and have been steadily building their skills and experiences in hotels and restaurants in Canada and beyond. All this work has culminated in opening Goodside Pastry House in Victoria last month, opening to huge lineups and extremely happy customers. In this episode, Mark takes a trip to the bakery to…

David Aplin was a rock guitarist who apprenticed as a baker at Loblaws. Camelia Proulx was building a career in the food industry front-of-house. Together, they spent the past 12 years rocking the baking world in Scarborough, Ontario at their bakery Cliffside Hearth. In this episode, Mark, David and Camelia sit down to talk bread, wood fired ovens …

Anna Gordon started selling her amazing cookies at the Brooklyn Flea in 2010 and has since created a delicious destination bakery in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. In this episode, we kick off 2023 with a vibrant conversation about Anna's love of creating layers of flavours and textures, visualizing the perfect day of a bakery owner, and what it's like to…

Karen Bornarth has been an active part of the American bread scene for over two decades. This past July, she was named Executive Director of the Bread Bakers Guild of America and is fully engaged moving the baking profession forward. In this episode, Karen shares her baking story, from late nights at Amy's Breads to her baking and education work at…

When Kitty Tait was 14, she went through a very rough time, and baking bread was key to her recovery. She baked, and baked, and baked some more, until her friends and neighbours were well fed, and she kept on baking. Soon Kitty and her dad Alex were baking by subscription, then at a retail shop and are now running The Orange Bakery in Watlington, U…

When Josh Houston started teaching cooking at his local high school, the incumbent chef put him in charge of the baking program. It didn't take long before Josh was baking so much bread and pastries in order to 'crack the code' of yeast and gluten that he needed to start selling his extras. Stark Raving Bread was born. In this episode, Mark and Jos…

Teisha Huff is back! She and Mark catch up on her new project as head pastry chef at the new, chic, contemporary Latin-fusion restaurant Fortuna's Row in downtown Calgary, Alberta. After ten years honing her craft as a bread and pastry baker around Saskatchewan, what's it like to create composed desserts? How do Mom and Dad like having their daught…

Nels Leader is the second-generation CEO of the iconic Bread Alone Bakery in Boiceville, New York and is continuing to move their vision to Feed The World forward. In this episode, Mark and Nels talk about how you're never "done", even as the business expands, how Bread Alone shifted to being a carbon-neutral bakery and what the future holds for th…

Asking why a communion wafer might make her friend sick started Elizabeth DeRuff on twenty year journey of farming, baking and teaching. As the President of Honore Farm and Mill in Marin County, California, Elizabeth both teaches city folk where their bread comes from and how to bake with flavour and health in the forefront. Recently, the farm has …

Let's end this summer season of Second Rise episodes with a bang. It's time for the OG, my friend and mentor, Tracey Muzzolini, from the very first conversation on Rise Up! in 2018. (Rise Up! #2) Tracey is the co-owner of Christies Mayfair Bakery in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's a full on artisan bread and pastry shop, with classic italian specialt…

Randy George was one of my mentors when we had Orange Boot Bakery, although we never spoke 1:1 until this talk in September 2018. (Rise Up! #24) When I was planning the podcast, Randy was one of the people at the top of my list of folks to talk to, because he was really focussed on putting his employees front and centre in the bakery. He was the gu…

Cindy and I are travelling in England and Scotland this summer. I expect to be heading to a lot of bakeries on this trip, eating the good stuff and learning more about the #realbread scene there. #realbread is a proper movement in the UK and Chris Young is the guy who keeps the energy high and the momentum growing. So it's only fitting that we brin…

We're getting some Orange Boot Bakery nostalgia this week. Because for this Second Rise episode, I'm sharing the talk I had with Teisha Huff in March, 2019. (Rise Up! #48) Teisha was a big part of the Golden Years at Orange Boot. She was our first ever student intern. Our Head Baker for three years. And after she left us for greener pastures, she k…

When I talked with Josey Baker back in 2019 (Rise Up! #55) I wasn't sure what to expect. He was already super famous, with a best selling book, talks at Google, and his irrepressible grin all over YouTube and Instagram. In my mind, he was one of the early wave of 'bread celebrities.' The Josey I spoke to was one of most thoughtful men I've ever met…

Charlie Emers is an old friend of mine, although only via email, until we got together for a conversation back in early 2021. (Rise Up! #118) Since he was on the show, we've struck up a fun correspondence, with Charlie writing me long emails from his front porch. I imagine him hitting send and then either heading to the bake shop or sneaking out th…

While Mark and Cindy head out on a summer adventure, we're taking a second look at some of Mark's favourite conversations from the podcast archives. In this episode, we travel back to a conversation with Nate Houge of Brake Bread in St. Paul, Minnesota. It's a peek into the start of a budding friendship that thrives to this day. (This conversation …

Sometimes you just see a need and feel compelled to fill it. After working together in the corporate world and being underwhelmed by the quality of their box lunches, Joan Kanner and Michelle Bond decided to bring the great bagels of their native New Jersey to Baltimore. Starting with pop-ups and market bakes in 2015, by 2020 they opened Bottoms Up…

In this episode, Mark riffs on the challenges faced with building your bakery, or running your marketing, on platforms that you don't own. Plus, listener questions and more! Helpful Links Atomic Habits and The Power of Habit on Goodreads Support the Podcast Here! Ask a question or listen to past episodes on Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Ba…

There are a hundred moving parts at the bakery, even for solo bakers. Ingredients coming in, food going out, and all the processes in between. Without well defined, repeatable, teachable systems, a day at the bakery can feel like chaos. Get your team on the same page, however, and you can make more product, and feed more people than you ever imagin…

Laura Brannan, aka elbe, has been baking her cannabutter based cookies and cakes since the days when they were allowed as medicine only (and even then it was deeply in the 'grey zone.) Now, Elbe's Edibles are available through cannabis stores throughout Oregon. In this episode, Mark and elbe discuss the significant roadblocks to opening a cannabis …

Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham are co-owners of Cake & Loaf in Hamilton, Ontario and are also co-authors of a brand new cookbook called, you guessed it, Cake & Loaf! In this episode, Nickey and Josie share the story of their bakery, their continued commitment to paying a living wage for their employees, even through the pandemic, and the love an…

Sophie Williams is the founder and baker at Raven Breads in Bellingham, Washington, right across the water from Mark in Victoria. Sophie has been baking for her community from a shared restaurant kitchen for the more than eight years now. In this episode, Mark and Sophie talk about her path to baking, the importance of place to living a fulfilling …

Hazim Tuğun left a successful career in Environmental Engineering to cook for people in the Bay Area, in Cyprus and in Michigan. Now a Bread Manager at Zingerman's Bakehouse, Hazim is up to his elbows in fresh milled flour every day and is having the time of his life. In this episode, Mark and Hazim talk about getting his start in baking, the tensi…

Natalie Salzman grew up in an Austrian mountain village and wound up living and working in Panama. But she never lost her love of Austrian bread and over time began baking for her family and work colleagues. These days, she's baking full time at her elegant bakery and bistro Krume Backer. In this episode, Mark and Natalie talk about travel, languag…

When Rachel Wyman sees a need, she does what it takes to meet it, whether it's making life easier for her regulars, motivating local runners with the promise of fresh doughnuts or feeding workers being ignored by the government. And if the problem is many times larger than anticipated, so be it. In this episode, Mark and Rachel talk about her early…

Katie Kopsick wasn't planning on opening a bakery. But when Covid rose up she lost her brand new job and was itching to do something, so Katie started baking bread for friends and neighbours. Two years and two moves later, the Bolivar Bread team is making the good stuff in historic Harpers Ferry and Katie is going from strength to strength. In this…

Brian Winzenried switched from modelling to baking by taking over his father-in-law's successful bakery in Madison, Wisconsin. After Covid derailed his plans to split time between the midwest and Panama, Brian doubled down in the jungle and opened Gamboa Baking Company. Now he's baking bread for his community and slinging pizzas in the evening too.…

Guy Frenkel was content digging deep into bread and art from his garage, until an opportunity in 2020 saw him taking over a large baking factory. Now Ceor Bread is gearing up to bring excellent bread to a range of clients, from equisite "couture" breads to beautiful, nutritious loaves for the hungry and homeless. In this episode, Mark and Guy discu…

As a speech therapist, Shiri Reuveni-Ullrich worked with youth and young adults who often found it difficult to connect with others. When she discovered that baking could be the thing that brought them closer together and brought them great joy, she shifted gears and started Rising Above Bakery. Now their cottage bakery is looking for a larger, mor…

Corey Mintz is no stranger to restaurants, working as a cook, restaurant critic and food reporter. His book "The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants As We Knew Them and What Comes After" explores fundamental problems within the food service industry and describes what restaurants, and most importantly, diners, must do to rebuild food service for ea…

While studying for her PhD in Canada, Lara Schuetz made the big decision to shift her studies from literature to food, attending culinary school at George Brown college. Now, back home in Austria, she is studying to be a baker and a certified Bread Sensory Expert. In this episode, Mark and Lara discuss the apprentice / certification process in Aust…