April 29 / 11am - 6pm ET Day 1   King Arthur Baking Company, Norwich, VT

April 30 / 9am - 4pm ET Day 2

Join us at the King Arthur Baking School and deepen your understanding of sourdoughs products and processes. In this course we will produce a variety of breads and learn how foundational factors such as build schedules, hydration, flour selection, fermentation times, and temperature influence not only flavor profile but also dough characteristics and production timelines. Learning to manipulate these and other variables is critical to the baker’s success at any scale. The subject will be explored in its historical context with a focus on how principles affect production in real time.  

By the end of this course you will be able to: 

• Create functional sourdough maintenance schedules, to meet your or your bakery’s demands. 

• Select appropriate preferments, suitable for your needs and optimum outcomes. 

• Design breads that work with an understanding of the dynamic relationship between percentages prefermented flour, flour types, fermentation times, and temperatures.  

• Manipulate hydration and temperature, as seasons and daily needs dictate. 

***For this course, a basic knowledge of baker's percentages and some prior experience with sourdough is recommended. 

Luc Diggle has been baking professionally since 2002. Prior to joining the Baking School in 2021, he spent ten years in King Arthur’s production bakery. He is one of a small number of bakers certified by the Bread Baker’s Guild of America and was a member of the team that travelled to Paris in 2018 to represent the United States at the Fête du Pain. He lives in Vermont with his wife and four beautiful children.   

Originally from the Chicago area, Blake Olson moved to Vermont in 2007 and has been baking professionally since 2010.  Prior to joining King Arthur's Baking School in 2022, he spent 6 years in King Arthur’s production bakery in both bread and pastry.  In 2023 he was certified by the BBGA, in breads. He lives in Randolph, Vermont with his wife and two sons.  Blake pursues music and gardening in his free time.  

 

April 29, 2024 7:00pm to 8:30pm New London NH

Join us at Blue Loon Bakery for a Guildhall Gathering on 4/29/2024 from 7:00-8:30 ET. Our host, Laurie Schive will welcome bakers for savory snacks and refreshments and a tour of her farmhouse bakery. Located 30 minutes from King Arthur Baking School, this  bakery lends itself to making new friends and connecting with some folks you may not have seen in a minute. This event is free, but capacity is limited to 25 guests, so be sure to REGISTER!

Directions from King Arthur to 12 Lovering Lane

May 7 / 4:00-5:30pm ET

The Bread Bakers Guild of America and the Craft Millers Guild, a  network of small to midsized regional mills, are coming together to talk craft, technique and, of course, grain.  Bakers, come with your questions about milling.  And millers, bring your questions about baking.  Together we can build strong links of knowledge and collaboration across the grain chain.

Open only to members of both Guilds.

Free.

May 20 / 6:00am - 4:30 pm

Bakers across the Southwest are using time-old and modern techniques to produce identity preserved products while celebrating local flavors and traditions. Join the Guild for a day of weaving together the grain chain, from field to fougasse. 

The day's itinerary:

• 6:00am Meet at Essence Bakery in Phoenix for coffee and croissants Address: 3830 East Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018 
• 6:30am - 8:30am Take bus to Oatman Farms 49629 S. Rocky Point Rd, Gila Bend, AZ, 85337 
• 8:30am – 9:30am Tour Oatman Farms  
• 9:30am-10:45am bus to Hayden Mill Tour Address: 22100 S. Sossaman Rd. Queen Creek, AZ
• 10:45am-11:45am Tour Hayden Mill 
• 11:45am-12:15pm Bus to Gilbert  
• 12:15pm-1:00pm Lunch at Barrio Bread Address: 932 N. Colorado St in Gilbert, AZ 
• 1:00pm-2:00pm Barrio Bread Tour  
• 2:00pm-3:00pm Hayden Mill Fulfillment Center Address: 932 N. Colorado St in Gilbert, AZ. 
• 3:00pm-4:30pm Bus from Gilbert to Essence 
• 4:30pm return to Essence Bakery 

We will meet at Essence Bakery in Phoenix for coffee and croissants with Eugenia Theodosopoulos. Eugenia operates her bakery with three core principles: buy local, eat well, preserve the planet. Eugenia’s commitment to her craft is rooted in tradition and technique garnered from years in professional kitchens, here and abroad.  Environmental sustainability practices guide operations, from sourcing to composting. Eugenia chooses organic, whenever possible, and her ingredients are designed around local and in season foods. With bellies full, we will head to the farm before the heat sets in.  

Indigenous to Mexico and dating back to the 1700s, Sonoran wheat has been proving a rugged grain that is making local wheat possible in arid climates. With tremendous care, bolstered by science and best practices, Oatman Farms uses regenerative techniques. They make this wheat available to the region while enriching their soil and maximizing water impact while minimizing its water usage in the hottest agricultural landscape in the United States. We will tour their Gila Bend farm, understanding the thoughtful choices they make to provide local provisions in a tough location. Then we will jump back onto the bus and heading to Queens Creek to tour Hayden Flour Mills.

Emma Zimmerman and her father Jeff have spent the last decade reviving historic and forgotten grains, restoring rusty old mills, growing their crop from 30 acres to over 400, and adopting practices that not only produce a more delicious end-product, but nourish people and the planet. After touring their stone mills,  we will head to Gilbert.

Having seen the wheat in the fields ready for harvest, and stone mills in action, you will have worked up a hankering for some lunch featuring this flour. Don Guerra of Barrio Bread  is committed to working with local farmers, chefs, and other food producers to strengthen the regional grain economy and grow the local food network. Don was awarded a USDA Local Food Promotion Grant that allowed him to collaborate further with local growers and producers with and expand production with a new bakery. Most recently, Don opened a Barrio Bread in partnership with Hayden Flour Mills. There will be an opportunity to see Hayden Mills Fulfillment Center, housed with Barrio Bread.

You will be shuttled back to Essence, feeling nourished and inspired.  

Eugenia Theodosopoulos, Chef/Owner Essence Bakery Cafe 

Eugenia’s love and respect for food and baking began at age 13 while working in her father’s restaurant—a legendary and loved-by-the-community Ohio eatery established in 1931-still owned and operated by the Theodosopoulos family today.  

Eugenia’s passion for food is rooted in tradition and technique. After college, she moved to France to further her culinary skills by studying and working at the renowned Ecole Lenôtre Paris. Eugenia went on to establish a cooking school and catering company in Paris serving clientele including foreign diplomats, embassies, and international executives. 

In 1994 Eugenia and her French husband, Gilles launched Essence Catering in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2007 they opened Essence Bakery Cafe specializing in French pastries, breads and organic breakfast and lunch.  After 9 months in business, it was named Best New Restaurant for the pastries and food.  The croissants, food and pastries continue to receive accolades and awards. 

Her talents evolved over years of hard work, dedication and rigorous training and in 2011 Eugenia was awarded Pastry Chef Extraordinaire and inducted into the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame.  

Her support of others carries over to the community where she enjoys sharing her love of food with youth. She has mentored dozens of young ladies through C-CAP (careers through culinary arts program) and started an apprenticeship program with CCAP and the state of Arizona in baking and culinary. 

In addition, she partnered with Free Arts of Arizona  to create a 10 week  hands-on culinary program for at-risk youth and families of domestic abuse. Also, she spent 26 weeks teaching a teenage boys group home knife skills and how to cook dinner. 

Eugenia currently serves on the board for CCAP Arizona.  She was recently board chair for Bread Bakers Guild of America (BBGA) and president of Les Dames d’Escoffier Arizona. 

She speaks fluent French, is proficient in Spanish and is learning Greek.   

Yadi Wang, PhD Bio

Inspired by the farming lifestyle of his extended family, Yadi Wang was determined to become a farmer after receiving his doctoral degree in environmental science and years of practices being a chemical and process engineer. As a first-generation farmer, he is working with the nature in the driest and hottest part of the North America using regenerative organic agriculture principles, where he strongly believes the practices and the integrated approaches must focus on the health of people and the planet. In the past three years, he has brought 150+ species back to a once degraded land. The biodiversity allowed him to eliminate the use of chemicals and fertlizer while improving soil health, strengthening the plant integrity and animal welfare through a metabolic approach. As much as building the resilient food supply and demand for the ecosystem, he is one of the founding members of the Development of Regenerative Yields Cooperative, where the team is exploring alternative opportunities for the local food system for the community.

Oatman Flats Ranch

In perhaps the hottest and driest place in the United States, we are confident that by utilizing regenerative organic agriculture principles, we can create a microclimate for the native species to thrive as natural resources become more readily abundant. We know the beginning of this journey is to restore the health of our soil.

In the desert Southwest, saving water is vital. We have created and will continue pushing the boundary of our regenerative farming methods so we can conserve hundreds of millions of gallons of water beneath our farmland and surrounding watersheds.

Our food is rooted in:

Regenerative and Organic Farming Principles Our family farm, Oatman Flats Ranch, is the first Regenerative Organic Certified® farm in the American Southwest.

Growing Heirloom Water-Conserving Crops We grow heirloom non-GMO crops that save millions of gallons of water. Each package of our flour and bread mixes conserves approximately 700 gallons of water in the Gila River aquifer.

Health and Wellness, Nutrition and Flavor We work with Mother Nature to make food products that prioritize health and wellness, nutrition, and flavor.

Family Farming and Community We are dedicated to building a resilient, regenerative food system in our local community.

Radical Transparency We believe there should be integrity, honesty and accountability within the food system, so we proudly include QR codes on our packaged goods that provide total transparency to our customers.

The artistic presentation of the breads produced by Don Guerra is only outdone by their stellar taste. As owner/baker of Barrio Bread, Guerra uses flour and water to build connections to make the world a better place. Guerra began his career 32 years ago in Flagstaff where he was hired as a bread-baker. He opened his first bakery there in 1995, and another in Oregon two years later. He eventually returned to Tucson and became a teacher but also was experimenting with bread baking, starting Barrio Bread in his garage in 2009. He chose the name because Barrio is Spanish for neighborhood, and the name emphasizing his commitment to his community. His naturally leavened bread is made with a French method using wild yeast, producing breads that are delicious, easy to digest and have a perfect crust. With his naturally fermented breads he promotes biodiversity and drought tolerance, and enhances the nutrition and flavor profiles of the regional food supply. When Guerra founded Barrio Bread, he had a vision to revive native and heritage varieties of grains in order to build a sustainable grain economy in Southern Arizona. Today, his bakery is a model for the future. Guerra unites regional farmers and millers in bringing healthy whole grains, flours, and breads to consumers, expanding the meaning of Tucson’s gastronomy. 

Guerra has won numerous awards, including the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker and a 2022 MOCA Local Genius Award. Other accolades include being named one of the Top Ten Bakers in America by Dessert Professional magazine, a Leveraging Your Localness award from Bite Magazine, and other kudos from Good Food Finder and Local First Arizona. He shares his knowledge through interactive workshops and in the classroom with schoolchildren, at Tucson Village Farm and the University of Arizona. He collaborates with brewers, restaurateurs, and retailers to bring new foods and drinks to life. He recently opened a Barrio Bread location in Gilbert in partnership with Hayden Flour Mills. 

In the tale of  Rumpelstiltskin, The Miller’s Daughter has to weave straw into gold because of her father’s overly enthusiastic claims. In a modern-day fairytale, Emma Zimmerman has taken her dad’s obsession for heritage grains and transformed it into an award-winning flour business. Her alchemy also finds expression in the home kitchen, where she turns these unusual flours and grains into accessible and tasty meals, much to the delight of her friends and family. Emma’s passion for historical restoration extends beyond grains; she and her husband restored a burned out one-hundred-year-old house in downtown Phoenix, where they now live with their three sweet children and an affectionate pit bull. Emma tends an amateur garden and is just waiting for someone to ask her about the status of her compost pile.  

About Hayden Flour Mills: 

At Hayden Flour Mills, we are reviving forgotten native grains from the ground up in the Arizona desert - yes, more than cacti can grow and flourish in the desert. Our mission is to take you from chemical-laden, over-processed wheat into a world alive with flavor, texture, aroma, and natural nutrients through heritage grains and the art of stone milling. 

Stone milling is an old-world process where the whole grain is crushed into flour by rotating stones. Unlike modern roller mills that tend to shave off and discard the flavor and replacing natural nutrients with chemical enrichments, our process of stone milling in small batches preserves the natural oils of the grain, creating a more flavorful, nutrient-dense product. While it’s hard, labor-intensive work, we believe it’s well worth it. 

We’re proud to offer our customers the highest quality, natural, hand-cultivated flours that are never bleached or enriched, and always freshly milled. 

We’re dedicated to reviving and stone milling heritage and ancient grains through regenerative and sustainable practices that are better for both people and the planet. 

 

May 20 / 5-6:30pm EDT

Honey is a baker’s best friend. It contributes to exceptional flavor, performs essential functional roles, and is marketable.  Learn about honey--varietals, forms, uses in baking and the bees that produce it--with our partners at the National Honey Board.  The NHB will ship a honey tasting kit to sample during the virtual session.  You must register by May 6, 2024 to receive that kit, but may participate even without it.

    

The National Honey Board is an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that educates consumers about the benefits and uses of honey and honey products. Our research, marketing, and promotional programs are funded by an assessment on domestic and imported honey and are designed to increase awareness and usage of honey by consumers, the foodservice industry, and food manufacturers.

The National Honey Board (NHB), which operates under the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversight, is not a regulatory agency and does not have powers of enforcement. The Board is prohibited from using funds to influence legislation or governmental action or policy.

The NHB is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 and was established under the rules and regulations of the Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order, effective May 2008.

Craft • Culture • Careers• Community

June 11, 2024 5-6:30PM EST

El Congreso aprobó la Ley de Modernización de la Seguridad Alimentaria (FSMA) en 2011, cuyaimplementación plena tardótodaunadécada. El Congreso otorgó a la FDA la autoridad para implementar la FSMA y, comoresultado, la FDA elaborósietereglas. Una de ellas es la norma de Controles Preventivos para la Alimentación Humana que afecta a todos los procesadores de alimentos. Según esta norma, salvo exención, las empresas que producen alimentos deben contar con un Plan de Seguridad Alimentaria para sus productos. 

Un Plan de Seguridad Alimentaria comienza con el análisis de los peligros potenciales que podrían incorporarse inadvertidamente a los alimentos, seguido de estrategias para mitiga resospeligros. Esta conferencia dará una descripción general de la regla de controles preventivos para alimentos humanos de la FSMA y los pasos que una empresa debe seguir para implementar completamente un plan de seguridad alimentaria en sus instalaciones. 

El Dr. Rubén Morawicki es profesorasociadoen la Facultad de Innovación y Tecnología de Alimentos y director del Centro Ecolab de CienciasCulinarias de la Universidad Johnson and Wales. El Dr. Morawicki recibió su Ph.D. en Ciencias de los Alimentos de Penn State University, una Maestría en Ingeniería Industrial de SUNY Buffalo y una Licenciatura en Ingeniería Química de la Universidad Nacional de Misiones en Argentina. El Dr. Morawicki publicó docenas de artículos revisados por pares, un libro y numerosos capítulos sobre procesamiento de alimentos, en liabilidad y seguridad alimentaria. Es una autoridad de procesos para productos regulados por la FDA e instructor principal de controles preventivos de la FSMA para alimentos humanos y el programa de verificación de suministros extranjeros. Antes de unirse a JWU, fue profesora sociado en la Universidad de Arkansas e investigador scientífico en Tyson Foods. 

Craft • Culture • Careers• Community

June 17 / 9:00am - 5:30 pm

Redeeming Vermont's Grain Chain

Spend a day connecting with your most important ingredients: wheat, rye, and other small grains and touring some of the local grain chain. We'll meet in Burlington, and take a 1/2-hour bus ride to Nitty Gritty Grain Co., an 8th generation family farm in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Next, back on the bus to visit Red Hen Baking Company, a champion of local grain and agriculture. With full bellies, you will head to Blair Marvin’s Elmore Mountain Bread. After a tour, it’s off to New American Stone Mills, just a 20-minute drive away. This is an opportunity to see Andrew Heyn’s handcrafted mills. 

The day concludes at Heike Meyer’s Bröt Bakehouse School and Kitchen. Heike will be finishing a bread sommelier program in September 2024, and is eager to share a bread tasting with you, featuring local grains. 

The day's itinerary: 

• 9:00 am Meet at City Park Fountain, Burlington VT City Park   

• 9:30 am Nitty Gritty Grain Company of Vermont Address: 4458 Lake Road, Charlotte, VT 05445  

• 11:30 am Red Hen Bakery Lunch Address: 961B US Route 2, Middlesex, VT 05602 

• 1:00 pm Elmore Mountain Bread Address: 1780 Hardwood Flats Road, Wolcott, VT 05680 

• 2:15 pm New American Stone Mills Address: 559 Harrel Street, Unit V4AA, Morrisville, VT 05661 

• 4:00 pm Bread Tasting at Brot Bakehouse School and Kitchen    Address: 38 Meade Road, Fairfax, VT 05454 

• 5:30 pm Return to City Park Fountain, Burlington, VT  

This tour is an opportunity to meet fellow bakers and explore the local grain economy. You will taste products made with Vermont grains and quite literally digest what you learned on the trip.   

Special thanks to Red Hen Baking Co. for sponsoring a delicious lunch! 

Nitty Gritty Grain Co. 

THE NITTY GRITTY... 

It all started with a question from a neighbor across a fence.  

How can all these grains be grown here but I can’t buy local flour?  

At the time, our certified organic farm, Aurora Farms, had been growing grains and selling the yield to the commodity market since the 1980s. The answer to the neighbor’s question explains the reality of the grain industry and how it’s near impossible to buy “Vermont grown flour” in the grocery store. An idea sparked, and that kernel eventually became Nitty Gritty Grain Company of Vermont. Selling local grains rapidly grew into reality, but our love of good tasting, healthy food and the land where it grows has a much longer history. Eight generations of our ancestors have been farming in the Champlain Valley - tracing back to growing grain in Shelburne, Vermont in the 1770’s. Today, Tom Kenyon, his children, siblings, and friends - carry on the Vermont farming tradition. 

Like the generations before us, we take great pride in our heritage, land, ingenuity, and products. Through tireless work on the fields in Shelburne and Charlotte, Vermont we produce certified organic grains that are the heart of our local organic grain company. Nitty Gritty minimally processes these locally grown grains, blending them in small batches to preserve the superior fresh flavor and nutrition of our cornmeal, cornmeal mixes, and flours. By producing these grains and turning them into a product you can feel good about eating, we are fulfilling a passion and commitment to the tradition of farming in Vermont and in our family. With each bite we hope you taste the difference that care and hard work can make. 

Red Hen Baking Co.

Randy has been baking professionally for 30 years. He and wife Eliza Cain started Red Hen in 1999 and continue to operate this treasure. They make bread that they deliver to most of Vermont and a little bit of New Hampshire. These days, half of their business comes from our cafe which serves pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, bread, and coffee. For most of Red Hen’s history, Randy has worked closely with VT farmers to improve the baking-quality of their wheat.  Currently, over 95% of the grain that is used at Red Hen comes from three farms from the Northeast region. Randy is a Northern Grain Growers Collaborative board member and regularly participates in bake-tests of local grain for UVM Extension. 

Elmore Mountain

Blair Marvin is co-owner of Elmore Mountain Bread and New American Stone Mills with her husband, Andrew Heyn in Elmore, Vermont. After pursuing a culinary degree and working in restaurants on both coasts, Blair has spent the past 18 years baking wood-fired, sourdough breads. All of the bakery’s flour is milled on-site using Vermont-sourced, farm-direct, organic wheat and specialty grains. She is a vocal advocate for the development of relationships between farmers and bakers as a means to strengthen food systems and local grain economies.

New American Stone Mills

New American Stone Mills is the brainchild of Andrew Heyn, co-owner with his wife, Blair Marvin, of Elmore Mountain Bread in Elmore, Vermont, USA.Andrew began building mills out of necessity. He and Blair wanted to ensure that Elmore Mountain Bread could use fresh-milled, locally-sourced grain in all of their loaves. They sought to create bread that connected the land, the farmer, the baker, and the community.When they couldn't find a mill that met their standards, Andrew set out on a mission to design and build a better flour mill that would exceed their needs.He spent months researching, reimagining, designing, and building a new breed of stone mill: one that uses locally quarried Vermont granite to grind grain that keeps its nutritional properties and unique flavor of place. The new mill would feature commonly available motors and mechanical parts for ease of maintenance.Today, our mills reflect the insights and expertise we've gained from decades of working with stone mills in bakery settings. We use the highest quality materials and processes to create functional and beautiful stone mills.New American Stone Mills heralds the return of a rich milling and time-honored baking tradition. Our bakery, wood-fired oven, and stone mill at Elmore Mountain Bread have become destinations for like-minded bakers: a working model of how any bakery can source grain locally and mill fresh, nutritious flour onsite to produce healthy, delicious bread.Our continuing goal: to build a worldwide community of bakers who use only fresh-milled flour in their products, sourcing grain from local farmers, to deliver the fullest nutrition and flavor to their customers. To every one of our New American Stone Mill owners we offer our insight, knowledge, and experience to help you bring fresh,
stoneground flour to your baking enterprise.

Brot Bakehouse School and Kitchen

Heike was born in Berlin and raised in northern Germany (AKA rye-land). She has been baking since childhood, starting with apple cakes as a 5 year old and moving on to apprenticeship and stages in bakeries across the globe.  

After studying International Tourism and Languages she worked abroad for many years before settling in Vermont in 2008. A wood-fired bread oven in the kitchen rekindled her passion for baking, and in the first summer of living in Vermont she started selling bread at a local Farmer's Market.  

Always curious to learn more, she started studying with great bakers like Jeffrey Hamelman, Chad Robertson, Nicolas Supiot and Dave Miller among many others. Currently she studies at the German Academy for Professional Bakers to become one of just a few Certified International Bread Sommeliers in the world. 

 

June 18 / 6-8pm ET

What do you think of when you hear the word 'masa'? Warm, pillowy tortillas? Fluffy tamales? Tacos, gorditas, tetelas? 'Masa' often refers to the kind of dough specifically made from stone-ground alkalized (aka nixtamalized) field corn. It’s the foundation of countless Mexican/Mesoamerican dishes and Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda and author of the cookbook “MASA: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple,” is here to prove it. We'll discuss the process for making fresh masa by nixtamalizing dry field corn and grinding it into a wet dough. We’ll also explore masa harina, the dried and milled flour form of fresh masa, which can be used in practically all the same ways as fresh masa, and potentially more. Jorge will tell you what to look for when buying masa harina, how to store it, how to use it to make excellent tortillas (as well as arepas/pupusas and sopes) in mere minutes, and also how to use it as an alternative baking flour. Think batters, breads, cookies, and waffles. He'll touch on the wide world of fillings for various masa applications and ways to scale all of these items for commercial purposes.

Jorge Gaviria is the James-Beard Award-winning founder of Masienda and the bestselling author of MASA: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple. In addition to being recognized as a Best Cookbook of 2022 by the LA Times, Food & Wine, The Washington Post, NPR and Saveur, the title was nominated for James Beard and IACP awards in the single-subject cookbook category.
Before founding Masienda in 2014, Jorge trained at top restaurants, including Maialino and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, He has been recognized by top international press outlets for his work and was awarded Forbes "30 Under 30" for food and wine.

 

June 24 / 7:00am - 3:30 pm

Hey Midwestern bakers! Spend a day connecting with your most important ingredients: wheat, rye, and other small grains. We will meet-up at award-winning Floriole Bakery in Chicago, a champion of local, organic produce. After a little breakfast, we will take a 1.5-2 hour bus ride to Ashkum, IL for a Field Trip to Janie’s Farm Organic and Janie’s Mill. 

The day's itinerary:

• 7:00 am Meet at Floriole  Address: 1220 W. Webster Ave., Chicago, IL 60614 
• 8:00am Bus to Janie’s Farm Address: 854 County Road 2300 N, Danforth, IL 60930
• 10:00  am - 11:30 am  Tour Janie's Farm 
• 11:30 am - 12:15 pm Lunch 
• 12:15 pm -12:30 pm Travel to Janie’s Mill Address:  405 N Second Street, Ashkum, IL 60911)
• 12:30pm - 3:00 pm Tour Janie's Mill  
• 3 pm  Depart Janie’s Mill  
• 5: 00 pm Return to Floriole

This tour is an opportunity to meet fellow bakers and explore the local grain economy. You will connect with wheat, ripening in the field, learn about planting and growing successful midwestern grains in a changing climate, and best practices in organics. At Janie’s Mill, you will see an Engsko composite stone mill in action, a hammer mill, a flaker and more.  

Janie’s Farm Organics began in 2001. After 23 years of conventional farming, the farmers, Harold and Sandy Wilken, transitioned to organic practices. Janie's Farm has steadily grown from 700 acres to over 3,000 acres of certified organic land—primarily growing small grains.  

Janie’s Mill was a natural offshoot of the farm, in an effort to close the grain chain.  Janie’s Mill manager, Jill Brockman-Cummings, mills whole grains, cracked grains, and flours in their Engsko Danish mill. They supply much of the Midwest with their locally grown offerings.  

The day will conclude with a return to Floriole. On the bus ride home, we will quite literally digest what we learned on the trip. We arrive back in Chicago around 5.  

We are grateful the Artisan Grain Collaborative for partnering with us to keep this field trip affordable! 

Good food, especially bread, became an important part of Jill Brockman-Cummings life after she spent a year abroad in Luxembourg when in high school, and then a semester abroad in France when in college. That was the beginning of her desire to be part of the good food movement. This desire continued when raising her four daughters in the rural Midwest, surrounded by conventional farms spraying agrichemicals.  So, when her organic farmer neighbor Harold Wilken drove up one day and asked if she would like to be a miller at the organic mill he was thinking of building, she jumped on it. 
 
Together Jill and Harold toured other small stone mills across the country, and eventually built Janie's Mill where Jill is Mill Manager. In that capacity she runs our certified organic stone-milling operation where they mill dozens of varieties of grains, many of which are grown just a few miles down the road on Janie’s Farm. She has managed all aspects of Janie’s Mill since its inception over 6 years ago, including strategic planning, day-to-day operations, monitoring quality of grains and milled products, developing new products, and working with both online retail and wholesale customers. She also participates in our regional Artisan Grain Collaborative and other groups to create and strengthen the Midwest Regional Grain Chain. 

Harold Wilken is the the driving force behind both Janie's Farm and Janie's Mill.  A lifelong farmer, Harold began transitioning to organic production in the early 2000s. He started the transition on a small 33-acre field, and now farms over 3,000 acres of certified organic grains with his son Ross, nephew Tim Vaske, and other farm team members.  As 4th and 5th generation farmers, Harold and Ross are continuing their family’s tradition of caring for the soil and growing good food for their community. Harold explains, “I remember the way my grandparents farmed—without the use of pesticides, and with a focus on nurturing strong soil health. I continue in their footsteps and seek to leave the soil deeper, richer, and healthier than I found it." 

Around 2014, Harold had an Aha! moment that was the beginning of Janie's Mill. As he was loading tons of his organic grain into a semi, he thought: "Really?! My grain has to go 700 miles to feed chickens, when there’s all these people nearby who bake bread?” 
 
Of course it took years of research, planning, and construction before the first grains from Janie's Farm passed through the millstones of Janie's Mill in the spring of 2017. Stone-milling is both an art and a science, and we relied on the input and feedback of professional bakers to get us to the point where we were milling consistent, high quality flours that earned kudos from both home and professional bakers. We’ve been milling those flours, and adding more to meet bakers’ specific needs, ever since. We now serve bakers, brewers, distillers, tofu-makers, and others throughout the United States.  

Harold has been married for 39 years to newly retired teacher, Sandy. In their free time, Harold and Sandy love to travel to Miami to visit their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.  Janie’s Mill and Janie's Farm are both named in honor of Harold and Sandy's daughter Janie who passed away in 2001 at the age of 15.

Sandra Holl was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, graduated with a BA in French literature from the University of Colorado, taught English to high school students in France and worked in marketing in the Bay Area before discovering her love of food and cooking.  After volunteering as a prep cook for a non-profit and staging at a few restaurants she decided to sign-up at the California Culinary Academy. She spent her externship and the following years working at Tartine Bakery. Sandra and her husband, Mathieu, left San Francisco for Chicago and started Floriole in a tent at the Chicago Green City Market. They have grown their business into a flourishing full service cafe and bakery in Lincoln Park specializing in French inspired pastries rooted in midwestern ingredients. The bakery has been named among the top 10 bakeries in the US, has received a Chicago Tribune Dining Award and is recognized as having some of the best bread in the country. Sandra has contributed to Bon Appetit and Sweet Paul magazines, appeared on Martha Stewart and Unique Sweets. In 2016 she was named Pastry Chef of the Year at the Jean Banchet Awards. 

Floriole has since been recognized among the top 10 bakeries in the country, has received a Chicago Tribune Dining Award and is known for having some of the best bread and pastries around. 

 

Craft • Culture • Careers• Community

June 24 / 3pm - 6pm Day 1    King Arthur Baking Company, Skagit Valley, WA

June 25  / 9am - 4pm Day 2

Dial in your lamination skills as you explore a trendy and versatile pastry. Caramel coated, salted laminated pastry-- Kouign Amann hits all of the best components. This very old product is enjoying new life as bakers play with endless variations on a theme. Kouign Amann has become the star of the pastry case, lending itself to seasonal variations and specialties. This pastry is an optimal way to build your lamination skills as you explore different techniques and ingredient functions while making these sweet specialties.  And your lamination skills will be reinforced through repetition and working with different laminated doughs. 

By the end of this class, students will: 

• Strengthen their lamination skills

• Understand the impact of flour selection on the final product 

• Compare outcomes using different temperature fats in laminated products

• Compare outcomes using different types of flour in laminated products

• Produce a wide range of sizes and styles of kouign Amman, including large and individual products, filled and simply sugar coated 

• Explore suitable fillings, shaping variations and garnishing options  

 To achieve this, students will  be making four overarching products:  

 Hand and production laminations will be explored.   

Growing up in Pennsylvania German (AKA: PA Dutch) country, Cat Schaeffer was steeped in a culture rich with sweets, sours, pies, and loaves. This upbringing led her down a unique path to her baking career and what began as volunteer work in a historical demonstration kitchen became a whirlwind of woodfire and soon, viennoiserie. She has since worked for several bakeries, laminating her way from the East Coast to the West with a specialty in sugar-drenched pastries. Cat is currently a full-time instructor at King Arthur Baking Company’s Baking School in Burlington, Washington. At the west coast school, Cat is able to share her love of all things butter-and-dough, helping to guide new and old bakers alike on the road to tasty bakes.

 

July 29 / 9:30AM - 4pm Day 1    Artisan Baking Center, Petaluma, CA

July 30  / 10am - 2pm Day 2

Prepare for an immersive journey into the realm of lamination with Chef Lauren Haas at the Artisan Baking Center. This course offers a unique blend of theory and hands-on practice, providing you with a solid foundation in the art and science of lamination. 

The course will begin with an exploration of lamination theory, before transitioning to the bakeshop where you will delve into mixing, laminating, shaping, baking, and perfecting an array of yeasted and non-yeasted laminated products. From the iconic butter croissant to pain au chocolat, from flaky Danish with summer fruits to inverted puff pastry apple chausson, you will uncover the nuances of creating perfectly laminated pastries.  

Throughout the course, you will investigate variables such as fold combinations, flour types, butter temperature, and dough hydration to discern their impact on lamination. 

By the end of this immersive class, you will not only have a deeper understanding of lamination but also the practical expertise to create a variety of laminated pastries. 

    Learning Objectives: 

• Understand the theoretical and practical foundations of dough lamination. 

• Develop practical skills in mixing, shaping, baking, and finishing yeasted and non-yeasted laminated products. 

• Apply techniques to create iconic laminated pastries such as butter croissants, pain au chocolat, and apple chausson. 

Lauren Haas is a pastry innovator and educator driven by a powerful purpose: to inspire, empower, and elevate chefs within the pastry industry. 

Lauren developed a deep understanding of the art and science of pastry in kitchens across the United States, including The White House, the Inn at Little Washington, and the Hotel DuPont. 

During her 11-year teaching tenure at Johnson & Wales University, she honed her skills as an experienced educator and leader while collaborating with brands such as Cacao Barry, Sosa, and 100% Chef. In 2020, Lauren was Lead Chef at the Chocolate Academy in North America by Barry Callebaut.  

Sustainability has become a cornerstone of her creative philosophy, and in 2017 she earned a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems, deepening her advocacy for responsible practices within the food industry, 

In 2023, Lauren was awarded the La Liste Game Changer Award for her dedication to sustainability in pastry education. In 2016, Lauren was distinguished as one of the “Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional, and in 2018, she was honored as one of the nation’s “Top Educators” by Bake Magazine. Her work has garnered global recognition and was featured in publications like So Good Magazine. 

Currently, Lauren is a Professor at the Culinary Institute of America, where she seeks to inspire the next generation of industry leaders. 

www.lauren-haas.com 

@laurenvhaas 

 

October 20-22, 2024 PDT

Two-day practical exam - Certified Bread Baker - Two Groups

• Sunday, October 20 (Sunday, October afternoon/ evening prep) & Monday, October 21 (full day)
• Monday, October 21 (Monday, afternoon/ evening prep) & Tuesday, October 22 (full day)

October 20-22, 2024 PT

Two-day practical exam - Certified Bread Baker - Two Groups

• Sunday, October 20 (Sunday, October afternoon/evening prep) & Monday, October 21 (full day)
• Monday, October 21 (Monday, October21 afternoon/evening prep) & Tuesday, October 22 (full day)

October 29, 2024 / 7PM - 8:30PM EST

Members Only

Extensive research shows that 11 out of 10 people love chocolate. A critical ingredient in any bakery, chocolate can be a little mysterious. Join chocolatiers Donald Wressell and Josh Johnson for a guided tour of the world of chocolate. They will take you through a comprehensive tasting and cover best practices in working with this divine ingredient.

The Guittard Chocolate Company will ship a chocolate tasting kit to sample during the virtual session.  You must register by October 14, 2024 to receive that kit, but may participate even without it.

Many thanks to our partners at Guittard for making this class available to our members!

  

Donald Wressell, Executive Chef

Growing up in Issaquah, Washington, Donald Wressell credits much of his cooking career to his grandmother.  When he was seven, the duo would watch The Galloping Gourmet and entranced by the flipping, stirring, and sautéing, Wressell decided to become a chef.

As a young adult, he enrolled in the Washington State Chef Association Culinary program and continued to garner pastry expertise through positions at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, Watergate Pastry in Washington D.C. where he worked with Jean-Louis Palladin and the Breakers Hotel Sky Room in Long Beach, California.

He worked at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia in 1986 and remembers this as a formative time working with Executive Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix “who was brilliant with food and people.”  In 1987, Wressell was named Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.  It was here that he wooed the hotel’s celebrity clientele with the sweet creations of his hands and humor.  While at the Four Seasons, Wressell made the City of Beverly Hills’ 75th Anniversary cake, a gâteau enjoyed by 10,000 people.  He continued to mix, frost and pipe at the hotel for 19 years. In 2015, he was invited to make the cake for Beverly Hills’ 100^th birthday, this time for 15,000 people.  The celebration took place April 27, 2014. 

In 2006, Wressell joined San Francisco Bay Area based Guittard Chocolate Company as the Corporate Pastry Chef. “I have used Guittard chocolate both professionally and personally and I was thrilled at the opportunity to be the pastry chef for the oldest family run chocolate company in the U.S.  I have always loved working with chocolate; it’s an amazing food with magical qualities.  What other food can be made into decorative shapes and visual amusements that not only tastes good but has incredible food value?”

Wressell’s accolades are many.  In 1998 and 1999, he was named one of the Top Ten Pastry Chefs by Chocolatier Pastry Art & Design magazine and in 2003 he was named Southern California’s Restaurant Writers Pastry Chef of the Year. He is the recipient of both Silver and Gold medals in the Grand Salon Culinaire and the winner and in 1995 won the opportunity to go to the Les Masters du Chocolate competition.  His pastry pedigree also includes “Pastry Chef of the Year” by the Organizing Committee of the 2005 National Pastry Team Championships as well as recognition from the White House for his work with the US Pastry Team. 

Wressell’s experience in domestic and international pastry competitions is unparalleled. As team captain during the 2011 National Pastry Team Championship, his team was awarded a Gold medal and First Place in Degustation. In 2012 as team captain at the World Pastry Championship, his team was awarded the Silver medal and First Place in Degustation. In addition, Wressell has represented Team USA seven times at the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie, as a competitor, team captain, coach, manager and/or on the jury. He competed for the first time in 1993; in 1995 he was Team Captain leading the USA to a Bronze (the first medal won by Team USA at that time). In 1999, he was Coach/Manager with USA winning the Bronze. In 2001, he was Coach/Manager when the team won its first (and only) Gold medal to date. In 2003, he was Chairman/Coach/Manager/Judge with Team USA placing 4th. In 2005, he was Team Captain winning the Bronze. Most recently, in 2015, he was Coach/Manager winning the Bronze.

He has also made many television appearances: The Challenge Series; Coupe Du Monde; and Pastry Team Championship documentaries on the Food Network, ET, Roseanne Barr Show, Access Hollywood, Good Morning America and Chuck Henry’s Travel Cafe.

Today, Wressell continues to develop recipes using Guittard Chocolate and does speaking engagements, conducts demonstrations, participates in international competitions and leads his signature “Guest Chef Series” classes at the Guittard Chocolate Studio in Los Angeles. When he’s not in the pastry or demo kitchen or masterminding the design and production of a larger-than-life birthday cake, he derives great pleasure in his own kitchen and woodworking workshop.

Josh Johnson, Products Application Director

Josh Johnson is the Pastry Chef of Guittard Chocolate Company, the revered San Francisco Bay Area family-owned chocolate maker, where he brings his celebrated craft, artistry and palate in developing new recipes and ideas with Executive Pastry Chef Donald Wressell.

Josh has competed in and won the National Pastry Team Championship with team captain Donald Wressell and teammates Scott Green and Della Gossett.  The team went on to win Best Dégustation and Silver Medal overall at the 2012 World Pastry Championship in Las Vegas. Josh also competed in the 2015 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie with teammates Scott Green and John Kraus, coached by Ewald Notter and Donald Wressell, where they brought home the Bronze medal.

Josh started working in pastry as a teenager in his uncle’s pastry shop in Illinois and honed his skills training under the tutelage of mentor Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., and pastry chefs En-Ming Hsu, World Pastry Champion, and François Payard. He was Executive Pastry Chef at Everest in Chicago, co-owner of Cocoa Bean Fine Desserts in Geneva, Illinois, an instructor at The French Pastry School and, most recently, Head Pastry Chef at Destination Kohler in Kohler, Wisconsin.

He is inspired by chocolate’s infinite variety of flavor profiles and its versatility as an ingredient that can also be sculpted and shaped to delicious and delightful effect.