June 6, 2023 via Zoom
6:00 - 7:15 PM EST
New Wave Milling
A new generation of millers are building local grain economies, reviving heirloom grains, and connecting bakers to grains that nourish the soil. Join Jill Brockman-Cummings of Janie’s Mill, Jennifer Lapidus of Carolina Ground, and Emma Zimmerman of Hayden Mills for a discussion on the future of milling and what it could mean for you, your breads and your bakery. Special guest moderator, June Russell of Glynwood.
Meet the panel:
JENNIFER LAPIDUS is founder of Carolina Ground, a regional flour mill located in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Launched in 2012, Carolina Ground provides a niche market for large scale organic Southern growers, while reducing the food miles of Southern bakers’ key ingredient. From 1994–2008, Jennifer was owner, operator, and baker of Natural Bridge Bakery, one of the first wood-fired brick oven bakeries in Western North Carolina producing whole grain naturally leavened breads. With Carolina Ground, Jennifer stands between the farmer and the baker, seeking to understanding the challenges of both, while transforming regionally grown grains into high quality whole grain and sifted cold stone milled flours. Jennifer’s book, Southern Ground: Reclaiming Flavor Through Stone-Milled Flour was published in 2021 by Ten Speed Press.
JILL BROCKMAN-CUMMINGS
Good food, especially bread, became an important part of my life after I spent a year abroad in Luxembourg when I was in high school, and then a semester abroad in France when I was in college. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that was the beginning of my desire to be part of the good food movement. This desire continued as I was raising my four daughters in the rural midwest, surrounded by conventional farms spraying agrichemicals. So when my organic farmer neighbor Harold Wilken drove up one day and asked if I'd like to be a miller at the organic mill he was thinking of building, I jumped on it.
Together we toured other small stone mills across the country, and eventually built Janie's Mill where I am Mill Manager. In that capacity I run our certified organic stone-milling operation where we mill dozens of varieties of grains, many of which are grown just a few miles down the road on Janie’s Farm. I have 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. I also participate in our regional Artisan Grain Collaborative and other groups to create and strengthen the Midwest Regional Grain Chain.
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 pitbull. Emma tends an amateur garden and is just waiting for someone to ask her about the status of her compost pile.
JUNE RUSSELL is the Director of Regional Food Programs at the Glynwood Center for Regional Farming, specializing in grains and staples. June has acted as a value chain coordinator for the revival of grains, flour and other foods in the Northeast for over a decade. June was formerly with GrowNYC where she spearheaded GrowNYC Grains, a ten-year initiative utilizing multiple strategies across the sectors to develop a market for regional grains. The initiative has resulted in dozens of new varieties of small grains, beans, and other staple crops coming to the consumer market, providing farmers with opportunities to diversify and grow regional food systems to scale.
In her role at Glynwood, June continues to work with stakeholders to build markets for emerging crops in tandem with climate adaptation strategies the strengthen regional food systems.
