Rise Up! The Baker Podcast With Mark Dyck

Janice Mansfield switched careers from an office to personal chef, caterer and gluten free baker.  Now she is the Bakery Manager of Yonni's Doughnuts, the sweet and leavened counterpart to the excellent Discovery Coffee roasters and coffee shops. In this episode, Mark learns about how Yonni's has risen and evolved alongside Discovery Coffee, Janice's journey from the office to the bake room and how her love of processes and systems has given her bakers an extra hour's sleep every night.   Helpful Links: Yonni's Doughnuts / Discovery Coffee @yonnisdoughnuts on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Amy Scherber is founder of Amy's Bread, an New York City Institution. Starting in a tiny space in Hell's Kitchen in 1992, her bakery now spans five locations and even a kiosk in the New York Public Library. Through it all, Amy has been a generous teacher, sharing her knowledge of baking and running a successful business. In this episode, Mark and Amy talk about the early days of the bakery and how things have changed over 27 years. He also learns what keeps Amy excited as her business grows.   Helpful Links: Amy's Bread Website @amysbread on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

It turns out the Evelyn's Crackers is about way more than crackers.  It's a thriving micro-bakery in Toronto, Ontario which is focused on whole grain bread and pastries, home baker education and yes, crackers. In this episode, Mark talks with Dawn Woodward, owner of Evelyn's, about her journey north from New Orleans to settle in Toronto, the growth of the bakery and the challenges and opportunity for pursuing local grains in her bakery.   Helpful Links: Evelyn's Crackers Website @evelyns.crackers on Instagram   Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Daniel Leader is founder of Bread Alone Bakery and author of three outstanding books on bread and bakeries (in addition to being one of Mark's baking heroes!) His latest book, Living Bread, continues to inform local bakers via innovations in European baking and milling. In this episode, Mark and Daniel talk about the struggles the current micro-bakers face as they build businesses for the long term, in the context of the innovation he's seen in Europe. It's a challenging and compelling talk.   Helpful Links: Daniel's Book:  Living Bread Daniel Leader's website @danmakesbread on Instagram --- Bread Alone Bakery @breadalonebakery on Instagram --- Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Laura Valli is taking a long and winding path to her education, whether she's in school or out. She recently left her home in Estonia to study at The Bread Lab at Washington State University and is exploring the deep connection between humans and grains. In this episode, Mark learns about life in Estonia, Laura's world class pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee and what it's like to combine the humanities and wheat breeding. He's also inspired to get over his fear of whole rye loaves!   Helpful Links: The Bread Lab at WSU @1aurava11i on Instagram Travelling Minds Podcast with Libby Jeffrey Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

After leaving the Navy, Amanda Bowers moved to Gainesville, Florida to open a cafe like the ones she loved in Italy.  Instead of the cafe, however, she built several iterations of her bakery over 10 years. It's now a dedicated wholesale bakery serving cafes around town. In this episode, Mark and Amanda talk about her decision to keep her bakery small and family run and the choices that required.  We also learn how forming collaborative partnerships between local businesses helps all businesses to thrive.   Helpful Links: Baker Baker website @amandas_traditional_bakeshop on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Anne Mayhew loves working with her hands. Starting as a costumer and fibre artist, she eventually fell under gluten's spell and started baking bread.  A loaf, then two, then 24 at a time before she realized she really should start a bakery. In this episode, Mark and Anne talk about her long and winding road toward opening LMNOP, being the village baker in a town with some very famous residents, deciding her next moves and how she got such an interesting name for her bakery.   Helpful Links: LMNOP Bakery @lmnopbakery on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

If the last episode of Rise Up! was about fantasy (Ep 73 - the Fantasy BakeryCast) then this episode is about the reality of opening your own bakery. Cindy and Mark, partners in Orange Boot Bakery in Regina, Saskatchewan, reflect on their experience launching and running their own bakery.   They draw on the perspective gained by time away from the bakery and the wide variety of bakery owners who have been on the podcast so far.   They share several things that they wish they did better and some things they did very well. Helpful Links: Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram

Rise Up! is back after a longer than anticipated hiatus.  In this episode, Mark gives an update on their move out West.  Later, his wife Cindy runs Mark through a series of questions (developed during the drive to Vancouver Island) to help him discover The Bakery of His Dreams.  The business model will surprise you! Helpful Links: Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram

  Elizabeth Belkind was helping Russian immigrants receive war reparations before switching to working with her hands and her taste buds.  Local foodies have enjoyed her pastries and cakes ever since. Since opening Cake Monkey in LA thirteen years ago, her business has grown and changed one tiny cake at a time. In this episode, Mark and Elizabeth talk about the switch to cooking, working with Nancy Silverton, and how she met her business partner Lisa Olin from a Craigslist ad that said "Must Like Cake!" Helpful Links: Cake Monkey Bakery @cakemonkeybakery on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

When Amber Lambke moved to Skowhegan, Maine, her new community needed help.  She dug in with the community, discovered the many assets they had and eventually formed the Maine Grain Alliance and started the Maine Grains mill. Now, Skowhegan is known around the baking world for their annual Kneading Conference and the revitalized grain economy in Maine.   In this episode, Amber shares the story of Maine Grains and how the model they followed can be duplicated in communities around the world.   Helpful Links:  Maine Grains Mill Maine Grain Alliance & Kneading Conference @mainegrains on Instagram @mainegrainalliance on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin    

Mac McConnell is a much admired teacher and baking instructor who made the leap to opening his own bakery.  From their facility in Mountain View, California, Mac, his wife Jaime (the midwife) and their crew serve markets and coffee shops all over the Bay Area. In this wide ranging conversation, Mark and Mac talk about Mac's journey in baking,  his teachers and mentors, opening his bakery and how he managed through a rapid growth spurt.  Enjoy the show! Helpful Links:   The Midwife and the Baker website The Midwife and the Baker on Instagram Watch Mac shape bread on YouTube! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

  When Jennifer Haglund and Mark Bogard work the bread shift at Josey Baker Bread, they're making the good stuff for people in the Bay Area. But soon they'll be taking their skills and ideas to the Midwest, to open their own bakery in Michigan. In this episode, they share their journey so far and their dreams for a market bakery in Ypsilanti that supports local farmers and growers. And they also describe the support and guidance their boss and mentor has given them as they make their leap.   Helpful Links:   Bird Dog Bread on Instagram Jennifer Haglund on Instagram Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

If you get John Reid talking about good bread and local grain economies, be prepared for a hearty, robust conversation. John's vast experience as a baker, oven builder and grain advocate has taken him from his small town outside Melbourne Australia to as far away as Canada, the USA and the UK in his quest to learn and bring that knowledge home. In this episode, Mark learns about the magic of Scotch ovens, the ethos behind Redbeard and why continued wheat breeding for local ecosystems is so important.   Helpful Links: @redbeardhistoricbakery on Instagram Redbeard Historic Bakery website The Grainz Gathering, 7-9 October 2019  Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

When Mark learned of Rosie Gray's adventure cycling from Scotland to Belgium and working at bakeries along the way, he just had to learn more. He caught up with Rosie one sunny summer afternoon, leaning against a tree, in a campground outside Genk, Belgium, after she finished a baking shift.  During this entertaining chat, he learns about the vibrant baking culture in the UK and the Low Countries and Rosie's desire to soak it all up.   Helpful Links:   Rosie Gray on Instagram: Reviving Food Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Emily Cayer is bringing a lifetime of wildlife conservation and a love of nature to the baking community, through her new collaborative venture, We Knead Nature. Emily is organizing farmers, millers, bakers and brewers to ensure we are all giving back to the source of our great grains, nature itself. In this episode, Emily shares the mission of We Knead Nature and the progress the group has made over the first few months of existence.  Mark also discovers how Emily's love of nature and background as a conservation biologist helped make We Knead Nature a reality.   Helpful Links: We Knead Nature Tiny Seed Project Instagram:  We Knead Nature  Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Blair Marvin and Andrew Heyn are the epitome of bakers who are connected to the community.  Through their bakery, Elmore Mountain Bread and their stone mill building company New American Stone Mills, they are building a web of connections in rural Vermont.  From the farmers who grow their grain to the quarries that cut the stone for their mills and the people who love their bread, Blair and Andrew are keeping it real and keeping it local. Helpful Links: Elmore Mountain Bread New American Stone Mills Instagram:  Bread / Mills Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin  

In this solo episode of Rise Up!  Mark talks about the fear that generates when comfortable routines get broken and getting clear on who you are baking for.  Whether you're reviewing your product lineup or looking at your front entrance with fresh eyes, it's important to remember who are the people that you are serving every day. There are also some awesome listener emails and some big news in Mark's life.  Enjoy the show!   Helpful Links: Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Ask a chef enough questions and you eventually get work in the kitchen.  At least that's what happened to Lisa Somerville.  After always finding extra waitress shifts and asking a ton of questions, Lisa embarked on a varied career as a pastry chef in restaurants and hotels, before finally opening her own bakery in the vacation heartland of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. In this episode, Mark and Lisa talk her baking journey and how raising a family and teaching at the community college all fits into her hectic yet rewarding life.   Helpful Links: @vintagebakingcompany on Instagram @pastrycheflisa on Instagram Vintage Baking Company Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

  Mitch Stamm had a long and varied culinary career but truly soared when he switched to baking.   He is a long serving board member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, renowned baking instructor at Johnson and Wales University and has coached the very best bakers in America via the Team USA competitive baking team. In this episode, Mark learns about Mitch's circuitous route in cooking from Alabama to Colorado, making the switch to baking and then to teaching.  They also discuss the Guild's Artisan Baking Certification program and why young bakers need to be tenacious and fearless to build a career that matters. Helpful Links: "If" by Rudyard Kipling Mitch Stamm on YouTube Mitch at Johnson & Wales University Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin