Rise Up! The Baker Podcast with Mark Dyck

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 Bagels on Greenmount Avenue. Now they are taking their bagel show on the road, after two very successful pop-up roadshows in Bozeman, Montana and...

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 Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song...

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 imagined. In this episode, Mark shares stories of systems gone awry at bakeries and coffee shops he's visited, and his own bakery as well. He makes...

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 business even though it's now a legal ingredient, the advantages of baking with cannabutter and elbe's struggles and successes building a food...

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 and care they have put into their book. The love they have for good food and their community shines through! Helpful Links Cake and Loaf...

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 life, committing to whole grain baking and Sophie's plans to build a dedicated bakery space this year. Helpful Links Raven Breads @ravenbreads...

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 tension of leaping into a new career and working on a team where he can be his whole self. Helpful Links @thefig_and_thesea on Instagram Zingerman's...

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, language, culture and design, and of course bakeries, as Natalie recounts her journey from baking healthy bread for her daughter to building and running...

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 days baking at Bread Alone and Amy's Bread, embracing being known as the 'doughnut lady', the changing face of baking during Covid, and the...

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 episode, Mark and Katie talk about her early days, swapping dutch ovens in her home oven, obtaining her mythical Rofco oven and bringing her...

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. In this episode, Mark and Brian talk about learning the craft in New York, bringing new skills to the family business, leaving it behind for a...

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 discuss the need for all bakeries to develop a luxury product line, the non-traditional business plan for Ceor and the rise of Cast Your Bread from a...

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, more permanent home. In this episode, Mark and Shiri discuss the ways baking can be therapeutic as well as nourishing, making the leap from...

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 eaters, owners and staff. In this episode, Mark and Corey explore the main themes of the book in the context of restaurants and bakeries across...

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 Austria, her decision to shift to professional baking and the culture of small farms with independent farmer/baker ladies in Lara's special corner of...

"Second Rise" is a collection of Mark's favourite conversations from deep in the Rise Up! archives. This conversation with Blair Marvin and Andrew Heyn, was originally broadcast as Episode 65, in July 2019. In this episode, Mark, Blair and Andrew discuss building and running their wood fired bakery, committing to using locally farmed grain in their bread and bringing the same commitment to local in the design and production of their stone mills. Helpful Links Elmore Mountain Bread New...

Robyn is home for the holidays so she and Cindy sit down for a special live taping of the Rise Up! podcast. We share some of our favourite holiday stories from Orange Boot Bakery, with some insights into what it was like owning a family-run bakery from a teenager's perspective. With a special shout-out to Ben, the fourth member of the family who isn't home quite yet. Happy Holidays from our family to yours! Helpful Links Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast...

"Second Rise" is a collection of Mark's favourite conversations from deep in the Rise Up! archives. This conversation with Jesse Merrill, live from his bakery in Guelph, was originally broadcast as Episode 30, in October 2018. In this episode, Mark and Jesse discuss his move from a home business to a retail bakery, how he's built his team and the strong emotional connection between his customers and great bread. Some of his customers even break into the conversation to let us know first...

When Joshua Bellamy decided to become a baker, he went for it, moving to Vermont to learn and apprentice. Then he moved back to his hometown of Raleigh, NC and eventually opened Boulted Bread with his partners Fulton and Sam. In this episode, Mark learns about Joshua's teachers and mentors, opening and growing Boulted Bread, the food scene in Raleigh, the new ideas he is pursuing and the challenges in growing and rejuvenating a strong team. Helpful Links @boultedbread on...

Sara Calkins loves baking and loves her team. She's worked all over Seven Stars Bakery in Providence, starting as a barista before moving to the bench, the stone mill and now to spreadsheets and coaching as Bakery Manager. In this episode, Mark and Sara talk about team building, keeping things fun during the holidays, planning massive holiday bakes and all about Sara's love of good bread and fine bakeries. Helpful Links @sarabakes on Instagram @sevenstarsbakery on Instagram Seven Stars...