Rise Up! The Baker Podcast with Mark Dyck

Depending on how you count, Polestar Hearth has been around for 18 months or 10 years. That's because 18 months ago, Jesse Merrill moved his bakery from his backyard to a gorgeous retail space in Guelph Ontario. This little gem is now a hub for bread lovers from all over town. In this episode, recorded on site at Polestar Hearth, 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...

Mark and Cindy are back from a massive road trip through Ontario and into the Midwest USA, checking out the amazing trees and lakes and visiting as many bakeries as humanly possible. In this two-part episode, Mark shares his thoughts on the trip, with an emphasis on the wide variety of community bakeries they saw throughout Ontario. Then, Mark and Arlo Brandl from Tecumseh, Michigan have an in-person chat about Arlo's new bakery and his recent success in becoming the BBGA's seventh...

Michael Sellers left a successful business career to open his solo bread bakery in Peekskill New York. And it truly is a solo operation, from baking to packaging and delivery to all over Westchester County. In this episode, Mark and Michael talk about the ins and outs of running a subscription bread operation, the challenges of working in a shared space and how the need to connect with customers can lead to extremely long work days. Michael also turns the tables and gets Mark talking about...

Don Guerra is not simply an awesome bread baker. He’s also a leader in the Community Supported Bakery movement and is at the forefront of the local grain movement in Tucson, Arizona. In this episode, Mark and Don have a lively discussion about Don’s life in baking, including a significant detour right in the middle, and how his local community supported his reboot, first in his garage and then with his retail bakery. They also marvel at the connections bakers make with each other all...

Melina Kelson is a baker, teacher and wood fired oven officianado. She is also long serving board member of the Bread Baker’s Guild of America. In this episode, Mark and Melina discuss her path to becoming a renowned baking instructor, what the Guild board does on a non-WheatStalk year, her bootleg baking project and her new role as Operations Manager at Princi Kitchens in Chicago. Some links: Bootleg Batard Princi Kitchen Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark on...

Martin Philip spent time as a musician and a financier before turning his attention to baking and many, many people are glad that he did. Martin is the Head Baker at King Arthur Flour in Vermont and author of the amazing memoir and bread book Breaking Bread: A Baker's Journey Home in 75 Recipes. In this episode, Mark and Martin talk about Martin's journey in baking, how he convinced Jeffrey Hamelman to take him on at King Arthur and what it was like to write his book. But mainly they...

Randy George is a very generous baker and teacher and not just in and around the bakery he founded in Middlesex, Vermont, Red Hen Baking Company. He's also mentored a great many bakers and bakery owners as an active member of the Bread Baker's Guild e-group. In this episode, Mark and Randy talk about his start in baking, how Red Hen was founded, what it's like running a wholesale bakery and how Randy puts his employees front and centre in his operation. Some links: Red Hen Baking...

(This version gets Solveig's and Mark's voices back in sync. So sorry for the mix up!) Solveig Tofte is a fun loving, exceptionally friendly baker with an international reputation. Not only does she own and operate the amazing Sun Street Breads in Minneapolis, Minnesota but she also travels the world teaching baking and connecting with other bakers. In this episode, Mark and Solveig talk about her experience with Team USA at the Coupe de Monde, starting Sun Street Breads and forming the...

Solveig Tofte is a fun loving, exceptionally friendly baker with an international reputation. Not only does she own and operate the amazing Sun Street Breads in Minneapolis, Minnesota but she also travels the world teaching baking and connecting with other bakers. In this episode, Mark and Solveig talk about her experience with Team USA at the Coupe de Monde, starting Sun Street Breads and forming the best named group ever - the Intergalactic Bakers Federation. Some links: Sun Street...

Annie Moss is co-owner of Seastar Bakery in Portland, Oregon and she isn't afraid of working with others to make the place of her dreams. She partnered up with three friends to build not just a bakery, but a cafe and pizza joint, all sharing the same space and same oven. The result is a unique neighbourhood place beloved by her regulars. In this episode, Mark and Annie talk about Annie's start in baking, how her time at New York's Greenmarket formed some of her ideas about local food and...

Amy Halloran is a writer, teacher and activist who is digging deep into how local food economies can revitalize communities. And she's working hard to improve the situation in her home town of Troy, New York. Amy is the author of The New Bread Basket, which described the re-emergence of the local grain movement throughout the US - a movement which has continued to grow and build momentum. In this episode, Mark and Amy talk about how she got into writing and into bread, and the intricate...

So what style of baking do you do? What does that even mean? In this episode, Mark tries to unpack the answer to the question "What style of bread do you bake", the joys of baking during a heat wave and shares feedback on the Volker Baumann episode - from Volker. Plus, it's listener email time! Some links: Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Volker Baumann has helped hundreds and hundreds of bakers during his long career as a baker, bakery owner and renowned baking instructor. In this episode, Mark and Volker renew their friendship as Mark learns the bigger story of Volker's life in baking, from apprenticing in Germany to owning a bakery in Calgary, Alberta to his 25 year career as a Baking and Pastry instructor at SAIT. Retirement hasn't slowed Volker down one bit! Some links: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology...

Jim Williams and his wife Lynn own Seven Stars Bakery in Providence, Rhode Island and over the past 17 years have grown to three locations and an extremely cool side project too. In this episode, Mark and Jim talk about how he started as a baker in California, moved to Rhode Island to help Lynn start Seven Stars and the fun and challenges of expanding over the years. They also talk about Jim's renewed interest in single varietal, fresh milled flour and how that spawned Backdoor...

Dan Rivera and his wife Kim travelled far and wide to get their baking education, before moving back to the US and settling in upstate New York. As they slowly rebuild their 80 acre farm, their bakery The Breadery is popping up at markets from Westboro to Lake Placid. In this episode, Dan shares his travel tales, talks about meeting 'his people' at the Maine Kneading Conference, building his brick oven and baking for six markets each week. Some links: Triple Green Jade Farm...

Peiwen Lee is the head baker at Hot Bread Kitchen in New York City. It's a bakery with a social mission in addition to the amazing bread and pastries they make every day. They are proof that bakeries provide benefits to society well beyond a loaf of bread. In this episode, Mark learns about Peiwen's baking journey from Singapore to New York and the important, empowering role Hot Bread Kitchen is filling for immigrant women in New York. Some links: Hot Bread Kitchen...

In the middle of a road trip to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Mark springs the microphone on his wife and baking partner Cindy. While admiring the green crops and dodging white tailed deer, Cindy shares her favourite stories about owning Orange Boot Bakery. Listen in to hear how it's always possible to pack a little more into the day's production, the joy of working with a team of energetic bakers, and what it means to truly connect with your customers. Some links: The Great Oven Move...

Rhonda knew she wanted a life of feeding others from her time volunteering with Americorps. But she never imagined how in a few years she'd go from bakery owner to a linchpin of her local grain economy. In this episode, Mark and Rhonda talk about how Beck's Bakery got its start, how the first thing she did as a baker was find a farmer and how she's figuring out how to transition her business to include more employee ownership. Some links: Beck's Bakery Website @becksbakery on...

Troy DeRego knew that opening a retail bakery in a small Mississippi college town would be a challenge. But his quest to provide nourishment for his community was worth struggling for. In this episode, Mark and Troy talk about how Troy looked at the unique challenges of a small town artisan bread bakery and, one by one, found a solution that just might work. And guaranteed, it's a solution that tastes amazing. Some links: DeRego's Website @deregos.crackers on Instagram Rise Up! The...

In addition to being an organic farmer, Tristan Noyes is the executive director of the Maine Grain Alliance. That's the people behind the renowned Kneading Conference, the Artisan Bread Fair and other important programs. In this episode, Mark and Tristan talk about the resurgence of grain farming in Maine and New England and how it requires effort and cooperation through the entire food cycle. They also discuss millers, bakers, brewers, locavores and what local food independence is all...