Rise Up! The Baker Podcast with Mark Dyck

Let's end this summer season of Second Rise episodes with a bang. It's time for the OG, my friend and mentor, Tracey Muzzolini, from the very first conversation on Rise Up! in 2018. (Rise Up! #2) Tracey is the co-owner of Christies Mayfair Bakery in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's a full on artisan bread and pastry shop, with classic italian specialties and awesome sandwiches too. And they also have a second location in the trendy broadway neighbourhood offering the best neapolitan pizza i've...

Randy George was one of my mentors when we had Orange Boot Bakery, although we never spoke 1:1 until this talk in September 2018. (Rise Up! #24) When I was planning the podcast, Randy was one of the people at the top of my list of folks to talk to, because he was really focussed on putting his employees front and centre in the bakery. He was the guy you turned to when attracting and retaining employees came up. And his bakery is a wholesale operation, which I knew nothing about but was...

Cindy and I are travelling in England and Scotland this summer. I expect to be heading to a lot of bakeries on this trip, eating the good stuff and learning more about the #realbread scene there. #realbread is a proper movement in the UK and Chris Young is the guy who keeps the energy high and the momentum growing. So it's only fitting that we bring back the conversation we had last year (Rise Up! #146), prior to another month of celebrations of all things Sourdough. They run a month-long...

We're getting some Orange Boot Bakery nostalgia this week. Because for this Second Rise episode, I'm sharing the talk I had with Teisha Huff in March, 2019. (Rise Up! #48) Teisha was a big part of the Golden Years at Orange Boot. She was our first ever student intern. Our Head Baker for three years. And after she left us for greener pastures, she kept working on her game. She started a sourdough donut pop-up shop and made the best donuts I've ever eaten. She was the head baker at Night Oven...

When I talked with Josey Baker back in 2019 (Rise Up! #55) I wasn't sure what to expect. He was already super famous, with a best selling book, talks at Google, and his irrepressible grin all over YouTube and Instagram. In my mind, he was one of the early wave of 'bread celebrities.' The Josey I spoke to was one of most thoughtful men I've ever met. Our talk gave me the confidence to 'go there' and talk about culture, privilege and mental health. It changed me for the better and I think...

Charlie Emers is an old friend of mine, although only via email, until we got together for a conversation back in early 2021. (Rise Up! #118) Since he was on the show, we've struck up a fun correspondence, with Charlie writing me long emails from his front porch. I imagine him hitting send and then either heading to the bake shop or sneaking out the back of the farm for a hike or a ski. It's a friendship I cherish. Baker, Philosopher and Matzoh maker, Charlie Emers of Patchwork Farm and...

While Mark and Cindy head out on a summer adventure, we're taking a second look at some of Mark's favourite conversations from the podcast archives. In this episode, we travel back to a conversation with Nate Houge of Brake Bread in St. Paul, Minnesota. It's a peek into the start of a budding friendship that thrives to this day. (This conversation originally aired as Episode 5 in April 2018) Helpful Links Brake Bread @brakebread on Instagram Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The...

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...