Rise Up! The Baker Podcast with Mark Dyck

When Tara Black started Origin Bakery, she was adamant that her gluten free products had to look and taste as great as their wheat based counterparts and that the bakery would be warm and welcoming to everyone who came into the shop.  Her hard work has paid off as the original Origin is thriving and they've recently opened a second location. In this episode, Mark and Tara talk about how Origin's b...

Over his long and illustrious baking career, Thom Leonard has helped hundreds of bakers understand the mysteries of grain and flour.  He's owned bakeries in Kansas and Georgia, has been a leader and teacher via the Bread Bakers Guild of America and helped Heartland Mill create flour suited for artisan bakers across the country. In this episode, Mark sits down with Thom to get a fuller story of the...

There's something special about farmers markets and when it comes to the Carrboro market in North Carolina, Chicken Bridge Bakery makes that market extra special. In this episode, Mark talks with Rob and Monica Segovia-Welsh, the husband and wife team behind the bakery, about their journey from Wisconsin to Pittsboro by way of Austin and Costa Rica, the evolution of Chicken Bridge Bakery, thriving...

Tobi Sovak was a pastry chef in fine dining restaurants on both coasts before opening Noisette eight years ago with her husband Michael. Now they are serving up all kinds of the good stuff whether you're sitting down or taking out. In this episode, Mark and Tobi talk about moving from NYC to SF and up to Oregon, adjusting the meet the needs of her community & how wedding season during the year of...

Arturo Enciso got the baking bug when he discovered the cob oven in the back of the house he was renting. Slowly and methodically, he slowly grown his craft and his business from a passion project to a full retail bakery, Gusto Bread. In this episode, Arturo shares his journey from the backyard to the front room and now to a retail shop. How his bread journey is took him east to New York, Vermont...

From a childhood enjoying Montreal Bagels to spending time travelling across America, Adrian Hale has created a strong network of bakers, millers and farmers. And while she shares her love of local grains with home bakers, she is also sharing a story of community and connection. In this loose and winding chat, Mark follows Adrian's journey across the North American whole grain scene, from Portland...

Amy Emberling went south from Cape Breton to college in the USA but found herself attracted to the baking life more than the office life.  Starting as one of the original bakers at Zingerman's Bakehouse in the early 1990's, she is now the managing partner of the business. In this episode, Mark and Amy discuss the north-south connections along Canada's east coast, how Amy realized baking was her pa...

Katie Quinn is a journalist and author who just published her second book about three of Mark's favourite foods:  Cheese, Wine and Bread.  She has also become a new Italian citizen and is continuing to dig deep into the fermented food of her new nation. In this episode, Mark gets the lowdown on immigration during Covid, how learning about cheese helped Katie fit into a new city and what it takes t...

Mo Cheeks is a community activist with a love of great bread. And he's figured out a way to marry these two important parts of his life into something way bigger than himself. In a few short months, Mo has people around the country sharing his ideas and clamouring for his bread. In this episode, Mark and Mo talk about how Bread & Justice was a newsletter before a bakery, how he increased his impac...

Whitney Keatman and her partner Jess opened The Sparrow Bakery in 2006 and the bakery has shifted and evolved a lot since then. Now with three locations including one in Portland, Whitney and Jess continue to dive in during difficult times.  In this episode, Mark and Whitney talk about starting The Sparrow when she was too young to know better, getting good at building kitchens and building a plac...

In this inaugural edition of the Slow Rise podcast, BBGA Executive Director Mitch Stamm sits down with Mark Dyck to learn about his journey in baking and his experience as a Guild member. It's a lively chat that ranges from the joys and struggles of owning a neighbourhood bakery to Mark's adventures in getting his podcast off the ground. Mark is a baker, community builder, former bakery owner and...

Edna Cochez is bringing all the good stuff to her native Panama, as a chef, baker and advocate for both chefs and baking brands.  She's run restaurants and wholesale bakeries, competed and judged on TV and has continually shared all that she has learned throughout her career. In this episode, Mark and Edna discover all the ways they are connected through baking and coaching, and dig into Edna's jo...

Adam Christie grew up in Regina and used to visit Mark's bakery before heading West.  After working in bakeries in Vancouver, he and his partner Jess moved to the Island and set up Working Culture Bread just a few blocks from Mark's apartment.  Now the roles are reversed! In this episode, Mark sits down across the bench from his local baker to learn about how he built his bakery, what their first...

Brant Stewart came to Beirut as a photographer who wanted to tell the stories of the refugees fleeing the war in Syria. Before long, he was fundraising and starting food related projects in and around Beirut, including Mavia bakery. In this episode, Mark learns of Brant's constant drive to help his community in Lebanon thrive, even as he faces political revolution and deals with the explosion that...

Ed Tatton travelled the world as a chef who baked, before coming to Whistler, BC.  where he took a look around and settled down to do some serious baking.  Before long, baking for neighbours wasn't enough and Ed and his wife Natasha got to work, opening Ed's Bred bakery and coffee in 2019 where they serve locals and tourists alike.  And since they were both Vegan, their bakery was going to be 100%...

Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller came to Fruita, Colorado for the awesome mountain biking and stayed. Visitors kept asking where to find good food in town and they took the hint and opened Hot Tomato Pizza to feed the people. But they aren't just feeding cyclists; they are building community across all social groups in town. In this episode, Mark, Jen and Anne talk about the rise and rise of Hot Tomato,...

Jason Bowman worked in a bakery as a youth in the UK before following his father into the insurance industry and eventually bringing his family to the USA.  Now he's a feeding the people in Pound Ridge with his weekly pop-up bread and pastry shop, Breads-n-Bakes. In this episode, Mark and Jason talk about their mutual love of family, baking and cricket before getting into the nuts and bolts of Bre...

  Jimmy Alderson Benitez baked in New York and Paris before settling down in San Juan, Puerto Rico and opening Cultura Bread in 2019.   Due to open his retail bakery just before the Covid pandemic, he was forced to re-work his plans and start his bakery on a smaller scale.  In this episode, Mark learns about the current version of Cultura Bread, and gets a glimpse into Jimmy's remarkable life and...

Matt Sanger was seeking the balance between head work and hand work and found it in baking. He's built Round River Baking from a basement micro-bakery to a thriving retail bakery while continuing to find the right balance as he grows. In this episode, two friends Mark and Matt catch up on what's happening at the bakery, dealing with ever present change, and then dig into Matt's background and why...

Jane Mason is a Canadian who, ten years ago while living in London, founded Virtuous Bread, a course and network for micro-bakery owners the world over.  Now living in Mexico City, Jane and the Bread Angels are still going strong. In this episode, Mark and Jane talk about Jane's career in high finance, life in Mexico City, the founding of Virtuous Bread, the continued growth of micro-bakery startu...

Erin Kirley travelled the world thinking of farms and the environment before focusing in on baking, moving near her parents on the North Carolina coast and opening her bakery. Now she's building a rocking solo bakery serving Southport, Oak Island and as far afield as possible. In this episode, Mark gets a virtual tour of Erin's bake space, before talking about the birth of her bakery, challenges w...

When David Morton moved to the southern tip of South Pender Island, he knew exactly where his oven would sit. It wasn't long before his cob oven was built and he started supplying bread for neighbours up and down the road. Now, when he's not swimming in the ocean or editing his novel, David is delivering his bread all over the island. In this episode, Mark and David talk about the birth of Happy M...

Charlie Emers was a market gardener, but the outbuilding he had designed for vegetable storage was calling to him to be a bakery.  So he borrowed a mixer, bought an old oven and got to baking.  That was over 20 years ago and Patchwork Farm and Bakery is still going strong. In this episode, Mark and Charlie finally chat after swapping emails for over a decade.  They talk about the early days, how h...

Mark first heard of Rustica Wood Fired Bakery when he talked to Emily Cayer on the show way back in 2019. He was enthralled by this tiny bakery way up in northern BC, with its hand made bread and wood fired oven. In this episode, Mark learns about Meg's start as a baker in Australia, building her oven in Smithers and how her bakery supports her community. It's a testament to how bakeries can nurtu...

Noah Elbers has a massive impact on the baking community from his farm and bakery in New Hampshire. Whether it's generously helping bakery owners and oven builders, or redesigning his bakery as a training and education centre, Noah is willing to go the extra distance to build a business that lasts. In this episode, Mark gets to know Noah beyond the baking forums and digs into the history of Orchar...