March 2022 by annexbusinessmedia

WOMEN WHO LEAD

Geneviève Gagnon, La Fourmi Bionique

It’s ingrained in us

No matter how the world’s challenges evolve, we’re leading with a passion for service and solutions. That means expanding our portfolio of ﬂours, grains and pulses while investing in innovative processes. It means focusing on sustainable farming practices and connecting people for success. Partnering with us can help grow value for you and our communities. Together, we’ll transform how the world is

Learn more at ardentmills.ca/next

Geneviève Gagnon, founder of leads La Fourmi Bionique, has been tested many times and now knows there is no challenge she cannot handle.

10 Reinventing success

Geneviève Gagnon has built a thriving artisanal granola business La Fourmi Bionique on her own terms

16 Two generations

ON THE COVER

La Fourmi, as it has recently been rebranded, is a Montreal-based company that makes granola cereals, mueslis and unique snacks using natural and organic ingredients mostly sourced in Quebec. See page 10.

Janet and Tracey Muzzolini compare notes on years of building Christies Mayfair Bakery

20 Bakery Showcase Preview

We highlight an exciting bread demo, explore the Bakery Showcase program and learn what an attending bakery looks forward to in April!

22 Integrity is success

Tall Grass Bakery’s Tabitha Langel says world ‘more egalitarian’ but women starting out face bias

helpful food photography tips

in style

Canadian Women in Food: The value of

Cheryl Appleton, founder of Canadian Women in Food, with substantial experience in business strategy, profit-and-loss management, supplier negotiations and product innovation, will take part in a diversity and inclusion panel at RC Show in May. Appleton shares thoughts about women and the power of networking in a rallying Q-and-A. Read more at bakersjournal.com.

BAKERS JOURNAL EXTRAS | Inspiring stories from Founding Sponsor Ardent Mills’ favourite Inspirational bakeries, research on alternative ingredients …plus the latest industry news and new products. www.bakersjournal.com

WOMEN WHO LEAD

When given an opportunity, women can successfully start and lead businesses in the baking industry.

That is clear from our conversations with female bakers and bakery owners.

What’s also clear is that women will make their own opportunity where one doesn’t exist. Or at least they will carry on working, learning, building their business plan, and most of all believing, to make their baking dreams a reality even when the opportunities don’t seem to be there.

How do they do that? They refuse to accept no for an answer, they find other sources of money and support to get up and running, and they work twice as hard as their male counterparts to be debt-free and sustainably successful.

Because for any entrepreneur failure is not an option.

We hear in this issue from pioneering women in the bakery business who faced obstacles and attitudes from banks when they applied for loans to get the business started and who created a new model and definition of success.

Mother and daughter Janet and Tracey Muzzolini represent two generations of their family business Christies Mayfair Bakery in Saskatoon. Janet pushed through when encountering dismissive attitudes at the banks and, years later, Tracey blazed a trail in male-dominated artisan baking. Tracey represents a later generation of women in the industry who did not face the same level of discrimination, but still understand that we’re not quite there yet.

Tabitha Langel, co-founder and co-owner of Tall Grass Bakery/Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company in Winnipeg, illustrates that success is not about unchecked growth but about doing right by the farmers and the land while sustaining a community.

}Geneviève Gagnon started her business on a shoestring, due to a determination not to be in debt, and faced a long haul. Gagnon created her own model for success in which family and work life is lovingly balanced, as you’ll read in our cover story.

All of these women continue to knock down barriers, educate others on the special traits women bring to running their own businesses.

All of these women continue to knock down barriers, educate others on the special traits women bring to running their own businesses and the individuality of women in the art, science and business of baking.

We’ve called this issue “Women who lead” for a reason. Although there are many women working in commercial and small bakeries, food-service and catering businesses, there are still relatively few that own or manage those businesses.

Cheryl Appleton, founder of Canadian Women in Food, spoke with us for a Q-and-A that you’ll find at bakersjournal.com. Appleton, who will speak on a panel on “Inclusive and Diverse Businesses at the RC Show in May, ended our conversation on a feisty note:

“The future is female. Change has been a long time coming, but it’s coming: by the year 2030, 60 per cent of wealth will be held in the hands of women. It’s a huge shift. Where do you think women want to spend their money and who do you think they want to support? If you have a business and you haven’t figured out how to approach women, how to work with them, cultivate them and connect with them, you’re missing out.”

On another note, we hope to meet lots of talented and hardworking women and men in baking at the BAC’s Bakery Showcase April 10-11 in Toronto. We at Bakers Journal encourage you to attend the show, spread the word to others, or support the industry as a sponsor or exhibitor. You’ll find the details in our preview in this issue. See you there! / BJ

MARCH 2022 | VOL. 82, NO. 2

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briefly | 2021 Symposium on Bread videos on YouTube; Best New Product award winners suggest better-for-you breads tops with Canadians. | for more news in the baking world, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com

Puratos and ReGrained’s Upcycled Food Lab team up to meet demand for lower-carb, higher-fibre bake goods

Puratos and ReGrained have entered an exclusive collaboration and supply agreement to offer upcycled solutions for the commercial baking industry.

Puratos is a 100-year-old international bakery ingredient company with expertise in natural fermentation, health and well-being, enzyme-based technologies. ReGrained is a sustainable ingredient innovation company.

er tastes and expectations for more healthful, lower-carb and higher-fibre baked goods in convenient formats.

Competition series ‘Wall of Bakers’ debuts March 28 on Food Network Canada

The move will address shifting consum-

ReGrained’s Upcycled Food Lab is an innovation platform for upcycled product development. ReGrained SuperGrain+, its first certified upcycled ingredient derived from brewer’s spent grain, delivers a minimum of 3.5 times the dietary fibre and two times the plant protein of whole grain flours while lowering net carbs.

Ontario offering free training for food and beverage careers

The Ontario government is providing almost $1 million to Food and Beverage Ontario to provide 600 job seekers with training, mentorship and job placements with local employers in baking, food science and food production and processing.

Food and Beverage Ontario’s CareersNOW! program will help address this labour shortage by providing free online training and coaching on workplace safety, employee-employer relations, safe food handling and other topics; and more.

Food Network Canada has announced a new baking competition called Wall of Bakers, a series that tests the precision skills of Canada’s home bakers as they compete in front of some of Canada’s most accomplished pastry chefs.

The goal is a $10,000 grand prize and the title of Wall of Bakers champion. The Corus Studios series debuts March 28.

Wall of Bakers features an expert panel of 24 of the country’s biggest names in baking on rotation throughout the season. Judges include Elizabeth Charlton, Slow Dough at Wolfville Farmers Market; Lynn Crawford, Toronto, Wall of Chefs, The Hearth; Steve Hodge, Great Chocolate Showdown, Temper Chocolate & Pastry, Vancouver; Tracey Muzzolini, Christies Mayfair Bakery, Saskatoon; and Anna Olson, Welland, Ont., Anna’s Occasions, Great Chocolate Showdown.

Julien’s Bakery of N.S. to close

Didier Julien and Laura Mulrooney, owners of Julien’s Bakery in Chester, N.S., announced the closure of the bakery after 33 years: “Many folks look forward to retirement but for me and Didier this is a difficult day,” Mulrooney said in a news release posted Feb. 1. Julien’s Bakery will continue to provide its breads and baked goods to Julien’s Patisserie, Bakery & Café, which has been independently owned since 2011.

¦ concepts for success ¦

BY DIANE CHIASSON

SIX QUICK FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Techniques, tips and tricks to help your products make their best impact on customers’ perception of your bakery

Abakery’s food photography plays a crucial role in its overall brand image. The visual appeal of beautifully photographed bakery products will have a tremendous impact on how customers perceive your brand and whether or not they visit your bakery to try your products. In addition, food photography makes for excellent online marketing opportunities because photos are there to stay for many years.

If you are looking to improve your social media presence or simply update your website, knowing how to take quality bakery food product photos will help your business evolve. Good photos will help your brand’s online presence and increase your online orders. However, bad photos that look unprofessional will have exactly the opposite effect.

}2. USE YOUR BEST-LOOKING FOOD PRODUCTS

When it comes to the art of food photography, the devil is in the details. Professional food photographers spend a lot of time searching through dozens or hundreds of perfect-looking bakery products; they also have an arsenal of tricks up their sleeves to make food look delicious on camera.

3. USE NATURAL LIGHT

When taking photos, be mindful of light and colour in your final images. The best tip for great food photography lighting is to use plenty of natural light. Try to photograph your food next to a sundrenched window, giving your photos a more natural appearance. Food looks best when the natural, indirect light comes from behind or from the side, usually creating the best images. Also, you want to avoid any glares or strange

The best tip for great food photography lighting is to use plenty of natural light. Try to photograph your food next to a sun-drenched window.

Using a good-quality camera is crucial. However, smartphones now include powerful cameras that also can be used for food photography.

Here are six quick food photography techniques, tips and tricks for your bakery operation.

1. GET INSPIRED

Start finding inspiration if you wish to take unique food photos that resonate with your customers. Study a few of your favourite food photographers. Instagram is probably one of the most prominent places for new food photographers to connect and find inspiration. Checking food blogs is the best way for you to learn more about photographers’ tricks. Check food and lifestyle magazines and cookbooks at bookstores, and peruse recipe pamphlets in grocery stores and supermarkets. All of these will expand your understanding of light, composition, colour and editing.

bright spots that direct light can cause. Finally, never, never use the flash. Flash photos of food create flat and harsh reflections and glares, resulting in unappetizing images.

4. MANIPULATE THE LIGHT

Don’t spend a lot of money on lighting equipment. Instead, use these inexpensive solutions, which will work just fine. For example, use a white foam board that will reflect the light to eliminate shadows and brighten certain areas of your food plating. Tin foil and white printer paper are just a few other inexpensive yet incredibly effective reflecting tools you could use to bounce light back over your food. Wear a white t-shirt when you start taking photos: your t-shirt will act as a reflector.

5. PLAY WITH GOOD STAGING

Presentation and good composition are essential. Think about your photos telling a story. Your food photography setup should not be overwhelming but rather complement your food. In food

photography, plating techniques and food presentation matter the most. Use different props and backgrounds to see what you like best. Try to use a neutral background to highlight the vivid colours of your food.

Choose simple compositions and concentrate on the main topic – your food. Dark backgrounds are perfect for dark-coloured foods, whereas light backgrounds best emphasize light-coloured foods. Wooden backgrounds, such as tables or chopping boards, will work just fine with any type of food. Parchment paper, baking trays, sheet pans, chopping boards, rattan baskets, slate cheese boards, newspapers, carpet or rug, tiles, black chalkboards, tea towels, napkins and tablecloths with floral or geometric coloured patterns, as well as flowers or a dash of fresh herbs, ingredients and spices, will provide colours and textures.

6. USE YOUR BRANDED BAKERY PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING

The main focus of each photo should be the food itself. However, adding some subtly branded items in the background will strongly reinforce your brand. Don’t choose a busy background as it will distract from what you really want people to look at: the food. Select unique overall brand products such as bakery boxes, bags, ribbons or specialty sauce bottles. These small touches in your images will be a great opportunity to convey your brand image and remind your customers of your unique atmosphere and products.

You now know a few tricks on how to photograph your food like a pro. You are ready to start capturing some of your stunning bakery food products of your own! / BJ

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 35 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns. Contact her at 416-926-1338, send her an email at chiasson@chiassonconsultlants. com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com

We’re FCC, the only lender 100% invested in Canadian food, serving diverse people, projects and passions with financing and knowledge. Let’s talk about what’s next for your business.

Geneviève Gagnon has built thriving artisanal granola business La Fourmi on her own terms | BY

COLLEEN CROSS

REINVENTING SUCCESS

SUCCESS

Geneviève Gagnon has been tested many times and now knows there is no challenge she cannot handle. Gagnon has led La Fourmi Bionique Inc., the company she founded in 2004, with strength, compassion and a determination to work and live by her own values.

La Fourmi, as it was recently rebranded, is a Montreal-based company that makes granola cereals, mueslis and unique snacks using natural and organic ingredients mostly sourced in Quebec. Today, the company has about 20 employees and its products are distributed to prestigious hotels across Canada and in more than 2,000 points of sale in Quebec and France.

}La Fourmi makes granola cereals, mueslis and unique snacks using natural and organic ingredients mostly sourced in Quebec; (opposite) For Geneviève Gagnon, founder, success means balancing family life and business leadership.

‘You have a different outlook on life when you’ve built the resilience and surmounted obstacles. You build the confidence that you can do that every time.’

Gagnon owns 75 per cent of her company. The remaining shares are owned by businessman and silent shareholder Herschel Segal, who is known for Le Chateau and Davids Tea brands.

She describes her team as cereal designers. “We like to create a taste experience which is unconventional and do some blends that have never existed on the market. (In 2002) I was showing up with my Aphrodisiac granola with dark chocolate there were no products in North America with organic, Fair Trade, premium pieces of chocolate in them. We like to design these flavour profiles which are like no other, but at the same time, we also put a natural herb in every blend to create a signature blend. We wanted to make it feel like it was crafted with a lot of care and intention. A really sustaining full cereal containing ingredients like oat bran, flour, barley, rye and flax, roasted with honey. I have never swayed from the recipe I created in my kitchen 20 years ago.”

’FABULOUS’

GRANOLA RECIPE

Gagnon, who has a bachelor’s degree in public relations and psychology, worked in PR and events for high-profile companies. But she felt the work wasn’t what she was meant to do.

She started a business selling homemade granola, carrying out rigorous testing among friends and diners at a clandestine restaurant she ran in her apartment for about a year. People loved her custom-made, 100 per cent organic granola and that gave her confidence to develop a business plan.

“I had my own fabulous granola recipe that I decided to manufacture, but before that I looked at different types of products that I could be selling to retail. I would see all the challenges with doing fresh food or specific recipes or something that needed to be kept cold, and the structure around it was daunting. I finally found that with baking it could be shelf-stable, easy to pack and ship. It was meeting all of the criteria of the level of difficulty that I was ready to venture into.”

Her product met the most important criteria: it appealed to her as a consumer. “There was no artisanal granola on the retail front at the time. I thought, it takes me so long to make (my granola) and I would love to be able to pick it up at the store and have this type of quality and home-style taste,” she says.

Gagnon made the granola and managed the team on the floor for the first years before building a manufacturing facility. “I was making the product and teaching the others. We started on a shoestring – no love money. It’s a tough way to start it, but I’m still here to show

that it’s possible. You can start with $2,000 and create multimillions.”

She was eight years into the business when she had her first child and the prospect of balancing work and motherhood was daunting. “I was looking for models around me. There was nobody giving birth and being the lead manager in their business without having their husband on board. But if you start seeing that’s a possibility, well, then you’ll consider it.”

REDEFINING SUCCESS

Gagnon has defined success on her own terms. “My personal measures of success never matched the outside measures of success. What’s trendy is people going to get a lot of funding from venture capitalists and they pump a lot of money into their company. They have rapid growth and they put a lot of pressure on growing the business.”

“My goal was to be able to build a company that could give me a good living,” she says. “That was not easy to achieve – something that really jibes with my values and I feel good about what I do and what I contribute. Making sure my employees are well, and my company is healthy, it’s growing and we never compromise on the quality.”

Family life has always been a measure of success: “I was able to bear three children, I was able to keep up with the company even though my pregnancies did impact the business. I survived but that was the challenge – to get my children to feel there’s no compromise for them. Balancing that with my work – that’s success for me.”

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KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!

Gagnon ﬁrmly believes a woman leading any size of business needs to know her numbers. “I think in baking, passion and mastery are super important. And people appreciate it. But you need to learn the accounting and I learned it. I forced myself to do the day-to-day data entry. I got coached by my accountant for a year for a certain number of hours. The fact that I knew my numbers, how to enter them and how to read the data, gave me much more control in making the right decisions to make the company more proﬁtable. When people relinquish this control, they have very high risk, but also, you’re blind. You can’t really make enlightened decisions. You need to gain that knowledge. You just can’t be completely dependent on someone else to tell you how you should run your business.

Gagnon believes there is a better way to achieve success than to sacriﬁce family life and work unreasonable hours for pay that may not match the level of work and responsibility. “My father had a convenience store open 24 hours a day,” she recalls. “We could never go on vacation. He had it for 35 years, he didn’t make a lot of money and he got called at night if there was a holdup or if there was no change in the cash register. It wasn’t the model of entrepreneurship that I wanted.”

In Gagnon’s model, a strong team is key. “It’s important to have a support system set up at work so people can compensate for your absence or for the fact that you can’t be as present all the time because of your other responsibilities and to have people understand that and support that – not react to it or judge it. Make sure your partner is on board with the compromises that you’ll have to make as well and the contribution they need to bring to the family balance.”

“You have a different outlook on life when you’ve built the resilience and surmounted obstacles. You build the conﬁdence that you can do that every time. I had difficult pregnancies. It made me vulnerable, it made me weak – and I was still showing up at work. That made me realize that I had to navigate and let go and trust and accept that things are not necessarily going to be done my way but that it was going to be OK. With every pregnancy that situation strengthened my conﬁdence in my team.”

DOUBLE STANDARD

Among many awards and certifications, including a place in Canada’s Top Growing Companies and the Profit 500, La Fourmi recently earned B Corp and Woman Owned certification. In announcing the certifications, Gagnon drew attention to persistent sexist attitudes:

“I often get asked what my husband does for a living, under the assumption that he is actively helping me with my business. . . . It’s a persistent prejudice, but it’s true that a mom and entrepreneur independently managing her own business is quite rare to ﬁnd. Very often, the husband or spouse is heavily involved or even a partner, especially when there are young children in the equation. However, it would never occur to me to ask an entrepreneur, regardless of their gender, what their spouse does for a living because it shouldn’t matter or have anything to do with their ability to run their business.

“Managing my business and its growth with my team, while going through three pregnancies, has been a huge challenge for me. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have the support of my husband on the family front and my employees supporting me with this personal decision, as much as any male entrepreneur would.”

LOOKING AHEAD

As for the future, Gagnon says she has to “push myself out of “my plateau zone of comfort.” The company is venturing into English Canada with crisp, new branding on its packaging.

La Fourmi has invested in automated equipment on the production line that will enable them to put out more product with less effort. Gagnon is excited about the move, and slightly nervous: “If you’re processing a different way – and I’m very attached to our home-made style that looks very artisanal – there’s a risk when you integrate equipment that it will change the actual product. It’s a leap of faith you have to take.”

She may consider doing private label for other brands. “We’ve renounced that until now, but with this equipment it might create an opportunity.”

Her ﬁnal words for bakers considering running their own business: “There’s no greater satisfaction. There’s nobody I know that regrets taking that route. People regret not taking that route.” / BJ

Notes from the Executive Director

Spring is around the corner (especially here on the west coast where I reside!) and I can guarantee that in the rest of Canada the weather will change as the months progress. Normally I wouldn’t commence any piece with the weather, but I think that it is worth more than a passing thought that this past year has been particularly bad all over the country, starting with the drought and heat dome on the prairies, floods in British Columbia in November and unprecedented snowfall accumulations and bitter cold in central Canada! These “weather events” are particularly hard on our groaning economy and have especially impacted our baking community. And that’s not to mention supply chain and labour shortage issues!

Our baking community

That said, despite all these challenges there is still grain in the silos, the mills are running, and our suppliers are getting flour and other ingredients to the bakers who keep stocking the shelves. Whether a large or small operation, bakers are showing up for work, using their creative and technical skills for the good of others, often in less than comfortable environments. This humble dedication often takes place during unsociable hours to ensure that Canadian customers can always have bread to eat and a few tasty

treats too. Bravo!

I am sure that bakers are not taken for granted and praise is not the reason that they go to work. It would be easier to get a Monday-to-Friday 9-5 job. So, there must be a mystery to why bakers become bakers. We read Sheena Howdle’s story in the January/February issue, and in future issues more bakers will share their reasons for embarking on this chosen career path. There is magic in baking: a desire to share with community and in return feel embraced by that community. Some say it is a calling, not a job.

Our editor has put together a

celebration of women in the industry. Although half of the workforce, they are often the unsung heroes, the engines that drive many bakeries, often juggling family life with working behind the bench, running the office or labouring in the shop. They often do not get the recognition they deserve, and as a man in the industry, I can attest that our businesses would not have run as smoothly without the passion, creativity, attention to detail and hard work of the women!

We have recently welcomed three dynamic members to our board. In this issue, we present a micro-biographies of all our BAC directors.

Coming up in the next BAC Bulletin we will reveal our incredibly exciting membership initiatives and, of course, get ready for welcoming you to Bakery Showcase!

Why did you become a baker?

If you would like to share why you became a baker in a future issue, please submit your story to info@baking.ca.

The BAC’s mission is to empower our members in providing nutritious and delicious baked goods to consumers in Canada and around the world through leading public policy, knowledge transfer and networking.

Our baking community

Meet the BAC’s board of directors!

Meet your BAC board!

Baking Association of Canada directors are working diligently on behalf of the baking industry

The Baking Association of Canada is a national baking industry association governed by the members. Volunteers are elected from member companies and serve nationally on the board of directors and various committees. Members also are elected to manage

BAC’s provincial chapters. Here we introduce you to board members and invite you to get to know them and share your experiences, challenges, concerns or comments.

Louis Bontorin, Chair Calgary Italian Bakery, Calgary, Alberta

Louis Bontorin is the vice-president of sales and administration at Calgary Italian Bakery Ltd., a family owned and operated business in Calgary. Louis’ parents, Luigi and Myrl, founded the company in the same year that Louis was born – 1962. Louis spent much of his childhood at the bakery and began working there full time in 1985. Over the past 35 years, Louis and his brother, David have shared the responsibility of running the day-to-day operations. His passion for baking has inspired him to get involved in associations beyond his own company. Louis is an active member of the Alberta Food Processors Association and is currently serving as Chair for the Baking Association of Canada. Outside of work Louis enjoys spending time with his family, travelling, cooking and relaxing at the lake. louis@CIBL.com

Brad Turner, Treasurer Cinnaroll Bakeries, Calgary, Alberta Brad Turner joined CBL and Cinnzeo October 2017 as the chief executive officer at the headquarters in Calgary. Brad is responsible for managing the development and implementation of innovative growth strategies for the Cinnaroll wholesale brand and the Cinnzeo retail franchise brand. Prior to joining CBL, Brad worked at a senior executive level with several private and public companies focused on business strategy and profit growth. He is a graduate of the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in commerce. brad.turner@cinnaroll.com

Peter Jacobs

The Bakers Workshop, Newmarket, Ontario

My name is Peter Jacobs, I am a European-trained pastry chef and Certified Master Baker with 40-plus years of baking industry experience. I am the owner and operator of The Bakers Workshop, an independent bakery consulting firm, providing technical advice, R&D and PD support to operations of all sizes. peter@thebakersworkshop.ca

Alan Dumonceaux

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, Alberta Alan Dumonceaux is the Academic Chair for Baking and Pastry Arts at NAIT in Edmonton. He also is very active with Skills Canada, as the National Chair and World Expert. He has competed in the Louis Lesaffre Cup, the Coupe de Monde de La Boulangerie and the World Bakery Masters. adumonce@nait.ca

Kate Nugent

Humber College, George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario

Since 1990 Kate Nugent has been a professor on the part-time faculty at George Brown Chef School and recently at Humber College, where she actively promotes the bakery trade, the value of apprenticeship and the employment of graduate students. Kate obtained her Baker/Patisserie Red Seal and among professional certifications holds Certified Bakery Specialist and an MA in leadership from the University of Guelph. She previously held senior positions with Baker Street Bakery, La Rocca Creative

Cakes, Dufflet Pastries and LPC Food Services. She is past Co-Chair of the BAC and the first woman to hold that position. She sits on advisory committees at three Ontario Colleges, Ontario Industry Committee for Apprenticeship Training, serves as BAC’s Ontario Chapter Education Chair.

kate.nugent@sympatico.ca

Blair Hyslop

Mrs. Dunster’s, Sussex, New Brunswick Blair is co-chief executive officer and co-owner with his wife Rosalyn of Mrs. Dunster’s. The company has grown to be the largest family-owned fresh bakery in Atlantic Canada. Mrs Dunster’s distributes fresh baked goods to just about every grocery store and many restaurants in the Maritimes and Maine at least twice a week.

blair.hyslop@dunsters.ca

Stay tuned . . .

In a future issue, you’ll meet directors Dominique Bohec, Dimitri Fraeys, Derek Mantha, Michel Dion and Tom Mattes.

BAC chapters

We’ll also introduce the Chapter Chairs:

• British Columbia: Gary Humphreys, Caldic Canada, Delta, British Columbia

• Atlantic Canada: Mike Raftus, Ardent Mills, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

• Ontario: Kate Tomic, Caldic Canada, Mississauga, Ontario

BAC’s mission statement

To empower our members in providing nutritious and delicious baked goods to consumers in Canada and around the world through leading public policy, knowledge transfer and networking.

In a future issue, you’ll meet more directors and the chapter chairs!

The high-quality ingredients that inspire your amazing cake creations are now closer to home. We provide domestic access to select high-quality, avourful cake mixes, plus Dawn Fillings and assorted bakery ingredients for nishing your cakes. We’re always just a phone call or a click away with valuable technical support plus delicious recipe and decorating inspiration. For creating memorable moments for every occasion, we’re your perfect partner.

TWO GENERATIONS

Tracey Muzzolini will be a familiar name to many in the industry who have followed competitive baking. Her achievements as part of Team Canada are second to none.

As co-owner of the venerable and well-loved Christies Mayfair Bakery in Saskatoon with her brother Blair, Muzzolini is clearly a woman who leads.

There is another pioneering woman behind Christies you may know less about: Janet Muzzolini, the visionary and financially shrewd partner with baker and husband Ennio who revived Christies as a Saskatoon touchstone.

These two strong, pioneering women have had different focuses within the bakery over the years – Janet’s on business operations and Tracey’s on artisanal bread making, and different experiences when it comes to the gender divide. But it’s clear they share values, work ethic and attitude of gratitude toward their community that have made it a much-loved part of Saskatoon.

The original location on Mayfair is about 3,600 square feet, mostly production, with a small retail section. In 2012, they opened a second location 10 minutes away – Il Secondo – a highly successful bakery-bistro with a seating area for 40 to 50 people featuring a wood-fired pizza oven.

But let’s go back to the beginning. Picture this: Saskatoon, 1966. Janet and Ennio Muzzolini decide to open a bakery in Saskatoon.

}‘You’ve got to be resilient, tough and strong. Women definitely can be that way.’

–Tracey Muzzolini

“My husband Ennio was the baker,” Janet says during a lively mother-daughter Zoom chat with Bakers Journal. They made the perfect team – expert baker and go-getter businesswoman with a head for numbers – working at different times of day.

“That split shift was probably better for a marriage than not,” Janet says with a laugh. Tracey takes up the story: “Janet

was the business side of the bakery. She also started the birthday and wedding cakes side of the business back in the ’80s.”

“I also raised three kids,” Janet says with a smile. “I worked to 2 a.m. after the kids were in bed at that time. That part fit for me because I could choose my own time, pretty much. I had to have the wedding cakes done for pickup.”

Janet and Ennio saw opening their

own bakery as an opportunity to prosper and raise a family. “When I started I was secretary at CNR and I married this Italian baker. He was working something like 12 hours a day, six days a week. The pay was very poor. Ennio was very well known in the city by other bakers.”

The prospect of raising a family on a baker’s salary prompted the couple to buy the bakery that was opened by the Christie brothers since 1932 but not prosperous in later years under other ownership. “The opportunity fell in our lap – there was a possibility we could make a decent living for our family. I said, let’s go for it.”

Janet and Tracey Muzzolini compare notes on years of building Christies Mayfair Bakery | BY COLLEEN CROSS

Janet and Tracey Muzzolini represent two high-achieving generations of Saskatoon’s Christies Mayfair Bakery.

you. Back in that day we had 90-day credit with our suppliers, so I juggled them. “I don’t know how – I was good at it. I kept each one on 90 days. That was how I got our capital.”

She helped start a women’s entrepre neur group in Saskatoon to network and support each other. They started with small gatherings, grew to regular dinners later on and now there is a group for the whole province.

But Janet’s and the family’s greatest strength may be integrity. “We always were honest, I kept my morality,” Janet

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competing for Team Canada. “There were hardly any women at all in the entire competition. It was more like surprise than sexism. It was more about being pioneering, that’s the way I look at it. With the Bread Bakers Guild, all the men were supportive of the women. I think I was just beyond the turning point of when women started being more involved in baking. I got to miss out on some earlier sexism, I think.”

Working in the night bakery with male bakers was a challenge. “I had to prove myself – hard – in my dad’s kitchen,” she says. “It was challenging because it’s a woman, not a boy, following in his footsteps, with her own ideas. Maybe it would have been better if I had just said, ‘Teach me your way.’

“I was going into his place, changing things, getting in his way. That’s got to be tough for him. That’s got to be annoying for anyone. I was stubborn, I just pushed through. I was willing to overcome any obstacle there could possibly be to get this artisan bread thing going. And I did it.”

Tracey and brother Blair took over the bakery in 1999. She shares an example of how Blair has always had her back. “I said, ‘I can’t make baguettes in this rotating oven.’ He said, ‘let’s buy an oven.’ But I was worried we couldn’t afford it and he said, ‘Nope, we’re getting it.’ That changed everything, having a little deck oven that we put inside the front of the bakery where people could see what we were baking. Artisan baking was hardly ever heard of in Saskatoon. There I was with my little two-deck oven putting on a show. Blair has been behind me all the way.”

SUCCESS EQUALS CONSISTENCY AND HIGH STANDARDS

Tracey credits Christies’ success to the family genes, specifically her parents’ strong ethic of survival and problem solving and Janet’s high standards.

“It’s true,” Janet says. “If I don’t like it, I not going to eat it and I’m sure not going to sell it to anybody.”

“We have a commitment to consistency,” Tracey says. “Doing artisan handcrafted baking is so challenging and so much could go wrong. It’s important to take the time to set up an excellent system with times and temperatures laid out so people can follow it and be successful. My brother Russ has a PhD in software development and works in San Francisco. He has taken first my paper

system, then my brother Blair’s computer system, and now we have this amazing connected system with everything from ordering to changing formulas to an app for mixing.”

Janet, Tracey and Blair were always taking classes, going to showcases and bakers’ conventions. “I think it helped a lot to meet other people in the same business and see what’s new out there,” Janet says.

Tracey agrees: “It’s a rejuvenation too. It’s just so inspiring and you get to share your stories. It makes you feel like you’re not alone. You can always get an idea from somebody.”

A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY

Bread making is more male-dominated, Tracey says. “Pastry may attract more women because it’s finer work. I’m seeing more women in bread making. It’s just going to take time. The hours for baking are tough – they’re not conducive to a family lifestyle. It’s extremely physical work and that might put people off. You have to have a certain toughness and a certain sensitivity because you’re dealing with something that’s alive. Maybe baking’s not attractive to everyone. It’s hard work, on your feet all day. You’ve got to be resilient, tough and strong. Women definitely can be that way.”

Tracey believes more good role models are needed at forefront of artisan baking. She points to Linda Haynes from ACE

Bakery in Toronto and American chef, baker and author Nancy Silverton among her own role models.

Tracey wonders, only half-jokingly, if the bread baking profession should be promoted as a way to keep fit. “It’s a workout. You learn how to do things, you build strength, it keeps you strong, agile, flexible, and it keeps your problem-solving skills sharp. If you’re a person trying to find your way and you have a little obsessive-compulsive energy, you could really be fulfilled.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Janet’s long-term plan is to continue to mentor and help her kids make their own decisions, which will affect finances. “They’ve done a really great job in taking it over,” she says. When Tracey came in, she revived it and made it boom. Letting go of it completely is the hard part.”

The future looks bright for Christies, beginning with two bright spots in 2022. First, Tracey will appear as a judge on the new Wall of Bakers on Canada’s Food Network sharing her knowledge and skill with novice bakers. Second, this year marks Christies’ 90th anniversary. The team looks forward to taking their mobile wood-fired pizza oven – Il Bambino – out to street fairs and celebrating being back with people.

Says Tracey, “I think we’ll have euphoric recall. Businesses that toughed it out I think will be rewarded.” / BJ

Third generation: Niece Juliana helps Tracey and Janet make Mother’s Day cakes.

the latest in

Mecatherm industrial system produces hybrid of classic and artisan-style baguette

Mecatherm has launched the Authentik Baguette, a recipe and industrial system that allows manufacturers to offer a product positioned midway between the classic baguette and the artisan-style baguette.

The company says there is a demand for a product that can meet the requirements of both consumers and distributors.

Mecatherm developed a recipe for industrial baguettes: a baguette combining the advantages of the classic baguette and the artisan-style baguette, suitable for industrial production, and allowing bakeries to easily upgrade their production lines while maintaining a profitable business model.

The Authentik Baguette is made from basic ingredients: water, flour, salt, yeast and vitamin C. Its hydration rate, which is almost five to 10 per cent higher than that of the classic baguette, makes it possible to produce a product that is fully baked in the factory before freezing. This has the advantage of a warming time reduced to three minutes at the sales point, compared to a bakeoff of 10 to 15 minutes for a classic parbaked baguette. Distributors can therefore be more responsive when refilling their shelves, avoiding waste and offering products with a uniform bake and colour.

With a more hydrated dough, the Authentik Baguette has a shelf life twice as long as a classic baguette. mecatherm.fr

Bulk bag discharger with integral conditioner and bag dump station

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BAKERY SHOWCASE 2022 PREVIEW

Bakery Showcase is pleased to present a demonstration of bread shaping and scoring by Master Baker Marcus Mariathas on Monday, April 11, at 11 a.m. on the Main Stage.

Originally from a small island off the coast of Sri Lanka, Marcus came with his family during the Civil War.

He began with the ACE bakery brand in Toronto in 1995 and now is vicepresident of product development at one of North America’s largest artisan bakeries, Weston Foods, now part of FGF Brands.

“I have been in the bakery business for 28 years and have been fortunate enough to be taught by incredibly talented master bakers from various countries,” Marcus says. “I learned not only about baking, but about business, operations, sales. I still work at the same bakery ACE Brand, in Toronto. I started working there in 1995, and it went from being one small bakery, to one of North America’s largest artisan bakeries.

“I am proud that I have been with the same organization since the beginning, delivering authentic artisan breads to consumers across the continent. It makes me very happy to see someone enjoy and appreciate true authentic breads, and for it to be achievable and accessible for them.”

}Award-winning Master Baker Marcus Mariathas will demonstrate bread shaping and scoring techniques at Bakery Showcase. It’s a can’t-miss session.

‘It makes me very happy to see someone enjoy and appreciate true authentic breads, and for it to be achievable and accessible for them.’ –Marcus Mariathas

Marcus is a highly competitive, award-winning baker who has been part of the Louis Lesaffre competition for since 2014. In 2015, he competed as part of Team Canada to win the Coupe Louis Lesaffre Americas, representing the Baguettes and Breads of the World category. The team

qualified for the Coupe de la Boulangerie, a first ever for Canada! Among many other achievements, he was one of the finalists in world Masters’ competition 2018.

Check out this exciting demonstration and don’t miss this chance to watch and learn bread shaping and scoring techniques from a master!

EDUCATION SESSIONS TO FOCUS ON SMALL BAKERIES

Here’s a taste of our exciting lineup of inspirational speakers, education sessions, competitions and demonstrations. You’ll find details about all speakers, competitions and sessions in the Bakery Showcase event guide in our April issue.

BAC Annual General Meeting and Meet-and-Greet: Get up to date with the busy BAC and its work and activities on behalf of members. Meet the directors and chat over continental breakfast!

Communicate Your Passion: Justine Martin will share the inspiring story of how she built on her strengths – creativity, flexibility and communication skills – to build a thriving business, Guilty Pleasures Bakery + Catering. Learn how deciding on the right opportunity at the right time can mean successfully scaling up for your custom baking business.

Join Bakers Journal and founding sponsor Ardent Mills as they announce the Jake the Baker Inspirational Bakery of the Year! Congratulate our winner and get a taste of their inspiring story! Adventures in Baking: Mahathi Mundluru baked up a storm on the Great Canadian Baking Show. Mahathi shares why she entered the competition, what it’s like to bake under the tent, how she handled the special pressure that comes with competing and details of her specialties. Bring your questions for Mahathi!

Thriving in a Labour Shortage: A panel of experts tackle challenges for Canadian bakeries. This informative session will show you how to get grants and other recuperating funds for your bakery, how to find and keep skilled employees and how automation can help your bakery be efficient and less dependent on skilled labour.

Jake the Baker Student Cake Decorating Contest: Awardwinning cake artist Justine Martin will emcee as the next generation of bakers craft and sculpt their cakes throughout the day. Watch student decorators work, cheer them on as they present their creations to the judges and be see winners announced!

Plant-Based Baking Primer: Looking for tips and strategies for making the most of plant-based baking in a non-plant-based market? If you’re a bakery or bakery-café, you need to know more about this important and growing shift in customer demand. Our panellists, bakery owner-operators, have successfully served a market seeking better-for-you plant-based bakery treats and will join us to share their experiences. You’ll learn why all bakeries should care about the plant-based market, what factors you should consider in your marketing approach and more!

Educating the Next Generation:Join leaders in bakery education as we tackle key questions, such as: How is the baking industry educating the next generation of bakers? What can be done to standardize certification across Canada to make it portable for the bakers of tomorrow?

The Art and Business of Baking with CannabisIn what promises to be a hot topic, this roundtable discussion brings together experts in cannabis education and licensing. Our panel will discuss the difference between CBD and THC and implications of using them in edible goods, why might bakers consider cooking with cannabis and a future state when cannabis edibles are sold in retail locations such as a bakery.

Top 5 Trends and Opportunities for Your Bakery: Jane Dummer, Registered Dietitian, and columnist in Bakers Journal, will present a look ahead at baking trends and suggest ways you can act on these shifts in the market to ensure your bakery or bakery café thrives into the future. From e-commerce and added nutrition to emotional well-being and good for the planet, learn from Jane why these trends are important to your bakery and how to make the most of these growing opportunities.

Demonstration: Incorporating Raisins, Peanuts and Peanut Butter in Functional Baked Goods: The new consumer is searching for functional baked goods: sweets and treats that aren’t just decadent but also promote good health. Join

California Raisins and the Peanut Bureau of Canada, as their expert demonstrates how to incorporate California Raisins, peanuts and peanut butter in high-protein, naturally sweet and nutrient-dense baked goods.

A CHANCE TO MEET REPS

Joanne and Patrick Hamilton, owners of Hamilton’s Bakery in Strathroy, Ont., are looking forward to Bakery Showcase.

Pat has carried on as baker running the business started by his parents, Alan and Helen Hamilton, in 1946.

Pat is the baker and Joanne does “everything else.”

“Every year there has been a Showcase, we’ve been there,” Joanne says. “We like to get away, take a break from the store.”

They often pick up new information or a helpful product. At the last show, they found a 7x10 inch bake pan. “It was very helpful to us,” Joanne says. “It meant we could just make a quarter slab without making the whole cake.”

Baker Showcase is also their opportunity to meet with

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Tall Grass Bakery’s Tabitha Langel says world ‘more egalitarian’ but women starting out face bias | BY COLLEEN CROSS

INTEGRITY IS SUCCESS

Tabitha Langel is a sharer of expertise, a sharer of wealth, and most of all a sharer of stories.

Langel is one of five founding partners in Tall Grass Bakery in Winnipeg, a respected business that is much more.

The warm, thoughtful, forthright Langel spoke with Bakers Journal about the principles established by the

original Grain of Wheat Community Church and Bread Co-op in the 1982 and kept alive today by its offspring, the thriving Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company and Tall Grass Bakery, and how they intersect and influence her role as a leading businesswoman and community advocate.

It’s a remarkable journey and you can learn more about the roots of Tall Grass Bakery,

read “Or-ganic, sustainable and profitable” by Mireille Theriault in the April 2008 edition of Bakers Journal.

Tall Grass promotes organic, natural, local agriculture and uses only certified organic or locally produced grains, seeds, produce and basic ingredients in its products. It works closely with Manitoba farms and local businesses and celebrates the ancient

tradition of bread making using special varieties of local organic grains such as organic whole-wheat Red Fife flour, organic spelt, organic rye, and more recently, desem, a type of sourdough starter. Whole grain is milled daily into fresh flour using their own stone mills.

The original store in the Wolseley neighbourhood opened in 1990, has since become a nurturing, ethical

“When I grew up, food wasn’t anything you ever bought,” says Tabitha Langel, co-founder of Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company and Tall Grass Bakery. “For me the driver was local food, farm connected food.”

community hub and tourist destination. The Forks Market location opened in 2002, followed in 2006 by the Grass Roots Prairie Kitchen, which sells readyto-eat meals, soups, salads, jams, pre-serves, pickles and other delights. In 2020 they celebrated their 30th anniversary.

Tall Grass was founded by Langel, Ray Epp, Nancy Pauls, Sharon Lawrence and Lyle Barkman. “We committed to consensus decision making that meant we had to learn practices that involved mediation tools,” Langel says. “Food should be made in peace and respect. This has allowed diversity on the team to be an asset, rather than a liability, and has greatly contributed to the longevity and success of the company.”

The business is now operated by Barkman, Langel and her husband Paul Langel, who became a partner, and Loïc Perrot, a fifth-generation master baker from Brittany, France, who joined in 2005 and brought with him classic French techniques.

MEN ‘ASSERTIVE’, WOMEN

‘AGGRESSIVE’

}For our “Women who lead” issue, Langel shares wisdom gleaned from the early days when she sometimes encountered discrimination.

egalitarian. I feel very respected now. Young women starting out do face biases. The baking industry does need to look more closely to make itself more attractive and friendly for women.”

Langel thinks that we tend to profile large, highly profitable bakeries which are often male-led: “Growth needs to be analyzed to ensure it is ethical. The reason profit is the bottom line is there are important lines above it.”

PROXIMITY TO FARMERS

Langel, who grew up in a Hutterite community where 15 families live collectively, credits the bakery’s proximity to farmers and transparency for its longevity and appeal to “heartstoppingly loyal” customers who gladly line up in -28 weather on a Saturday morning for a taste of wholesomeness.

“When we first went to the bank year ago, they said people don’t care about the farmers. I think that’s not true. It’s in our DNA to care about the farm. I think people hunger for a place where

The baking industry does need to look more closely to make itself more attractive and friendly for women.

“It was quite a while before some of those old farmers would stop asking to talk to Lyle. That was one piece of it. So much sexism is also subconscious. While we tried to be egalitarian, we were people of our times. So much sexism is subconscious and, when I think back on our jokes, they were often sexist one way or another.”

She adds, “Lending institutions, business schools, the trades and all of us still have built in biases that can be sexist and racist. It takes time and awareness to change. I am grateful that on our team we are open and aware of this, and I do feel respected and grateful.”

“At the CEO level, when men want to make a point, men are ‘assertive’ and women are labelled as ‘aggressive.’ . . . If a man comes to the table and says this is what I bring to the company, he’s respected. Women are discouraged from having that kind of confidence. If they do, a year later, they are likely to be let go. Those are things that surprised me.

“The world is becoming more

they can connect to the farmer. At our bakery, they get to meet their farmer, she comes in, holds court and talks with the customers.”

They are busy with succession planning and have used the tried and true practice of choosing from within, to ensure shared values and visions. “We also currently have a young woman doing her masters business degree on the Tall Grass model. She is providing us with the academic literature on the subject of succession. This is very helpful, and we are confident that Tall Grass will continue to ply its trade in the years ahead.”

We leave you with the words of Stuart McLean, who toasted Tall Grass during a 2006 episode of his CBC radio show Vinyl Café radio filmed in Winnipeg: “Tabitha says she has learned that you can make a difference to the local economy and make a living at the same time. “The questions that we continue to ask,” she said, ‘Are how can we be more local? More just? More environ mentally conscious, than we were yesterday? It has been an unbelievable journey,’ she said.” / BJ

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CELEBRATING IN STYLE

From birthday cakes to sharing that favourite dessert, consumers want to celebrate in a safe way

People are craving fun experiences and the opportunity to celebrate as we move into year three of the pandemic. Eating occasions continue to be a source of entertainment with people spending time at home due to limited travel options and ongoing restrictions.

From birthday cakes to sharing that favourite dessert, consumers want to celebrate in a safe way, possibly on a smaller scale. As a result, we are seeing the need for vibrant, seasonal and global flavours, plus new formats and of course confetti for celebratory sharing in 2022.

}Debbie Gust, president of WOW! Factor Desserts, agrees: “We have been asked by many chain accounts for their own privatelabel version of a Celebration Cake. It may be a whole uncut cake that can be enjoyed by the entire table with leftovers to take home. Or personal, individual-sized celebration cakes. Customers dining at restaurants are often celebrating something and are drawn to a confetti-style white cake. This is extra special as the restaurant can personalize toppings with decorations and creative plating.”

Canadians want to discover new flavours like Dufflet Pastries’ Lychee Vanilla Mousse Cake.

list when we think about cakes, pies and baked goods for fun experiences and celebrations. Dufflet Rosenberg, founder of Dufflet Pastries, explains: “We have realized that the pandemic is making

‘For the new generation of consumers looking to share a treat photo on social media, appearance is more important than ever before!’ – Dufflet Rosenberg

This spring, WOW! Factor Desserts will launch a Pucker Up Lemon Cup! Cake.

all-natural ingredients, scratch-made recipes and locally sourced ingredients. Therefore, product development often revolves around ensuring we stay true to producing desserts with the cleanest ingredients. Our chocolate icing, chocolate ganache, custard, mousses, glazes, caramel and cream cheese icing are scratch made. We even make the condensed milk in our caramel!”

The increase in personal, individual formats for celebrating is not only for the restaurant scene. Dianne Wolters, vice-president of product development at Everspring Farms, explains: “With people spending more time at home, we have modified our recipe development to reflect that. One of the most popular recipes we developed recently is an apple hand pie made with a sprouted spelt crust. If you are at home on your own or with only one other person, baking a whole pie may seem like a waste but making some smaller hand pies that can be enjoyed on an individual basis is a great option for a celebratory treat.”

Ingredients, flavour and colour top the

people more conscious of their dessert purchases. Customers are re-evaluating their priorities on where, what and how they buy. Similarly, we have discovered more motivations beyond price. Customers more than ever look for products made with natural, premium ingredients. They are increasingly open to new, exciting options like a combination of flavours such as our classic Chocolate Banana Cake, Lemon Coconut Cake; or want to discover new flavours including our seasonal Lychee Vanilla Mousse Cake. It gives an opportunity to explore a flavour they may not have considered before. For the new generation of consumers looking to share a treat photo on social media, appearance is more important than ever before! We have developed our rainbow cupcakes. Attractive and fun cupcakes with natural colours that have been well received by clients so far.”

Gust concurs: “This spring, we are excited to launch a Coconut Cream Pie Cheesecake and our Pucker Up Lemon Cup! Cake, both made with home-made everything. Consumers are drawn to

When it comes to celebrating, we can have a bit of nostalgia and adventure mixed into the recipe. Wolters explains: “We develop baking mixes with flavours that evoke festive and nostalgic feelings to celebrate the memory of baking traditions. Such as grandma’s gingerbread and mother’s shortbread. We also offer ingredients that are unique, or adventurous, that customers do not typically have access to. For example, each of our holiday SKUs featured a different flour as the base ingredient. The chocolate peppermint cookies were made with sprouted rye, the shortbread cookies featured sprouted red fife wheat flour and the gingerbread used sprouted spelt flour.”

Consumers are eager to celebrate in 2022! We can learn from these baking industry experts, as they offer delicious, vibrant options for all occasions. / BJ

Jane Dummer, RD, known as the Pod to Plate Food Consultant, collaborates and partners with the food and nutrition industry across North America. janedummer.com