November 2008 by annexbusinessmedia

FAT GOES OUT, GOOD TASTE AND TEXTURE STAY IN

A new product in the Great Taste & Wellness range allowing bakers to develop new reduced fat or low fat recipes, meeting consumer requirements for lighter, healthier bread and cake products.

COLUMNS

SWEET NEWS for lovers of sourdough

BY BRIAN HARTZ

FROM BOATS TO BUNS

“Well, what can I say but happy baking, amigo –from boats to buns!”

That line, from an e-mail written by a good friend and fellow journalist I left behind in New Zealand, sums up the transition I’ve made to be with you as the new editor of Bakers Journal. In my previous job as assistant editor of Boating New Zealand magazine, I soaked up some amazing new skills, such as scuba diving and deep-sea fishing. In this job, I’ll be learning things that’ll probably be more appreciated around the house – not that knowing how to gut and fillet a fish doesn’t qualify as an important domestic skill.

Which brings us to what brought me here. In 2006, about a year after moving to New Zealand (I’m originally from that country directly south of Canada), and after much worry and discomfort, my wife, Katelyn, was diagnosed as being wheat- and gluten-intolerant. Her condition plunged us into nothing short of a new lifestyle, in which we carefully checked and re-checked the ingredients of everything we bought at the supermarket, relentlessly searched the web for suitable restaurants, and sought out specialty shops and bakeries offering wheat- and gluten-free products.

I don’t claim to be a “foodie,” but I am married to one, and I knew that this grim dietary diagnosis broke her heart. I also knew that doing anything other than fully embracing her dietary needs would be unacceptable. As a result, I’ve eaten more rice in the past three years of my life than in the previous 27 combined, but more importantly, I’ve begun paying much closer attention to what goes into the food that goes into me, and empathizing with people afﬂicted by food allergies and intolerances.

}We’re here for you: to promote your businesses, to celebrate your successes, to listen to your frustrations and to share news about trends, issues and new technology that affect you.

Like many of you who’ve parlayed your love of food into working at or starting a bakery, I’m enchanted by the sights and smells of freshly baked bread, doughnuts, pies, cakes, buns, rolls, cupcakes, mufﬁns and all the other wonderful creations you produce on a daily basis. In fact, when I think of comfort food, it’s usually something baked – my Mom’s bread pudding, actually, or her buckeyes, which are little balls of Rice Krispies and peanut butter coated in dark chocolate and baked to decadent perfection. I don’t know what I’d do without such treats, but having a loved one incapable of sharing many of them inspires me to learn everything I can about baked goods and the intriguing processes and hardworking people that produce them.

At the Ethnic and Specialty Food Expo in early October I chatted with Peter Cuddy of Organic Works Bakery in London, Ont., and his young son Michael, who was giving Dad a hand at the Mississauga trade show. Father and son were having a great time showing off their range of gluten-free bread and cookies, which Katelyn was having an even better time sampling, and when they saw the “Bakers Journal” on my nametag they called out to me by my ﬁrst name as if we’d known each other for years.

That moment made me thrilled to be with Bakers Journal, which you obviously consider a part of your baking family here in Canada. I look forward to strengthening those ties while doing my very best to ensure the magazine remains “the voice of the Canadian baking industry.” We’re here for you: to promote your businesses, to celebrate your successes, to listen to your frustrations and to share news about trends, issues and new technology that affect you. Let us know how we can help.

In closing, please join me in congratulating former editor Jane Ayer on the birth of her second child, daughter Molly Elizabeth Ayer Hume, on Sept. 4.

Happy reading,

NOVEMBER 2008 | VOL. 68, NO. 9

EDITOR | Brian Hartz editor@bakersjournal.com 1-888-599-2228 ext. 250

TECHNICAL

EDITOR | John McColl, Puratos Canada jmccoll@puratos.com

NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER | Stephanie Jewell sjewell@annexweb.com 1-888-599-2228 ext. 268

SALES ASSISTANT | Pauline Cecile pcecile@annexweb.com 1-888-599-2228 ext. 273

PRODUCTION ARTIST | Brooke Shaw

VP/GROUP PUBLISHER | Diane Kleer dkleer@annexweb.com

PRESIDENT | Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com

Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5

PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40065710. Return undeliverable Canadian address to: Circulation Department, P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 e-mail: sbrady@annexweb.com

Periodicals postage paid at Buffalo, N.Y. (USPS 007-277). US Office of publication c/of DDM Direct.com, 1223 William St., Buffalo, NY 14240. US Postmaster send address changes to: P.O. Box 611, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. ISSN 0005-4097

Published ten times per year (Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug/Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec) by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada — 1 Year $ 31.80 (includes GST – #867172652RT0001) USA — 1 Year $ 40.00 Foreign — 1 Year $ 60.00

Send your subscription request to: Bakers Journal

P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5

Tel: 1-866-790-6070 ext. 206 Fax: 1-877-624-1940

E-mail: sbrady@annexweb.com

From time to time, Bakers Journal may make our subscription list available to reputable companies and organizations whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you do not want your name to be made available, contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.

No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission.

feel good health nutrition

natural ingredients

Innovation that’s nutritious and delicious in a natural way.

When it comes to survival and success in today’s competitive food market, innovation is key. BENEO-Orafti, the driving force behind the prebiotic market, has the right chain of expertise to provide support at all levels and to make product innovation easier for you.

Orafti® inulin and oligofructose ingredients combine technological, nutritional and health beneﬁts. They can easily replace sugar and fat, have a positive effect on digestive health, bone health, weight management and enhance your customers’ overall health and sense of well-being!

BENEO-Orafti offers tasty ingredients for delicious food, with every health claim based on solid scientiﬁc facts.

From application experience and know-how, to regulatory advice, marketing or security of supply, you’ll have BENEO-Orafti’s unique support at every stage of the chain. Keeping your business more than one step ahead - naturally.

To learn more about how BENEO-Orafti’s natural ingredients can beneﬁt your business and your customers, visit www.BENEO-Orafti.com.

| OMAFRA funding for bakers; Can-Oat supports rec centre; Prefamac turns 20; CRFA launches 2009 show | for more news in the baking world, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com

BAC hears info on OMAFRA fund

By Brian Hartz Bakers

and suppliers to the baking industry in Ontario could be eligible for a piece of a very large economic development pie.

At the Oct. 7 meeting of the Ontario chapter of the Bakers Association of Canada (BAC), held at the Valhalla Inn in Toronto, Judy Seyler of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) gave a presentation about the provincial government’s $12 million Ontario Market Investment Fund.

The fund is a four-year program intended to develop economic opportunities for producers and processors of food via trade events, marketing campaigns and industry research initiatives that foster partnerships and collaboration for the promotion of Ontario foods.

Seyler, a bakery, cereal and milling specialist who works in OMAFRA’s business development branch, said a wide array of initiatives – from training to

capital investments – are eligible for funding, which comes in the form of grants up to $100,000. However, she noted that project costs are shared up to 50 per cent between the applicant and OMAFRA, meaning that only a project costing $200,000 or more would be eligible for the maximum $100,000 grant.

Can-Oat gets behind rec centre

BAC members greeted Seyler’s address with great interest, asking several insightful questions, and chapter president Frank Saﬁan presented her with a bottle of wine in appreciation.

For more information about the Ontario Market Investment Fund, call 1-877-424-1300 or see www.ontario.ca/omif.

Above: BAC Ontario chapter president Frank Saﬁan thanks OMAFRA’s Judy Seyler.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. – Can-Oat Milling, a wholly owned subsidiary of Viterra Inc., will contribute $100,000 toward the Portage la Prairie Recreation Multiplex. The new facility will include sporting and recreation venues and provide a variety of health-oriented services to residents of Portage la Prairie and surrounding areas.

“Thanks to this initiative our community will enjoy a world-class recreational facility. In addition, thousands of visitors each year will see Portage la Prairie at its ﬁnest and leave with a positive and lasting impression of our city,” said Can-Oat president Karl Gerrand.

The multiplex is expected to be completed by January 2010.

Prefamac marks 20 years

Belgian baking equipment maker Prefamac celebrated its 20th anniversary in September. Prefamac exports its range of conveyor belts, cooling tunnels and chocolate machines to markets around the world, including Canada.

The company started with small moulding and enrobing machines, as well as cooling tunnels. Over time the range expanded as Prefamac grew and became more international.

Prefamac began exporting in its ﬁrst year of business, eventually reaching 95 countries.

Based in Limburg, Belgium, Prefamac has been nominated for and received many awards, including the Hermes trophy and the Womed award. The Prefamac team is proud of their achievements and progress over the past 20 years and welcomes new developments and challenges in the future.

For more information, email info@ prefamac.com or see www.prefamac.com.

CRFA kicks off 2009 show

By Brian Hartz

The 2009 Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association Show looks set to build on the success of the inaugural event last year, with bigger and better attractions and plenty of networking and business development opportunities for exhibitors.

At a launch reception on Oct. 8 at Toronto’s Drake Hotel, the CRFA unveiled the program to food industry leaders and media. Highlights include appearances by food celebrities such as Bob Blumer of the Food Network’s popular “Glutton for Punishment” series; chef Alex Rolland of Globe Restaurant in Montreal; and chef Mark McEwan, a Toronto restaurateur and host of “The Heat” on the Food Network.

The 2008 CRFA Show incorporated two smaller events – Hostex and the Food and Beverage Show – and proved to be a

resounding success, with an attendance of 11,728, representing a 30.2 per cent increase in audience over the 2007 Food and Beverage Show and a 25.2 per cent increase in audience over Hostex 2006. An impressive 76 per cent of attendees were senior decision makers within the industry.

Also appearing at the 2009 show will be the “King of Cocktails,” Dale DeGroff, of New York City’s famous Rainbow Room; Starbucks Coffee Canada president Colin Moore; chef Giovanni Alonzi of Terroni Italian restaurants in Toronto; and Jim Laube, founder and president of Restaurantowner.com, who will headline the show’s seminar series.

The 2009 CRFA Show takes place March 8-10 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.

For more information, see www.crfa.ca or call 1-888-387-5649.

Vanessa Black, of Upper Canada Food Group Ltd., exhibits at last year’s inaugural CRFA Show (top); Mildred Pierce Group president Donna Dooher addresses the October launch reception for the 2009 CRFA Show.

Connect to locally grown food with new website

TORONTO – Launched in late September, Greenbeltfresh.ca is a user friendly website that makes ﬁnding your nearest Greenbelt farmers’ market effortless by simply entering your postal code.

“Greenbeltfresh.ca is about supporting your neighbour,” said Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation coordinator Laura Alderson. “By logging on, ﬁnding your closest market and buying local produce

from the farmer, you’re cutting out the middle man and giving directly to the farmer, the stewards of the land.”

Greenbeltfresh.ca also features a list of restaurants that serve locally grown food, maps to farmers’ markets and interviews with chefs who support the local food movement.

Ontario’s Greenbelt is 1.8 million acres of protected countryside that wraps around the

Almond recipe contest

The Almond Board of California (ABC) is challenging food industry professionals to develop creative almond snack recipes

speciﬁcally designed to satisfy a guy’s “game day” appetite. Why men? Research shows that men in North America are in search of more exciting food experiences when they dine out, and that they are interested in making healthier menu choices – two areas where almonds naturally excel.

Additionally, Mintel Menu Insights reports that snack foods are among the top eight trends poised to transform North American restaurant menus this year.

Golden Horseshoe and encompasses the Niagara Escarpment, the Oak Ridges Moraine, Rouge Park, hundreds of rural towns and villages and some 7,000 farms –home to some of the most valuable agricultural land in Canada.

For more information, see www.ourgreen belt.ca or contact Friends of the Greenbelt communications manager Jennifer Asselin at 416-960-0001 or jasselin@ourgreenbelt.ca.

Franz Streiter joins Shick USA

ABC is offering a grand prize package for the winning professional who best designs the almond-focused snack recipe that no man will be able to resist. We hope you and your colleagues will enter.

Submissions will be accepted through Nov. 15, 2008. For contest rules and entry details, visit www.almondsadd.com.

Franz Streiter has been chosen as Shick USA’s exclusive representative in Canada.

Shick USA, based in Kansas City, Mo., is an industry leader in providing single source automated ingredient handling systems and equipment.

Streiter has an impressive background in ingredient processing solutions, with more than 36 years of industry knowledge and experience ranging from plastic compounding systems and cereal manufacturing to baked goods production.

In his new position he will be responsible for managing and optimizing relationships within existing and potential key accounts and overseeing sales efforts for the entire Canadian region.

BY MICHELLE BRISEBOIS

AN EASY SHOP

The shopping process should be a smooth, logical sequence as shoppers are converted to buyers

Is your bakery an “easy shop”? Are customers able to come in the front door and know exactly where to look to ﬁnd what they’re after? Does your signage entice folks to buy more, buy now and buy often? Merchandising is part art and part science, and one of the biggest mistakes we can make as retailers is arranging our stores according to our business needs rather than our customers’ needs.

The other big mistake we make is approaching merchandising as a type of decorating exercise. A pretty store isn’t necessarily a hardworking store and you want your store to function like a four-walled salesperson. High-priced consultants and plan-a-grams aren’t necessary to achieve merchandising bliss. With a few key guidelines and some common sense, your operation can help convert shoppers into buyers.

WAY FINDING

Large department stores are adept at using signage to help customers know which direction to go in to get what they want. Sometimes, smaller stores assume that because everything is within eyesight; way finding isn’t necessary. But nothing could be farther from the truth. You need to think about how customers decide to choose their baked goods. Is it by day part or taste profile? You may want to create large signage that hangs from the ceiling with headings such as “lunch” and “snacks.” You could also say “sweets” or “breads.” This helps move the consumer to an area of the store where he or she will find like products. Underneath the “breads” heading you can then create signage that says “sandwiches and burgers,” “soft and chewy” or “crusty.”

Think in terms of hierarchy. The main

}People want to know how much stuff costs. Make sure that prices are clear and large. Put the prices in a different colour so they jump out against the rest of the copy.

Now three messages reinforce what a great deal it is.

NEW AND TRENDY

In the world of retailing psychology, shoppers and buyers are two very different species. A shopper is a consumer who is in the exploratory stage. They’re weighing their options, doing research and trying to decide if they want to buy the item you’re selling. When that shopper hands over their hard-earned money, a shopper is “converted” into a buyer. Conversion rate is the statistic representing how many shoppers then decide to purchase from you. You might get tons of folks walking into your bakery but if they tend to go sideways on you and leave without buying something, chances are your merchandising could use a face-lift.

Let’s look at the shopping process through its logical sequence to identify some key ways you can improve your merchandising/communications strategy.

message is “bread” and then, to a lesser extent, the type of bread. You’ll want the main message to be bigger and bolder to draw shoppers over to the display. The signage at the display doesn’t need to scream as loudly as the initial way ﬁnding does. Signs here can be smaller as long as they’re clear and easy to see.

PRICING

People want to know how much stuff costs. Make sure that prices are clear and large. Put the prices in a different colour so they jump out against the rest of the copy. If something is on sale, usually the best thing to do is to say it like it is and use the heading “sale.” You can encourage prompt action (conversion) by saying “limited time offer” or “limited quantities.” Nothing gets folks stirred up faster than the thought of missing out on something. It’s also a good idea to clearly show how much they’re saving. Put the old price up with the word “was” and cross out the regular price, putting the sale price with the word “now” next to it. Drive the point home by stating “save $3.”

Take a page from bookstores (pun intended). Don’t you ﬁnd yourself walking straight to the bestsellers section? Why is that? It’s because you want to know what others think is popular. Take an area of your store and create a bestsellers section. You can put a major way-ﬁnding sign that says “new and popular.” Here you can arrange your top 10 bestsellers in order of their popularity. When you have something new, make sure you trumpet this fact with a bright sign that says so. People love to discover things and then tell their friends. Proper merchandising will make it easier for them to do so. If you’ve got an item on tasting that day, put a sign next to where it’s displayed that says, “on tasting today.” If a customer is looking at an item trying to decide whether or not to buy it, a taste will likely seal the deal. By implementing a communications strategy to your merchandising you’ll be off to a great start. It’s about noticing what people ask help for when they shop your store. If you’re hearing the same questions over and over again, ask yourself if your in-store signage could be working harder for you. The key is to welcome them as shoppers and then to watch them leave as buyers. / BJ

Michelle Brisebois is a marketing professional with experience in the food, pharmaceutical and ﬁnancial services industries. She specializes in helping companies grow their brands and can be reached at briseboismichelle@sympatico.ca.

BY JOHN MICHAELIDES

DECIPHERING OILS’ OMEGA CODE

What’s new in the market for healthy oils and how is it affecting the baked goods industry?

Most consumers now understand that not all oils and fats are bad for the body, with healthy oils moving to the forefront of consumer interest. This is not a phenomenon that will fade away. In fact, it’s expected that consumer interest in healthy oils will continue to grow, boosting the markets for such products.

The reason for such optimism is that the science behind the health benefits of omega-3 oils is solid. More than 6,000 scientific studies, of which 1,000 are actual clinical trials, have examined the health benefits of omega-3 oils, with the great majority confirming positive results. The scientific evidence supports multiple health benefits, including cardiovascular and immune system health; improvement of cognitive performance as well as normal development of the brain in children; and overall infant health and vision. Plus, omega-3 oils possibly play a role in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

}some kinds of algae — is abundant and, as a result, consumers are becoming well aware and are seeking products with these ingredients.

The demand is growing and the market is increasing, perhaps moving away from the niche to the mainstream. The global market for food products containing omega and other healthy oils is exploding. Various reports suggest that the combined market of foods containing DHA, EPA and ALA in the United States is worth close to $2 billion, and they predict that the market will reach $7 billion by 2011.

Although there are several types of healthy oils, the market is focused on three. These, in simple terms, are: ALA or alpha linolenic acid, a plant origin omega-3 with 18 carbon atoms; EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid; and DHA docosahexaenoic acid with 20 and 22 carbon atoms, respectively, and both of marine origin.

For ALA to provide the necessary health beneﬁts, the body has to convert it

The marine omega-3 oils EPA and DHA, although more beneﬁcial, are more challenging to incorporate into food products — particularly baked goods.

Perhaps linked to cognitive improvement, studies have shown that omega-3s in the diet can improve depression, mood and behaviour. A small number of animal studies show that these oils may play a role in the prevention of certain cancers. Early research has shown that omega-3 oils, particularly from marine sources (EPA and DHA), might reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. Other evidence points to the importance of DHA during pregnancy for the healthy development of the newborn. In addition to health, there is evidence that omega-3 oils contribute to skin and hair improvements and they are beginning to find their way into the cosmeceuticals market. The evidence for the health benefits of omega-3s — particularly EPA and DHA found in fish and

into the longer carbon chain containing the omega-3 oils EPA and DHA. The drawback for ALA is that only a small amount of it is converted into these highly beneﬁcial oils. The maximum conversion from ALA to EPA is about 10 per cent. Some recent research has shown that women during their reproductive age convert ALA to EPA at a much higher rate than men. The conversion of ALA to DHA is lower, reaching a maximum of eight to nine per cent.

ALA is plant-sourced omega-3 oils often added to food products from flax, canola, soy and hemp. Flax contains high amounts of this polyunsaturated fatty acid, but as mentioned previously it is not as potent in the health delivery for the human body — although some of its benefits may be due to its ability to decrease inflammation.

The use of ﬂax seeds either ground or whole has been practised for some time

in the baked goods industry. Although delivering less ALA than the oil, the use of the whole seed provides other beneﬁts, which originate in ﬁbre and lignans. Lignans are phytoestrogens that population research suggests could play a substantial role in protection against disease, especially hormone-related cancers such as those of the breast and prostate.

The marine omega-3 oils EPA and DHA, although more beneficial, are more challenging to incorporate into food products — particularly baked goods. The challenges are mainly in the areas of flavour and taste, but also stability. Food-grade fish oil can be incorporated into baked goods such as breads, buns, bagels, pizza dough, muffins, cookies and pastries. The shelf life of these fish-oilcontaining products is very short and precautions must be taken to prevent the oxidation of the oil. Such precautions include good packaging, temperature control and the addition of antioxidants. The possible interaction of these oils with other ingredients such as vitamins should also be taken into consideration.

The short shelf life of unprotected ﬁsh oil ingredients dictates that when we are using these ingredients we should make sure they are fresh and, when in our plants, are stored properly (under refrigeration and away from light sources) to ensure maximum quality prior to addition to our products. However, the new and improved omega-3 oil ingredients now in the market are microencapsulated and in powder form. Microencapsulated powders are easier to mix into dry ingredients for even distribution, and they have longer

JANE AYER

SECRET REVEALED

And to think he almost went into the orthopedic shoe industry. Marty Curtis could probably use a pair with the amount of running around he’s been doing of late. Curtis owns and operates Marty’s World Famous Café in Bracebridge, Ont., the Canadian café that has received accolades the world over for the Canadian sweet everyone in the country has an opinion about: the oozing, gooey and oh-so-good buttertart. Most recently, Curtis has been busy promoting his new cookbook, Marty’s World Famous Cookbook: Secrets from the Muskoka Landmark Café, by doing television, radio and newspaper interviews, as well as book signings.

It all began for Curtis in 1996. After a stint in the restaurant industry (starting out at the age of 14 as a pizza apprentice) and some time in real estate, Curtis went to work with his grandfather in his orthopedic shoe business in Orangeville. Scouting out a second location for the business in Bracebridge (in the heart of Ontario cottage country, about two hours north of Toronto), Curtis found a building that was almost perfect for the venture, except for one thing: the size — it was a little too big.

}Trying to ﬁgure out what sort of business he might be able to share the location with, he spoke to a friend who ran an ice cream shop. When he found out what kind of money could be made selling ice cream, Curtis needed no more prompting. He opened up an ice cream store (what better ﬁt for a cottage country town?), soon expanding into a coffee shop to make it through the winter months. When that caught on, Curtis, with his mother’s guidance and inspiration, introduced baked goods to sell along with the hot beverages.

Buttertarts are ubiquitous across Canada. But don’t form an opinion on them until you’ve tried the Marty’s version ... – Lonely Planet Canada.

Toronto Star to participate in the newspaper’s buttertart competition. When he won the contest, Curtis’s fame as buttertart king (or “the Michelangelo of buttertarts,” according to chef Michael Smith, who wrote the foreword for the cookbook) became set in stone. With mentions in British newspaper the London Evening Standard and the New York Times, Marty’s World Famous Café started receiving visitors from all over the world.

version. With its ﬂaky pastry and molten caramelized middle, this is the buttertart at its evolutionary peak.”

Did the hoopla surprise him?

“Not really,” Curtis says. “It’s not the ingredients; it’s the people who make it for you. It’s the emotional attachment.”

“I got my inventive mind from my dad, my cooking skills from my mom,” Curtis says.

When the café’s buttertarts became a hit Curtis received a call from the

The famous travel guide Lonely Planet, in its Canada edition, heaped praise on Curtis’s buttertart, proclaiming: “Buttertarts are ubiquitous across Canada. But don’t form an opinion on them until you’ve tried the Marty’s

He’s been able to hone in on that attachment. Curtis is a man who knows marketing (even the café’s bottles of water carry a Marty’s World Famous label), knows his business and knows his market. These are people who don’t hesitate to buy a pie (one of Marty’s Big Ass Pies, about 14 inches across and three to four inches deep) for $100, including the pie plate, or the plate alone for $80. Neither do they balk at the prices in the café: a single slice of pie retails for $9, while a single buttertart goes for $3.50. On a summer afternoon, the café’s screen door never stops opening and closing, the line never stops forming. Many people come up to shake Curtis’ hand, simply

Marty Curtis (opposite); (above) Marty’s World Famous buttertart.

say hello or get his signature in a newly purchased cookbook.

The cookbook idea started brewing more than a year ago, after Curtis watched a Paula Deen biography on the Food Network. After pitching the idea to Whitecap Books and getting the go-ahead, Curtis says he began the task of trying to ﬁgure out what recipes to include.

WIN THE COOKBOOK

Courtesy of Whitecap Books, Bakers Journal has three copies of Marty’s World Famous Cookbook: Secrets from the Muskoka Landmark Café to give away. To enter the draw for this beautiful book with a retail value of $29.95, submit your best buttertart photo or, in less than 300 words, your favourite story about buttertarts. E-mail your entries to editor@ bakersjournal.com or mail them to Bakers Journal Cookbook Competition, P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5. The deadline is Friday, Nov. 28. Winning submissions will be considered for publication in the January/February 2009 issue of Bakers Journal.

But did he struggle with including the buttertart recipe and giving away his secret? If he did, he’s not telling.

“I knew people would expect it in there,” Curtis replies. He also says the idea of franchising, creating a buttertart business empire across the country, didn’t appeal to him.

“I could easily have gone there, but it doesn’t represent me or the product,” Curtis says. “I like authentic, original, one-of-a-kind, special feeling stores.”

So if growing by franchising isn’t part of his overall plan, where does Curtis go from here? He envisions more products like Marty’s Big Ass Pie Plate — and maybe, one day, a food show. Whatever it is, Curtis says he wants it to have impact.

“From a young age, I knew I wanted to affect a lot of people in a positive way,” he says.

And that’s something he’ll keep on doing with the food he creates, the ideas he cooks up and the experiences he creates for people.

THE BUTTERTART

Marty Curtis’s buttertarts are large; they’re sold individually for $3.50 or by the half dozen for $18. The flakey pie crust (which originated at a Quebec nunnery) embraces the gooey, oozing filling until that first bite, when the sweet, golden liquid begins to flow.

“The buttertart is so much more than just a small pastry shell ﬁlled with brown sugar, butter, and eggs,” he writes in the preface to, Marty’s World Famous Cookbook, published earlier this year by Whitecap Books. “It’s a symbol of Canadiana and is proudly thought of as our national pastry. Over the years Marty’s has won several awards for its buttertarts. We’re known throughout the world, and our customers come from too many countries to mention. It’s now time for our secrets to be known to you, too, in recognition of your custom and loyalty.”

Interested in trying out Curtis’s recipe? You’ll have to buy or borrow the cookbook – or enter our competition (see sidebar).

But just including his most famous recipe in the cookbook wasn’t enough for Curtis.

“The dilemma for me was, ‘How do a I get a tart to every table in the country?’” he says.

He has solved that dilemma by creating a patented buttertart kit. Check it out at visiting www.martysworldfamous.com. / BJ

oxidative stability. Using the new microencapsulated powders can significantly reduce the formulation challenges posed by the inclusion of fish oil — including unpleasant flavours and odours as well as oxidation and shelf life. Also, newly developed emulsification processes allow greater protection and the ability to incorporate higher doses of omega oils into various food systems.

With the advancement of the second-generation microencapsulated omega-3 powders, the incorporation of DHA and EPA into baked goods is becoming more practical and presenting fewer challenges as we can see from the appearance in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom of omega-3 bread, bagel, tortilla and ready-made pizza brands.

Though the main source of DHA and EPA is ﬁsh, there are other potential sources of these oils. Algae are known to contain DHA and EPA and some companies in the U.S. and Europe have commercially available ingredients.

Recently, a U.K. company developed the world’s first organic algal-sourced DHA and EPA. Other sources of omega oils include fungi and mollusks. The development of ingredients from such novel sources may be very valuable in the future as the demand grows and fish stocks are depleted. However, marine DHA and EPA may be produced from fish waste such as heads and other discarded parts, converting a processing byproduct into a valuable ingredient. Still, fish oil has to be purified of contaminants such as heavy metals and toxins prior to human consumption, while algae and fungi can be grown by fermentation and therefore they represent a more sustainable method of production, and their supply may not be as restricted.

The major players in the omega-3 ingredient market are Ocean Nutrition, Martek, Denomega and Lonza. Martek and Lonza supply DHA and EPA from algal sources with Ocean Nutrition following.

The choices are legion regarding omega-3 ingredients to be incorporated in baked goods. But a proper choice requires certain considerations such as quality and shelf life of the product,

food safety, and the delivery of the proper and meaningful amounts of DHA/EPA per serving for the beneﬁt of the consumer. It is also important to consider current Health Canada limits on the level of omega-3 oils per serving in a food. The suppliers of these ingredients will have the information needed for incorporation but experimentation and optimization of the formulae for your product is required in order to have a successful product in the market. / BJ

Funding for this report was provided in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s CanAdvance Program. For more information, or fee-forservice help with product or process development needs, please contact the GFTC at 519-821-1246, by fax at 519-836-1281 or by e-mail at gftc@gftc.ca. Dr. John Michaelides is the director of research and technology at the Guelph Food Technology Centre, on the web at www.gftc.ca.

¦ concepts for success ¦

BY DIANE CHIASSON

OPTIMIZING INTERIOR DESIGN

From front door to counter and beyond, the look and layout of a store can make or break your business prospects

Many people might think customers will visit a bakery simply because of the quality of its goods, but the interior design and space of a bakery are equally important in attracting new and old customers and adding to the overall shopping experience.

Making a ﬁrst impression is crucial in business, and the only way to make a good ﬁrst impression with your store is not through your food, but what your customers see as soon as they walk through the door.

Interior design is an integral part of the overall success of a bakery and must not be overlooked. What kind of shopping experience do you want your customers to have when they walk into your bakery? Does your interior design and layout convey that experience?

}include the space layout and ﬂow, theme, materials, colours, lighting, graphic design, signage and artwork, along with product menus, uniforms and serving dishes.

Establishing a brand is marketing’s golden rule. Once you have a brand, you need to incorporate your brand image into all aspects of your bakery.

Tip: Always remember that electricity and plumbing should be done ﬁrst!

smaller items such as cutlery and crockery. Many items may look cool, but are they practical?

BUILD YOUR BRAND INTO YOUR DESIGN

Establishing a brand is marketing’s golden rule. How does your bakery’s identity differentiate itself from your competitor’s? What do you want your customers to think of when they hear your name?

Does your bakery provide an easy ﬂow for customer trafﬁc and service? Are your kitchen and workstations ergonomically designed to bring out the best in your staff?

There are so many things to consider when embarking on a change in interior design that I could write 25 books on the subject. But here are a few pointers to keep in mind whether you are getting ready to build a new bakery from the ground up or just thinking about making some changes to your existing space.

DEVELOP A VISION

First and foremost, before you begin anything, you must have a goal and a plan. Factor short- and long-term goals into your decision. Your ﬁnal vision must strongly convey your brand, yet must also address the needs and tastes of your customers. Don’t be afraid to appeal to your clearly identiﬁed target market. The elements of a successful bakery design that need to complement each other

AVOID HAVING TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Once you have decided to take on a renovation, you will get valuable design input from your staff, your family members and your friends. While you might get a lot of useful advice from them, it is essential that one person take the lead to create a single vision. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a mishmash of ideas, which will ultimately increase your design costs and create a space that could have been better.

DON’T FALL FOR DESIGN FADS

Fads are called fads because they come and go. Your customers may tire of them quickly. Always keep in mind that customers want to go to a bakery that is welcoming, inviting and friendly – and they want to be comfortable! This rule applies to everything, including your colour selection and furniture as well as

Once you have a brand, you need to incorporate your brand image into all aspects of your bakery. Keep in mind that the colours you choose for your brand must also be integrated into the interior design of your bakery. For the outside of your store, get an awning with your name and brand on it to draw your customers in.

CREATE A COLOUR BOARD

In order to bring your vision together, it’s essential to see how all the colours and textures you have chosen work with each other. Use a story/colour board to attach your tear sheets, ﬁnishes, fabric swatches, photos, design sketches, clippings, paint chips and photos. This will be your roadmap to making decisions about what to buy and use. Paint three-inch by three-inch wood panels with your colours and work around your space from dark spots to nearby windows to see how your colours work in different situations.

PICK YOUR BEST COLOURS

Colours stir our emotions, change our moods and touch our hearts. People look and feel their best when warm colours surround them. Studies have shown that warm colours such as orange, yellow and red have been known to attract attention and stimulate appetites.

Casual shops tend to use more colours and brighter hues, while upscale bakeries use fewer colours, but opt for different textures and patterns to create richness.

Pick colours that you like, but don’t work with the latest fashionable colours just because they are currently in style.

Paint your outside façade in colourful and vibrant colours; this will be an excellent way to get noticed from the street. You could hire a local artist to paint a beautiful mural.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE MUSIC

Music is a subtle stimulator that adds to your customers’ shopping experience. Choose your music very carefully to add to the in-store experience. By using music creatively, you can transport your customers to the place you want to take

¦ industry news ¦

them. Make sure that your music matches the image of your operation and your customers’ demographic proﬁle. Proper use of volume settings is very important to allow customers to have conversations without yelling over the music.

LIGHTING IS KEY

The interior and exterior lighting is the most important design feature for any interior design project. Your lighting system should be an integral part of the whole design, showcasing the best features of your bakery. Pay attention to where there is natural light at different times of the day before selecting and installing light ﬁxtures.

Include different creative light ﬁxtures to enhance diverse focal areas even if you have a small budget. Remember: the best lighting doesn’t call attention to itself. Your eye is drawn to the area being lit, rather than the light source.

KEEP YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AREA SPACIOUS AND INVITING Customers want to feel relaxed about the

place in which they have chosen to spend their money. This should happen for them as soon as they walk through the doors. This means keeping the entrance roomy and free of clutter.

If you have the room, offer a space where customers can put down their other bags of heavy groceries that they may have just purchased; this will make their browsing and buying time more enjoyable and comfortable.

If your bakery is inside a building, keep your main doors open wide to offer as much of a view of the interior as possible – and also to let the aroma of freshly baked goods ﬂow out of your store and attract attention. / BJ

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for more than 25 years. She provides innovative food and retail merchandising programs, interior design, marketing and promotional campaigns, and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or by e-mail at chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com. Her website is www.chiassonconsultants.com.

brieﬂy | IDDBA offering free educational podcasts; Robin Hood, wheat board launch new campaign | for more news in the baking world, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com

Free educational podcasts from IDDBA

The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association is offering free downloadable podcasts on topics relevant to baking and food safety. The podcasts are short in length – around ﬁve minutes – but offer useful tips for training retail in-store staff or salespeople. Each program features a subject matter expert who offers training ideas and talks about a product or category’s attributes. To browse and download podcasts, visit www.iddba.org and click on “podcasts.”

Canadian wheat board, Robin Hood, begin new campaign

The Canadian Wheat Board is entering a new phase in its yearlong partnership with Robin Hood, a leading Canadian consumer ﬂour brand. Their new campaign, a recipe and coupon booklet titled Simply Homemade, aims to tell consumers and bakers that the best wheat in the world is grown by western Canada farmers.

“It’s the same message we’ve been consistently delivering, but now we have this exciting new promotion to catch the attention of Canadian families,” says CWB interim vice president David Burrows.

About 3.6 million copies of the Simply Homemade booklet will be distributed through national magazines and in-store promotions. The campaign is also being promoted via the websites www.simplyhomemade.ca and www.prairiewheat.ca.

BY WOLF VON BRISINSKI

COSTS, COACHING KEY TO SUCCESS

Getting expenses under control isn’t easy, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s there for you.

All of us are being challenged by a rapidly changing economic landscape as commodity and energy prices have gone through the roof over the past few years and have not yet worked themselves through to retail prices, especially in Ontario. Food industry insiders report that Ontarians spend only 6.9 per cent of household income on food – lower than anywhere else in North America and at least one per cent less than the Canada-wide average of around eight per cent.

}But bakers are an especially conservative breed when it comes to pricing –and we tend to resist change. I often hear comments from colleagues such as: “I can’t raise my prices; my customers won’t accept it” or “The cost of ingredients can’t stay up that high; it will come down again.” What they forget is that prices usually never come down to the level where they were before so we are automatically behind the 8-ball.

your cost is one of the greatest handicaps in running a proﬁtable business.

In my experience, bakery owners who live by the motto, “Make the best quality product you know how and charge a fair price (not gouging and not giving it away),” are usually very successful. One of the prerequisites, naturally, is being aware of your true costs. Your accountant can help you with this or you can help yourself with software and technology solutions that make the task of costing and cost control much easier. You will also ﬁnd experts that work as consultants/coaches and are specialized in these areas in our industry.

Often I hear bakery owners saying, “You must be kidding me. I don’t make enough money as it is and now you tell me to pay for a consultant or coach?”

What they don’t realize is that a good consultant or coach with specialized experienced in the baking and pastry

The setting of retail prices becomes in most cases a guessing game, and at best it is to the advantage of the consumer and the detriment of the bakery owner.

industry will always pay for him or herself and make money for the business through implementation of changes resulting in waste reduction and higher proﬁtability.

are on such a decline, with only around 1,500 retail bakeries left in Canada. The industry is being taken over by grocery store chains and big corporations. To overcome this, we need better education of bakers and pastry chefs at the retail level. We are relying on Europeans who came to Canada as immigrants and that knowledge pool is declining instead of expanding.

I don’t know how many of you took time out of your busy schedule to watch some of the events in the Beijing Olympics, but one thing that was consistent with every athlete is that they all have a coach. You might ask, “Why do they need a coach? They are already on top of their game?”

The other contributing factor is that many bakery owners do not know their real cost because they are too busy doing what they are passionate about and love most, namely baking the products that help them make a living. By the end of the day they are too tired to check invoices, labour costs, energy costs and overhead – and to ﬁgure out how much it actually costs them to produce a loaf of bread or piece of pastry.

So the setting of retail prices becomes in most cases a guessing game, and at best it is to the advantage of the consumer and the detriment of the bakery owner. In rare cases the opposite is true: prices are set too high and so the business might suffer because the consumer is not willing to pay for an overpriced product. Thus, not knowing

For example, let’s say I’m consulting for a company whose prices, I believe, totally undervalue their product. And let’s say their annual revenue is $1 million. By raising prices 10 per cent and saving 10 per cent of costs through waste reduction, that’s a 20 per cent increase in revenue – or $200,000 – and that more than pays for the consultant, whose typical fee would be 25 per cent of the revenue gain – or $50,000 in this case. The owner bags the rest as proﬁt.

In the baking industry people are working too hard for too little proﬁt. I am passionate about this because my colleagues are getting too little return for what they’re putting into it – and it’s a downward spiral in that our return is too small and that means we can’t pay our people well or invest in quality ingredients and technology. We can’t even pay ourselves. This is why the retail bakeries

A coach is not necessarily a better athlete, but he or she has special knowledge that can bring out the best in an athlete. And the competitive world of business isn’t any different.

A wise man once said, “I don’t have enough time to make all mistakes in life, so I’d better learn from others who have made them already before me!”

“A good coach is not only someone who has made and learned from mistakes, but is able to use this knowledge to help others.” / BJ

Wolf von Brisinski is a master pastry chef and baker originally from Germany. He has many years of international experience helping companies increase their proﬁts through better business, retail and production management, as well as improvements in research and development. Von Brisinski is involved with several Canadian baking and pastry trade groups and associations and can be reached at 905-338-9740 or stelleur@sympatico.ca.

Alberta – BC Propose Provincial Trans Fat Bans

The provinces of Alberta and British Columbia are proposing to implement their own province wide bans on the use of trans fat effective January 1, 2010. Both provinces are proposing to require that foods sold within their jurisdictions meet the requirements of the Trans Fat Task Force.

The Trans Fat Task Force Recommendations, issued in June.06 called for limits on trans fats as follows:

All vegetable oils and soft, spreadable (tubtype) margarines sold to consumers or for use as an ingredient in preparation of foods on site by retailers or food service establishments, the total trans fat content be limited by regulation to 2% of total fat content. This does not include margarines or shortenings for use by retailer bakers in the production of products such as pastries.

For all other foods purchased by a retailer of food service establishment for sale to consumer or for use as an ingredient in preparation of foods on site, the total trans fat content be limited by regulation to 5% of total fat content.

This recommendation would limit commercially produced baked products to no more than 5% total trans of the total fat content in their outputs or ﬁnished product. The Task Force proposed no limit for food products for which the fat originates exclusively from ruminant sources (i.e. butter or cheese).

The provincial initiatives are a striking departure from Health Canada’s national trans fat reduction initiative announced last year by Federal Minister of Health Tony Clement. Minister Clement proposed a two year time frame for industry to voluntarily reduce trans fats in foods to meet the Task Force recommendations. The Minister further stated that if industry did not make substantial progress in its reduction efforts that he would bring in regulations limiting trans fats. Health Canada has implemented a national monitoring process which is issuing

reports every six months on the food industry’s reformulation efforts. These monitoring reports have demonstrated considerable work to-date by industry in reformulations to trans fat alternatives.

Since the release of the Trans Fat Task Force Report a number of provinces and some municipalities as part of overall healthy eating strategies have put in place restrictions on trans fats in schools and government owned/operated buildings. Last year, Calgary Health Region was the only municipality in the country to extend the ban to all food products sold within its jurisdiction.

In April of this year, Alberta announced an extension of the Calgary ban to all restaurants. In October, Alberta Health and Wellness announced that they were going further than ﬁrst proposed and extending the new trans limits on all foods and would be doing so in cooperation with British Columbia. No consultation was held or explanation provided for this policy change.

The proposal by BC and Alberta to regulate trans limits in all foods is a dramatic extension of provincial involvement in what has been a federal area of responsibility. Neither province has to-date offered explanation on why they are duplicating the work and expending resources on regulations when the Federal government has its own initiative underway to reduce trans fats. Indeed neither province has addressed the many outstanding and well documented implementation issues surrounding such a ban.

Potentially more concerning is the precedent such intervention by provinces into traditional federal food regulations/policy establishes. The trans fat precedent may lead provinces to develop their own, unique food regulations on everything from sodium and sugar content of foods to use of other food additives. The potential of a new patchwork of differing regional regulations could lead to requirements for different provincial labels and product formulations.

BAC Announces New Liability Insurance Program for Bakers

BAC is launching two exciting programs that will provide expanded and cost saving services to members.

To assist with the growing cost and need of liability insurance BAC has established an exclusive program offered by the CG & B Group Inc. and underwritten by Royal & Sunalliance Insurance Company of Canada. BAC members will receive a 5% discount off the already reduced Property and Liability rates. Members will shortly be receiving information on this program from the BAC ofﬁce.

For retail bakers the program highlights include:

Enhanced Small Business Commercial Insurance package which includes Commercial Property, Crime, Transit, Equipment Breakdown, Liability and additional coverage extensions

Dedicated 1-800-267-6670 number to contact a Small Business broker specialist to obtain an insurance quote

Easy over the phone quote in 5 business days.

Full payment options, including monthly and credit card and earn Air Miles reward miles

Optional coverage and beneﬁts include: Automobile Insurance, Employment Practices Liability Insurance,

Free consultation for Employee Beneﬁts Insurance, uniquely designed for small businesses, Life Insurance, VIP Homeowners, Automobile and Cottage Insurance

For commercial bakeries the program’s highlights include:

A customized commercial insurance package depending on your bakeries needs. Coverage includes commercial property, crime, transit, equipment breakdown, liability and additional coverage extensions include: negative publicity, infestation, product contamination, stock spoilage, product recall expenses, and failure to manufacture according to speciﬁcations.

Optional Coverage for: Fleet Automobile Insurance, Employment Practices Liability Insurance, Umbrella Liability, Pollution Liability, Directors and Ofﬁcers Liability Insurance

BAC Saves Bakers $$ on Gas and Electricity Costs

BAC has secured a special arrangement for members on natural gas and electricity costs through a new program with Superior Energy. The program, using the collective purchasing power of members, provides special discounts on natural gas and electricity. Highlights of the program include:

Secure ﬁxed rate in 1 to 5 year terms based on your needs

Price protection throughout the term of the agreement

100% load balancing for natural gas – you only pay for what you use

Extend and Blend Option for ﬁve year agreements.

To take advantage of this BAC member program contact Bill Rathbone, Superior Energy Tel: 416.816.0327 or complete the information request form on www.superiorenergy.ca/bac.

Note: Due to provincial regulations this program is currently only available to members in Ontario, Québec and British Columbia.

New Import Requirements for Food Products from China Containing Milk or Milk-derived Ingredients

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is advising all importers of food products from China containing milk or milk-derived ingredients that the Agency will require documentation demonstrating certain safety and compliance for these products. Importers are reminded of their responsibility for the safety of products imported into Canada. Under the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, manufacturers and importers have primary responsibility to ensure that the foods they import and sell meet Canadian regulatory requirements.

Import requirements

For infant formula and baby food that contains milk or milkderived ingredients, documentation will be required attesting that the product and its milk ingredients were not sourced from China. Documentation must be available for CFIA review upon request.

For infant formula and baby food that contains milk or milk-derived ingredients from China, documentation of analytical results will be required indicating that melamine levels do not surpass the interim standards set by Health Canada. Laboratory results must be obtained through a laboratory acceptable to the CFIA and results must be available for CFIA review upon request.

For foods imported from China that contain milk or milkderived ingredients, documentation of analytical results will be required indicating that melamine levels do not surpass the interim standards set by Health Canada. Laboratory results must be obtained through a CFIA-recognized lab and be available for CFIA review upon request.

Interim standards

The presence of melamine in food at very low levels is known to occur on occasion due to environmental exposure (e.g., from packaging or processing). The presence of low levels in food is not indicative of adulteration and at such levels does not pose a health risk. In other words, detection of melamine in a food product does not automatically indicate that there is a risk to human health.

For the purpose of differentiating between the presence of low background levels of melamine in food and the problem of intentional adulteration, Health Canada has set the following interim standards for melamine in products containing milk and milk-derived ingredients:

Infant formula and sole source nutrition products, including meal replacement products – maximum of 1.0 part per million* (ppm); and

Other food products containing milk and milk-derived ingredients – maximum of 2.5 ppm *.

It remains Health Canada’s policy that levels of potential contaminants in infant foods should be kept as low as reasonably achievable.

These interim standards are set to ensure that all age groups and segments of the population are protected and were developed using a consistent approach adopted by other food regulatory agencies in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Should new scientiﬁc evidence become available, Health Canada’s risk assessment will be reviewed and the interim standards will be re-examined.

Government actions

The CFIA is working with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to increase vigilance and veriﬁcations on imported products from China containing milk or milk-derived ingredients.

The CFIA will be conducting random inland veriﬁcations to ensure that the above import requirements are being respected. Enforcement action, such as detention of products and other legal measures, may be taken by the CFIA if these import requirements are not met.

For more information and to ﬁnd out which laboratories are acceptable to the CFIA, please contact a CFIA Area Import Coordinator:

Atlantic Area

1081 Main St, PO Box 6088

Moncton, New Brunswick E1C 8R2

Tel: 506-851-3015 Fax: 506-851-2801

Contact: Luce Petitclerc

Ontario Area

Room 2, 1124 Finch Ave. W, Unit 2

Toronto, ON M3J 2E2

Tel: 416-665-5035 Fax: 416-665-5069

Contact: Howard Stanley

Quebec Area

Room 600 - 7101 Jean-Talon St. E.

Anjou, Quebec H1M 3N7

Tel: 514-493-8859 Fax: 514-493-9965

Contact: Lise Benoit

Western Area

Floor 4, Room 400, 4321 Still Creek Drive

Burnaby, BC V5C 6S7

Tel: 604-666-8813 Fax: 604-666-1963

[*These levels will apply to a combined concentration of melamine and cyanuric acid (a chemical generally found together with melamine).]

From NHL cake decorating kits to Goji berry powder and the latest fashion in work shoes, Bakers Journal keeps you “in the know.” for more on new products for the baking industry, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com

NHL Slap Shot DecoSet

Tarantula anti-slip work shoes

When it comes to a passion for their sport, hockey fans are in a league of their own, so DecoPack is offering a new Slap Shot DecoSet designed especially with the hockey fanatic in mind. The DecoSet features a team-speciﬁc mini keepsake stick and puck for display or hours of tabletop hockey fun. For more information or to place an order, visit www.decopac.com or call 1-800-DECOPAC.

Mark’s Work Wearhouse is promoting safety in the workplace with the launch of Tarantula anti-slip shoes and boots for men and women, with two styles speciﬁcally aimed at the restaurant and hospitality sector.

Available in steel-toe and non-steeltoe, and in lace-up and slip-on styles, the Tarantula Anti-Slip Oxford is a shoe designed for the hazards of the restaurant service and hospitality sector. It features an action leather upper shoe for added durability with minimal seams to prevent liquids from entering the shoe. It has a polyurethane footbed, a rubber side wall midsole with latex midboard and a Tarantula anti-slip rubber outsole to provide maximum traction.

The Tarantula Anti-Slip Clog has been designed speciﬁcally for kitchen environments. It is available in half-back and full-back styles, and is suitable for both

men and women. The Tarantula Anti-Slip Clog features a full-grain upper leather shoe for comfort and durability with minimal seams to prevent liquids from entering the shoe. The design also makes it very easy to clean.

Prices range from $59.99 to $89.99. For more information, visit www.marks. com for the store nearest you or call 1-866-807-1903.

Q&A

TACKLING THE ISSUES, PART 4

A ROUNDTABLE of bakers and industry suppliers chat about challenges, solutions and the value of what the trade does. At Bakery Showcase 2008 in May, Bakers Journal gathered a group of bakers, suppliers and consultants to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. The third part of our coverage of the roundtable ended with Kuyer and Tchenscher discussing hot topics such as pricing, franchising and niche-market bakeries.

BRIAN HINTON / I come from the oil-rich province of Alberta and we throw money around and not everyone bothers to pick it up. Four businesses have opened up in Calgary, none of them bakers. One sells cupcakes at $2.50 apiece and they can’t keep up with production; one sells cookies and round shortbread, they charge $2 for them each, they’re nicely packaged; one does nothing but baby foods with bakery products, organic, and she asked me to do the co-packaging, so I’m just going to throw out prices: she’s getting about $5.60 for a small package of current sticks, she calls them, some sort of thing the baby can suck on, and the ingredient cost on those was about 60 cents. And the other one I’ve forgotten in the excitement. What I’m saying is, we’re bakers, we have to have formal training, we have to go through the protocols and this is what is happening, somebody’s taken a piece of our business and is charging phenomenal amounts, doing an excellent job of brand management. I

want to throw this out to the ﬂoor. Is this going to last one year, two years, 10 years for these businesses? I don’t know. But gourmet baby food for baked goods? That’s new to me, but there’s also gourmet dog biscuits.

MARTIN BARNETT / We know the cookie stores that opened up years ago, with gourmet cookies, how many of them

there are all of these niche little bakeries and they come and go. You know I never sold as many mufﬁns as I did when I had a mufﬁn store right next to me.

MICHELLE BRISEBOIS / Well, you leverage what’s going on, right? If somebody starts something and taps into a fad, then leverage that in your bakery and when they’re gone you’ll have their customers.

RALF TCHENSCHER / The cupcake story is actually coming out after the 9-11 attacks, it was really about comfort food and that’s how people started opening cupcake shops.

AYER / Isn’t the cupcake shop in Vancouver franchising?

“I think the bottom line here is whether you’re in retail, whether you’re a wholesale bakery, whether you’re an industrialized bakery, education is the key point.”

are still around?

HINTON / But did they make their money and run?

BARNETT / I think they saw a little niche for six or seven months and the customers got bored and moved on.

JANE AYER / But you see cupcake shops that opened up a while ago and they’re doing quite well still.

JACK KUYER / My whole life in the baking industry, there’s always been fads;

KUYER / I haven’t heard that myself, Jane, but I would guess it only has a very short life span, because cupcakes are still just cupcakes and you do get tired of them eventually. What it is, if you really analyze it, is not a cupcake store. They are selling something more than a cupcake; it’s more to do with décor, with packaging, with presentation and every baker could learn something from that.

BRISEBOIS / It’s the experience, experiential branding.

KUYER / And what you’re talking about, Brian, it’s exactly what they’re doing.

The roundtable included, from left: Jack Kuyer of Valley Bakery in B.C.; BJ columnist Michelle Brisebois; Brian Hinton, owner of Lakeview Bakery in Calgary; former BJ editor Jane Ayer; Annex Publishing group sales manager Martin McAnulty; Martin Bennett of Vancouver Island University; BJ advertising manager Stephanie Jewell; Frank Saﬁan, president of the Ontario chapter of the Bakers Association of Canada; BJ columnist Dr. John Michaelides of Guelph Food Technology Centre; Tracey Muzzolini, owner of Christie’s Mayfair Bakery in Saskatoon; Ralf Tchenscher of Lesaffe Yeast in Vancouver; and Fred’s Bread owner Andrea Damon Gibson.

They’re selling something more than baking and that’s the problem: baking doesn’t sell baking. We’ve got to get out of that framework and there’s so many exciting things that you can do and I think if you put a businessperson into any of these small town bakeries, I think I could walk into any one of them and increase their sales substantially, but nobody wants to talk to me. They could probably phone me up and I could tell them all the stuff they have to do, it’s that stupid. If these people would only get out from between their two doors.

AYER / But the industry is attractive to young people. Your programs are full, are they not, Martin?

BARNETT / We’re at the stage now where there is a resurgence in baking and a lot of people have really good products, and people are willing to pay more. There was a retiring of the old traditional European bakers who could make the good stuff and there was a skill gap that now we’re trying to fill. But I’ve been listening to this discussion about what the small- to medium-sized retail baker can do to improve their profit margins and their merchandising and I think those bakers are the backbone of the industry, it’s not the in-store bakeries, the big box store bakers follow the trend, and there’s the artisan baker that is setting the trend and then somewhere in between are the other 90 per cent of bakeries out there and they’re not here, they’re not around this table, they’re not coming to the show very much, and what can we do on that level to attract those people to our association and then educate them to educate the public? And I remember in the early ’80s the RBA had an event in Vancouver and I remember going to one of the seminars and just sitting there, mouth agape, this little hippie baker who was making whole-wheat bread 16 hours a day and sleeping on the bread sacks and I remember everything that guy said. He was from California and he went on and on about how much it cost to get one customer into your store. How much did it cost you to build the bakery? $150,000 – just to get that first customer into your store? So are you going to treat them right? You better, because it cost you that much money. I think we, on a provincial level, could put on merchandising seminars and costing information sessions, not just golf tournaments.

FRANK SAFIAN / I’ve been the chair of

the association for two years, but I’ve been with the association since the early ’90s and I can tell you as the program chair of the Ontario chapter, I can show you an arm’s-length list of special speakers we’ve had, from ﬁre control experts to pest control experts to the VQA experts; we’ve had the rabbi in to talk about Kosher pareve, we’ve had all the experts in on a regular program, people. Their intent is to educate the people about these topics.

AYER / But, Frank, how many retail bakers are there?

SAFIAN / The truth is, Jane, I can count usually on one hand. But you’re right, we don’t get the retail baker out, but our association, our chapter, we are making an effort on a monthly basis.

AYER / We need to start wrapping things up; I know some of you have places to be. We don’t have the same kind of population as the U.S., we don’t have the same kind of

money they do, so can we support something like a Team Canada and do you think that’s the way, or even one of the ways to raise the proﬁle of the industry and maybe attract young people to it?

TCHENSCHER / Absolutely. What Team Canada is doing, that’s an opportunity for our industry which we should take.

AYER / How do you get sponsors then? That seems to be the common struggle.

ANDREA DAMON GIBSON / And do you use the BAC as the vehicle for that? Do you use Bakers Journal?

SAFIAN / The Team Canada approach has nothing to do with the national ofﬁce at all. It gets back to ownership. The thing about Team Canada is who’s going to own it, who’s going to manage it? Who’s got time to spend the hours it takes to take ownership of Team Canada. If you want to be national, take your caravan, go from east to west, do the proper competition, have competitions locally and regionally to build interest so that it’s not an old boys network of, well, ‘I’ll pick him, her and him and that’s Team Canada.’

TRACEY MUZZOLINI / But that’s how the U.S. team started. It costs a lot of money to put on a competition.

TCHENSCHER / It’s very difﬁcult for me to make some comments, based on the fact that our company is the main supporter of the Louis Lesaffre Cup, but I see the success and the recognition on a global basis of Team U.S.A. They have been in every baking magazine around the globe.

AYER / And not just baking – they’ve been in consumer publications; they’ve had television spots.

MUZZOLINI / And they started with handpicking.

AYER / Because it has to begin somewhere.

BARNETT / You put it in the Bakers Journal. Two and a half years ago, you said, ‘Calling all bakers.’

MUZZOLINI / And I was the only one that responded and that’s in our national magazine. I was the only one who responded to that.

SAFIAN / That’s scary.

MUZZOLINI / We need to put support behind this team to get actually to the

Call our Canadian Distributors to request our catalog:

BakeMark of Canada

3202 - 9th Street S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2G 3C3 (800) 663-CAKE (604) 303-1700

Cake Top Inc.

151 Carling View Drive, Unit 2 Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 5S4 (800) 584-9883 (416) 798-1777

Catalog Sales Division (800) 428-4413

L & M Bakers Supply Co.

2501 Steeles Ave.W., Unit 1 Downsview, Ontario M3J 2P1 (800) 465-7361 (416) 665-3005

Nicholson Equipment Ltd. 3975 Kitchener Street Burnaby, B.C.V5C 3L9 (800) 668-3722 (604) 291-1901

Nicholson Equipment Ltd. 11640 - 147th St. Edmonton, AB T5M 1W2 (800) 661-9026 (780) 451-6262

Traynor's Bakery Wholesale 191 Victoria Ave.S., Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3C8 (800) 263-9239 (905) 522-2730

Vincent S.Varietes Ltd. 433 Rue Saint Paul LeGardeur, Quebec J5Z 4C7 (800) 263-1687 (450) 585-1687

Vixit Products Ltd.

290 Henri Bourassa Ouest Montreal, Quebec H3L 1N7 (800) 463-8782 (514) 337-0814 800-DECOPAC (Customer Service) 800-270-CAKE763-574-1060 (Fax) www.decopac.com

level of making it to the Coupe du Monde, because when you’re successful, people want to be a part of that. And you have to do whatever it takes to get that team there. And that requires practice and money, and once you get a team to the Coupe du Monde, start having a national competition. If you have a team that’s never been successful because they haven’t had support, you can’t expect people to want to be a part of a losing team.

JOHN MICHAELIDES / I think you need a champion.

KUYER / And that is one of the problems in our industry now. It’s very hard to find champions. And the reason for that is we’ve decimated our suppliers. As an industry we’ve taken our suppliers and tried to make them more and more efficient because we’re so price-oriented that now most of our flour mills don’t talk to their customers anymore; it all has to go through distributors. There’s no communication anymore. When I was a kid, we had 20 salespeople coming to our bakery and those people had time to talk to you. And sometimes it would go to the

point where it was really disruptive to work ﬂow. And today, we all stand up and say who’s that walking in, we don’t get salespeople hardly anymore, and so that’s taken away probably the biggest vehicle for communication between bakeries.

BARNETT / Do we embrace the pastry chefs enough? We don’t seem to have that represented here. But in Canada we only have one trade and that’s baker. And when we train bakery apprentices, we don’t have a pastry apprentice, we have a bakery apprentice. How do we bring those people, that’s half of our industry out there, how do we bring those people to the table and how do we move forward together?

AYER / That’ll have to be our next roundtable discussion, because we’re out of time. But I would like to give everyone a couple of minutes to say a few words. Jack, would you like to start?

KUYER / We need to keep talking; eventually we’ll come up with answers. You’re always going to have a key group of people that make the industry a better place and hopefully there’s a whole group behind us who are going to be a lot smarter.

AYER / Michelle?

BRISEBOIS / I think the key for the industry is to make sure, as you go forward and you’re balancing all these internal issues around who has ownership for what, ingredient costs, etc., don’t lose sight of seeing your business through the customer’s eyes, and every industry makes that mistake where you start to look at things so much from an internal perspective that you don’t stand back to say, ‘All these things I’m grappling with as a business, these are the same things every household is also grappling with.’ Don’t lose track of what’s going on trend-wise for the opportunities.

HINTON / For me, I’ve handed my business over to my son, lock stock and barrel. I now see myself as a senior statesman, and I’m learning as much from my son as I’ve learned over the years in the industry. I’m fortunate enough to be in the position where I can utilize some of the skills I’ve learned over the years and pass them on to the next generation.

BARNETT / I think we have to promote education in the industry or we’re going to lose the trade. I think deﬁnitely we should get the pastry designation added on. I think on a grassroots level we have

to embrace the small bakery and get them involved.

AYER / Somehow.

BARNETT / Somehow. And I think Team Canada can be a venue to promote our industry. And let’s get the Wheat Board involved. Where are they?

AYER / Your thoughts, Frank?

SAFIAN / If I have a message to the people that aren’t in this room, it’s worry about the things you can control, not about the things you can’t. I think we as

an industry, I think we do need leadership and I say that loosely, but we do need it and I don’t know if it’s because we’re fragmented either as an organization or an industry, but we need leadership, and I can’t emphasize the importance of education. We need to support the grassroots and that ownership needs to come from everybody.

MICHAELIDES / I think it’s not really all doom and gloom and as bakers embrace

Dough Improvers

If unsurpassed quality and performance are missing from your baking ingredients, choose AB Mauri Dough Improvers from Fleischmann’s Yeast Available in both tablet and powder forms, our extensive line of innovative enzyme-based improvers are designed to maximize baking efficiency, consistency, and quality—including our ABM 310 Gluten and Emulsifier Enhancer, which improves processing while reducing gluten and emulsifier costs. Plus, our team of Experts can develop custom solutions to optimize your particular dough improver formula applications. Achieve excellence in your baking processes. Choose AB Mauri Dough Improvers from Fleischmann’s Yeast.

M. REEVES

SWEET FINDINGS FOR SOURDOUGH

In a market where “low-carb” is still getting a lot of popular press, and low-carb diets such as South Beach are still going strong, the bakery industry has a tough battle to ﬁght for consumers’ attention. Conventional wisdom commands that those who want to maintain – and especially lose – weight should eliminate carbs of all kinds from their diets permanently.

Fortunately, there is surprisingly good news for bread lovers, especially those who delight in the tang of sourdough bread.

According to Dr. Terry Graham, professor and chair of the department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph, the kind of toast you have for breakfast can affect how your body responds to lunch. In an extensive research program funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and now entering its ﬁfth year, Graham and his research team have been investigating the health beneﬁts of various kinds of bread, particularly the effect they have on blood sugar levels.

The study involved 10 overweight men between the ages of 50 and 60. They were given four different kinds of bread – white, whole wheat, whole wheat with barley, and sourdough white bread – and their levels of blood sugar and insulin were measured.

One would expect that the wholewheat varieties would show the healthiest response, but this was not the case.

“With the sourdough bread, the subjects’ blood sugar levels were lower, with a similar rise in blood insulin,” Graham says. “What was even more interesting was that this positive effect remained during their second meal and lasted even hours after.”

And subjects did not have to eat additional bread at the later meal for the beneﬁts to persist.

“Athletes might recognize this as muscle memory,” he explains. “After learning how to run downhill and doing it over and over, using muscles as brakes, you diminish or eliminate the muscle pain afterwards. Likewise, when the gut encounters food, it releases incretins: hormones which tell the pancreas, which produces insulin, ‘Look out, here it comes!’

“That the marked difference in blood sugar and insulin levels persisted beyond the second meal suggests that eating healthfully is partially conditioning the gut to emit healthy responses. This suggests that the gut has a memory and can be trained. Small wonder, then, that the gut should sometimes be called ‘the little brain.’”

The reason for this effect is not known for certain, but is probably the way the fermentation of the sourdough changes the starches in the bread, increasing its health beneﬁts. Unlike most breads, which are leavened with yeast, sourdough bread is leavened with a “starter” bacterial culture that begins the fermentation process, giving the bread its familiar sourdough tang. If you read Stuart McLean’s story “Sourdough” from Home from the Vinyl Cafe, you will recall how Dave is asked to baby-sit his neighbours’ precious, generations-old sourdough starter, you will get a taste of how far back this traditional breadmaking method goes.

Even more surprising than the result that sourdough white bread scored best in the study was that both whole-wheat varieties (with and without barley), scored lowest – even below white bread! Subjects consuming the whole-wheat breads had huge spikes in blood sugar levels, and those levels remained high until well after lunch. This comes as something of a shock to those of us who have been dutifully consuming whole-wheat bread and bypassing all white varieties, including sourdough, in the belief that we were making the healthier choice.

This unwelcome high spike in blood sugar levels after eating wholewheat bread appears to be due to the way in which whole-wheat bread is made.

Artisan sourdough bread.

“The milling process involved in making the whole-wheat bread used in the study is similar to that used for white bread,” Graham says. “The parts of the grain like wheat germ and bran that have the health benefits are taken out to create white flour, and then partially added back in to make whole wheat. Based on the findings of this study, as well as a follow-up study using whole grain rather than whole wheat, we are learning that the best way to get these nutrients is through a whole-grain bread, not whole wheat.”

Following up on this work, Graham’s team is conducting a series of related studies, one involving the effect of the different levels of available carbohydrates in different varieties of bread. First, subjects are given enough bread to add up to 50 grams of available carbs, and then are tested for blood sugar and insulin levels. By comparison, they are then given equal amounts of bread (whose carb count will naturally vary) and are tested.

“When you make toast or a sandwich, you don’t gear your meal to calculate grams of available carbs,” Graham notes.

Looking further down the road, Graham’s team is also conducting a long-term intervention study involving 24 men and women, half of whom are “healthier” in terms of weight, blood pressure and cardiovascular markers, and the other half of whom have elevated levels of each. Comparing commercial white bread and whole-grain sourdough, each subject will consume one type of bread for six weeks, then return to their normal diet, then spend six weeks consuming the opposite bread type.

Throughout, their blood sugar and insulin levels will be measured in a battery of tests – an enormous undertaking.

“This is a huge research program comparing a whole range of breads,” Graham says. “It would be impossible without the ﬁnancial support of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the interdisciplinary research team we have assembled, including University of Guelph colleagues from my own department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences and the department of Food Science, from Phillip Lee Wing’s Food Development Group, and Stonemill Bakehouse in Markham, Ont., who worked with us to develop the sourdough bread we are using in our study. This large-scale, multi-phase research program is exactly what is needed to gather information that can be of real beneﬁt to the health of consumers. Our goal is to complete work on this phase of the study in the next six months, and we’re also beginning a study involving people with Type 2 diabetes.” / BJ

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• www.uoguelph.ca

University of Guelph:

Dr. Terry Graham:

• www.uoguelph.ca/hhns/people/ faculty/graham.shtml

OMAFRA:

• www.omafra.gov.on.ca

Stonemill Bakehouse:

• www.stonemillbakehouse.com

Food Development Group:

• www.fooddevelopmentgroup.com.

Clíona M. Reeves, MA, is a freelance writer based in southern Ontario, and thinks a spot of

Pizzey’s Whole-Milled BevGradTM and SelectGradTM flaxseed is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acid (22%). Also a good source of dietary fiber and protein, Pizzey's flaxseed does not require refrigeration and is gluten free.

Closeup of sourdough bread.

BY TRACEY MUZZOLINI

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SOURDOUGH BREAD

This formula is a spin-off of the Italian classic chocolate bread. Added to this formula are rum-soaked cherries, bittersweet chocolate and sourdough culture. The key to this bread is a quality bittersweet chocolate, as the ﬂavour is not intended to be too sweet. A cup of coffee, a glass of wine and a nice mascarpone cheese are wonderful accompaniments to this bread. I have also enjoyed this bread for dessert with a lovely port. If you want to have a special treat, try chocolate bread as French toast – you’ll ﬁnd it simply delicious and decadent.

I have been making this bread in my bakery for about 10 years around holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and

One of our experts shares a favourite holiday sourdough recipe sure to entice customers with a sweet tooth

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Number of 0.25 kg loaves: 24

Amount of dough required: 6.0 kg

METHOD: PREPARATIONS

Chop chocolate into small chunks. Chop cherries into small pieces and macerate with rum and water for at least one hour. Levain formula is 100 per cent ﬂour, 100 per cent water and 10 per cent starter. Mix levain by hand or in a mixer according to amount with ﬁnal dough temperature of 74 F and ferment for 12-15 hours at 75 F.

FINAL

DOUGH MIX

Adjust water temperature so final dough temperature is 75 F. Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, yeast and levain to the bowl of a spiral mixer. Mix five minutes on first speed. Add the sugar in two parts while mixing in second speed. Allow the gluten

to develop before adding more sugar. Mix on second speed for approximately five minutes until full development. Add butter and mix on second speed to full development, approximately five minutes more. When dough is fully developed add cherries and chocolate and mix on first speed until incorporated.

Place in a holding tub and ferment one hour at room temperature. After one hour, fold dough and refrigerate for an additional hour. Refrigerating the dough makes it much easier to handle and shape.

Divide mini loaves at 250 grams each and preshape into rounds.

Divide small boules at 70 grams and preshape into rounds. Rest for 20 minutes.

Shape mini loaves into batards and place in greased mini loaf tins.

Shape small balls and place onto a sheet pan with parchment.

Proof breads approximately 1-2 hours.

Bake loaves in 360 F (182 C) for approximately 30 minutes.

Bake small boules for 15 minutes at 360 F (182 C).

Let loaves cool in pans before removing.

MIX: Intensive

DDT: 75 F

FIRST FERMENTATION: Fold after 1 hour and refrigerate for an additional hour. Total time 2 hours.

DIVIDE: mini loaves: 250 grams, small boules at 70 grams each.

PRESHAPE: light boule.

RESTING TIME: 15 minutes.

SHAPE: batard and boules.

FINAL PROOF: 1 hour to 90 minutes.

BAKE: mini loaves 360 F for 30 minutes. Mini boules 360 F for 20-25 minutes.

Easter. It makes a nice addition to the holiday line and customers enjoy having something different and special to enjoy with loved ones at family gatherings.

The term viennoiserie is used to describe yeast-raised products enriched with butter and eggs and sweetened with sugar, although not always all three. There are certain considerations in regards to mixing viennoiserie. Specifically, this chocolate cherry sourdough bread contains 24 per cent sugar. The yeast percentage has been increased to compensate for the effect the sugar has on fermentation. Osmotolerant yeast has been designed specifically for use in viennoiserie, providing a better fermentation activity and fuller volume in the finished product, and is a good choice for this formula. Sugar is hygroscopic and competes with the flour protein for hydration; this can delay the formation of gluten during mixing and increase the mixing time. It is a good idea to add the sugar in two stages to allow the gluten to develop and shorten the mixing time. Also, with the high percentage of butter, 10 to 12 per cent or more, it is better to develop the gluten first and then incorporate the butter in the end. Doughs high in fat and sugar need a lot of strength to support these ingredients, so it is important to have an intensive mix and develop a strong gluten structure. Baking temperature should be lower than other breads as the ingredients will cause excessive caramelization on the crust.

The high percentages of sugar and butter will produce a soft crust and tight crumb, in addition to decreasing the staling time. The sugar is a nice balance to the bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. The rum-soaked raisins are deliciously soft and moist and contrast with the chunky chocolate. With a glass of wine or for breakfast with coffee, your customers will love the special treat of this chocolate cherry sourdough bread. / BJ

Looking for more contact information about those quoted in this story? Go to www.bakersjournal.com.

❏ Bakery (including Delicatessens, Pastry, Donut/Muffin Shop, Supermarket)

❏ Baking Wholesaler

❏ Restaurant, Caterer

❏ Hotel, Resort ❏ Institution, Hospital

Baking Supplier

Other

How good are Dunford Bakers’ Double Fudge Chocolate Cake Donuts? Good enough for special request deliveries to the sky boxes at Mile High Stadium during Denver Broncos games. Good enough for private jets to make special stops to pick them up from the bakery. Now known as Dunford Bakers, the company began as the Dunford Bread Company in 1931 in Salt Lake City, Utah. John Stevens, the president of Dunford Bakers, oversees one of the largest wholesale bakeries in the Salt Lake City area. Dunford is in production 365 days of the year. This popular bakery has one retail location, and supplies baked goods to area grocery stores. In addition, it produces many private label brands. While Double Fudge Chocolate Cake Donuts are Dunford Bakers’ most famous product, the Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies have many fans. Mr. Stevens is proud that Dunford Bakers provides 100 people with employment, many of whom are long-time employees.

The secret of Dunford Bakers’ success over the years is the reputation it has built for taking care of its customers by supplying a quality product at a reasonable price. “We put quality into everything we do. We don’t cut corners and we use the best ingredients in order to produce the best product for our customers,” said John Stevens.

To that end, Dunford Bakers uses International® Bakers Services’ flavors such as BLO&V®, B&V®, Raspberry and Pumpkin Pie. “I have known of International® Bakers Services’ flavors my whole life,” said Mr. Stevens. “We are always experimenting with new flavors in order to offer a variety of tasty treats to our customers.”

Whether you are looking for consistent quality in your products or new flavors, turn to International Bakers Services to reach your goals. Contact us toll-free at (800) 345-7175, by fax at (574) 287-7161, or in writing at 1902 North Sheridan Ave., South Bend, Indiana 46628. We have the flavors your customers deserve. ®

SPECIALTY FOODS

The Ethnic and Specialty Food Expo 2008 proved a winner with the public and industry representatives seeking new and different options for the kitchen or store shelves.

Conﬁned to Hall 1 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., near Pearson International Airport, the show might be small for now, but judging by the steady crowds on Oct. 5 and 6 it is poised for growth. Bakers Journal editor Brian Hartz and sales manager Stephanie Jewell took in the sights, smells and, best of all, tastes of this up-and-coming event on the food industry calendar. / BJ

Peter Cuddy of Organic Works Bakery in London, Ont., gets some help from his son Michael at the show.

Maria Okunev and Jeff Kaplanov represented Toronto’s All-Stars Bakery at the show.

Robin Joo and Leah Jong of Pure Fun Confections drew visitors with their colourful costumes and delicious candies.

Everything Maple owner Tracy L. Moore was in high spirits as she displayed the products of her Orillia, Ont.-based business.

Looking for more contact information about those quoted in this story? Go to www.bakersjournal.com.

Photo gallery: Ethnic and Specialty Food Expo 2008 |

BRIAN HARTZ

Sun Life Goji powder for baking

Toronto-based Sun Life Goji is adding two new product lines to its already successful import business. Along with the three sizes of organic dried Wolfberries (commonly called Goji berries), Sun Life is introducing Goji powder in course (for baking) and ﬁne (for juice) grades as well as concentrated whole berry puree for juice formulating. Goji has a solid

Q&A

new technologies we can be competitive, not only in Canada, but in the global marketplace. There’s a lot of opportunities in this area.

MUZZOLINI / Thanks for inviting me. On a Team Canada side, I think we’re starting to make progress and I’d like to keep moving forward. I think there’s a lot of potential there and a lot of success for people on the teams. It’s an education, it’s the most wonderful experience I’ve had in my life, getting together with people who are crazy about making great bread. There’s nothing like it.

TCHENSCHER / Personally I believe we’re in one of the best industries: an industry you need to have passion for and an industry I believe has a future. Right now we do face difﬁcult times or we think we face difﬁcult times. We’re facing something we haven’t been confronted with and if we as an industry can communicate with the people who have been hardest hit, which is mostly the retail bakers, and communicate with them what they can do to overcome those challenges we’re facing right now, we will open up their eyes. And if somebody is open to change and you need to change, based on what we’re facing, you will be successful.

DAMON GIBSON / I think our industry is facing challenges, but challenge equals opportunity, and in the part of the industry I’m involved in, we see all kinds of growth. We see competitors, but that’s really healthy. I think it would be great to have a vehicle – whether it’s the BAC, through Bakers Journal or Team Canada – that brings everyone together and has more of these conversations. / BJ

6,000-year history in China as a functional food of unsurpassed nutritional content. Goji berries are 12 per cent protein by weight when dried and contain a huge array of important other nutrients. All products imported by Sun Life Goji are certiﬁed organic by USDA recognized certiﬁers. For more information, contact director Michael Seegers at sunlifegoji@ safe-mail.net or 416-540-8542.

The Art of Ingredient Selection

Uncompromising service.

5750 - 50th Street, N.W. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6B 2Z8

Alisha Léveillé Account Manager

Product Handling Solutions Since 1957 e-mail: bakery@drader.com web: www.drader.com

Ph. (780) 440-2231 Fax: (780) 440-2244 Toll Free: 1-800-661-4122

ALBION BAKERY SUPPLIES

(DIVISION OF A & L FOOD DISTRIBUTORS INC.) SUPPLIER OF FROZEN AND RAW INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BAKING INDUSTRY Tel: (416) 252-4660 Fax: (416) 252-9993

25 - 8 Connell Ct., Toronto, ON M8Z 1E8

“Friends in Business” Suppliers of Quality Baking Ingredients: Flour, Yeast, Shortening, Fruit Fillings, etc.

55 Queen’s Plate Drive, Unit 5 Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 6P2

RICHARD RUNTE richardr@kwiklok.com 1039 GRANDE CAROLINE, ROUGEMONT, QUEBEC J0L 1M0

TELEPHONE: (450) 469-2554 FAX: (450) 469-3085 CELL: (450) 531-2002 176 SHELDON DRIVE, CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO N1R 7K1 TELEPHONE: (519) 623-5140 FAX: (519) 623-1421 1-888 KWIK LOK (594-5565)

Bassanina

Baking Association of Canada 13 www.bakingassoccanada.com Canadian Dairy Commission 16 www.cdc.ca

Dawn Foods

www.dawnfoods.com

Dealers

Deco Pac

Farinart

Fleischmann’s

¦ classified Ads ¦

FOR SALE: SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO Area’s #1 Bakery/Deli operating since 1939 - 7,000 Sq. Ft. retail/production. Retail sales in excess of $700k. Showing excellent profit. Present owner for last 30 years retiring. Transition assistance. Generous long term lease or property purchase including 4 bedroom. Brick Home. Contact John or Mary at 519-688-2023 or e-mail: marapeaz@hotmail.com

BAKERY FOR SALE: Euro Buns. Well-known Midland Bakery since 1988. Approx. 1,500 retail customers plus over 100 wholesale customers. See website for business background overview. www.brianjacques.ca - www.midlandcommercial.ca. Brian Jacques, Royal LePage In Touch With Reality Brokerage 1-800-850-8095

- Calculates product cost including labour, packaging and overhead

- Unlimited number of ingredients

- Unlimited number of process steps

- Calculates Gross Margin/Selling Price

- Calculates nutrition content of recipes

- Prints NLEA and Canadian nutrition labels

- Includes 6600 ingredient database

- Accounts for nutrient changes during processing, including moisture loss and fat loss/gain.

- Includes Trans Fats

- Calculates Net or Effective Carbohydrates

- Brand name ingredient data also available Free demo on our web site nutraCoster 2.1 $399 U.S. 45 day guarantee - For Windows Nutrition Analysis Service Also Available

- We can analyze your recipe for you - $50 per recipe for both Nutrition & Costing Inventory Control! stockCoster 2.1

- Works with nutraCoster 2.1

- Track raw materials and finished goods

- Automatically remove used ingredients

- Print pick lists for production requirements

- Easily identify shortages

- Track aging and expired products and ingredients

- Track vendor quotes stockCoster 2.1 $199 U.S. 45 day guarantee - For Windows

Pizzey’s Milling

BAKERY FOR SALE: Swiss bakery including building. Fully equipped, located in NW Richmond Hill, part of the greater Toronto area. Excellent opportunity for young couple only $399,000. Call 416995-6028.

BAKERY/DELI FOR SALE: If you are tired of not getting ahead in a large city or would enjoy a family oriented but growing area of Eastern Ontario, we will present to you an amazing opportunity. A well established (over 50 years) Bakery Deli with a partner wishing to retire, would love to give the opportunity to an individual(s) who share the same passion for the food industry as we do. All training and recipes will be provided so as to ensure a smooth transition as well as a future opportunity to own the real estate with a supplemental income. For more info contact: 613-349-6233

• 4 Brand New Automatic Packing machines and 4 brand new string machines for $ 39,000

• 1 Brand New Auto wrapping machine for $3000

• 1 Brand New Uniﬁller Depositer Machine for $7800

• 1 second hand Rondo Sheeter for $5000

SOURDOUGH PART OF FRED’S CULTURE

Andrea Damon Gibson is the president of Fred’s Bread in North York, Ont. In this Q & A with former Bakers Journal editor Jane Ayer, she discusses her experiences with sourdough bread, a subject featured in depth on pages 34-37 of this month’s Bakers Journal.

AYER / What ﬁrst attracted you to making sourdough bread?

DAMON GIBSON / I have always loved bread, and, as a pastry chef in the early 1990s I was reading a lot about sourdough breads being made at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, ACME bakery, La Brea Bakery and at James McGuire’s Le Passe Partout in Montreal. On subsequent trips I visited all these bakeries – the bread tasted “authentic” to me and had real depth of ﬂavour. I credited this to the sourdough cultures and pre-ferments that these bakers were using – old methods that had been lost to mass-produced bread here, and in Europe.

A / Do you remember your ﬁrst attempts at it? What was that like?

DG / My first attempts were extremely frustrating! I was following recipes in commercial books that didn’t have the “science” of breadmaking defined. I made a lot of “flying saucer” loaves that were excruciatingly sour. Much trial and error was involved before I was able to make good, consistent loaves, but I continue to enjoy the development process.

A / Sourdough breads are still a big part of your business – the cultures take a lot of time and nurturing: why is it still important for you to continue making sourdoughs?

DG / Our breads have distinct ﬂavours and characteristics that are developed with our sourdough cultures – a great crust, some chew to the crumb, moisture and texture from gentle mixing and a long, slow rise. We continue to develop and bake unique products, in part, because we persist in our efforts with these sourdoughs; it sets us apart in the marketplace. I don’t know of another wholesale bakery that dares to make artisan, hearth-baked loaves with sourdough culture exclusively, with no other additives, improvers or commercial yeast.

Andrea Damon Gibson is the president of Fred’s Bread. Fred’s Bread’s cheddar loaves (above) are made with sourdough starter exclusively, while the Ontario Asparagus and Cheddar Pizza (far right) is a seasonal specialty and is made with a 24-hour polish using fresh yeast.

A / What sort of misconceptions around the process do you think need to be cleared up?

DG / First, sourdough cultures and the resulting breads should not be exceedingly sour – not vinegar tasting, not mouthtwistingly tangy – this is a sign that the culture is not fed often enough. When a culture is not fed often enough it gains acidity in the extreme and loses its wild yeast dough-raising capabilities. Second, there is no magic intuitiveness involved. Good, solid, baking science determines the success or failure of your culture: Is it

the right temperature? Is it refreshed on a regular schedule before you bake?

A / What tips do you have for anyone looking to make sourdough bread?

DG / Go and buy the English translation of The Taste of Bread by Calvel. Real baking science is revealed; use it as your development starting point. And then thank James J. McGuire for his genius and persistence. / BJ

Visit Fred’s Bread at 45 Brisbane Road, units 13 and 14, North York, Ont., call 416-7363733, or email fredsbread@rogers.com.

WHYTHEVEMAG isa BETTER DOUGH DIVIDER

TheVemagDough Dividerproduces uniformlyspaced doughportions ontotheconveyor, eliminatingdoubles anddowntime. Itcanbeeasily convertedtoa two-laneset-upto produceupto200 cutsperminute.

WhatmakestheVemagDoughDividersospecial?

Versatilityandweightaccuracy.TheVemagDivider addsversatilitytoeveryproductionlineandis perfectforalltypesofbreads,buns,rolls andEnglishmuffins.Itfeaturesapositive displacementdoublescrewsystemthat isthemostgentleextrusiondivider onthemarket.TheVemagiseasily adjustabletoproducearangeof exact-weightportions,dough absorptionsandcrumbstructures. Seeforyourself–callustodayfora freeDVDortosetupademonstration.

Batchafterbatch,theVemag consistentlyproducespreciseweight portionsat1%standarddeviation.

TheVemagdoesnotrequiremineral oil,savingthousandsofdollarsannually whileeliminatingproductairpockets andsurfaceblisters.

TheVemagiseasilyadjustable toproduceawiderangeof portionsizes–from5gto20kg.

TheVemagiseasilyadjustedto producebothopen-crumband uniformtight-crumbstructures.

TheVemagcanhandleabsorptionrates from45%to95%–fromstiffbagel doughstosoftEnglishmuffins.

ReiserCanada 1549YorktonCourt#4,Burlington,ONL7P5B7•(905)631-6611

Reiser 725DedhamStreet,Canton,MA02021•(781)821-1290 www.reiser.com

Leadingthefoodindustryinprocessingandpackagingsolutions.

Classic Comforts. Bake it easy with Dawn.

Cool weather has everyone thinking of “comfort foods” Let your customers savour the fresh aroma of fall ﬂavours; apple spice, pumpkin spice, orange spice and cinnamon.

The holidays are fast approaching so look to Dawn for time saving solutions. Expand your fall line up, easily with Ready-to-Serve, Ready-to-Bake and convenient Easy-to-Use mixes and bases. For more innovative bakery solutions – contact your Dawn sales representative at 1-866-277-3663.

Muesli Loaf Dawn Fresh Bakery Solutions Fall 2008