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BY DOUG PICKLYK
ATTENTION GETTING
On a rainy Saturday in September I made my way to Goodwood, Ont., a small community north of Toronto, to witness what may go down in the book of Guinness World Records as the largest tart ever baked.
Marco Cassano, the owner of Annina’s Bake Shop and Café in Goodwood, hosted the event. Cassano was out to smash the existing record set in 2008 for a plum tart baked in France that weighed 4,800 pounds.
Cassano’s all-Canadian butter tart was baked in the shop’s parking lot using a custom-fabricated 16-foot-diameter and one-foot-deep tart pan. He fashioned a convection oven with four gas-fired heating fans blowing into a sheetrock enclosure topped with metal (it required a crane to lift off the top). With support from Olympic Wholesale and an entire team of suppliers including ADM, Bunge, Burnbrae Farms, Embassy Flavours, Gay Lea and Lantic among others, Cassano produced a tart that weighed in at 8,500 pounds.
When asked why he was doing this? Cassano explained: “Every year we do something for the Children’s Wish Foundation charity, and this year it was about doing something fun.” He intended on selling off the large butter tart by the pound with money going to the charity. Unfortunately the weather played havoc with the timing, and the tart wasn’t completely cooked until late into the night. So Annina’s sold its in-store tarts, three-for-$5, with all the money going to the charity.
“The nice thing was seeing all of the people from the community come out despite the rains,” says Cassano. He estimates that over the course of the day between 1,500 and 2,000 people made their way to the bakery to see the tart baking in action.
Being involved in the community and drawing attention to bakeries sends a positive message for the industry, and it’s not only small town shops that get involved in recordbreaking events. Also in September, Canada Bread took part in its parent company Grupo Bimbo’s Guinness World Records attempt to set the mark for the most 10-km running races held on one day around the world.
“Every year we do something for the Children’s Wish Foundation charity, and this year it was about doing something fun.”
The Canadian editions of the Global Energy Race were held in Calgary and Hamilton. Canada Bread partnered with local food banks to donate two slices of bread for every kilometre completed by participants. In all, races were held in 36 cities across 21 countries with over a million slices of bread headed to food banks across the globe.
In another charitable endeavour, for the month of October Canada’s ACE Bakery teamed up with the Hero Certified Burger chain of restaurants in Ontario in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. ACE developed a pink burger bun using colour from all-natural beet juice. As part of the campaign, for every pink bun sold a dollar went to the breast cancer foundation.
Using creativity and drive, these bakeries provide examples of community outreach that also gives back. As of press time I still hadn’t heard if Annina’s butter tart had made it into the book of Guinness World Records. If not, Cassano says he’s willing to try again. But either way he’ll definitely be cooking up something to bring out the crowds in Goodwood again next year. / BJ
NOVEMBER 2016 | VOL. 76, NO. 9
EDITOR | Doug Picklyk dpicklyk@annexbizmedia.com 416-510-5206
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briefly | Millennials chowing down on organics; high protein bread introduced by Dimpflmeier; Galen Weston Sr. resigns at 75; Eataly coming to Toronto | for more news in the baking world, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com
Survey: millennials buying organic
Results of a survey released by the North American Organic Trade Association (OTA) reveals that millennial parents, those in the 18- to 34-year-old age range, are now the biggest group of organic buyers in America.
Among U.S. parents, more than five in 10 (52 per cent) organic buyers are millennials. “The millennial consumer and head of household is changing the landscape of our food industry,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and executive director of the OTA in a prepared release.
“Our survey shows that millennial parents seek out organic because they are more aware of the benefits of organic, they place a greater value on knowing how their food was grown and produced and that they are deeply committed to
Coffee and tea show serves up trends
The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show recently invited hot beverage industry buyers to sample the latest in coffee, tea and hot chocolate; examine brewing and dispensing equipment; and take note of trends.
Organizers of the show, which took place Sept. 25 and 26 at the International Centre in Mississauga, welcomed an estimated 1,500 independent coffee and tea retailers, restaurateurs, food-service operators, chain operators and buyers. The show is a one-stop shop for those looking for a sampling of what the coffee and tea world might bring to your bakery or café to increase both customer satisfaction and average cheque.
An overriding theme was indulgence. Custom coffee and tea more and more is seen as a treat in and of itself to be savoured or paired with a small sweet food treat – and so it hits the sweet spot of the bakery industry. Also exhibiting at the show was WOW! Factor Desserts, the Alberta-based hand made dessert wholesaler featuring a display of treats and its latest product guide. Toronto’s Dufflet Pastries also had a presence at the show.
supporting a food system that sustains and nurtures the environment.”
The survey studied generational buying habits, looking at millennials (18-34), generation X (35-50) and baby boomers
Dimpflmeier introduces Carb Smart
Family-owned Dimpflmeier Bakery based in Etobicoke, Ont. released of a new bread it’s calling Carb Smart. The new loaf contains 34 g of protein, 8 g of fibre and 2 g of carbohydrates per 100 g serving.
According to the company it’s the world’s first commercially available high-protein, low net carb all-natural bread that promises to satisfy both athletes and foodies.
“We really feel that this product is the bread that the world has been waiting for,” said Torsten Galle, general manager with Dimpflmeier, in a press release. “So many
(51-69). Compared to millennials who accounted for 52 per cent of organic buyers, Gen X parents made up 35 per cent of parents choosing organic and baby boomers making up 14 per cent.
For 40 per cent of millennials, choosing organic is an integral part of living green, versus 32 per cent of Gen Xers and 28 per cent of baby boomers.
OTA’s U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs 2016 Tracking Study, a survey of more than 1,800 households with at least one child under 18, found that more than eight in 10 (82 per cent) U.S. families say they buy organic sometimes.
The number of families never buying organic has steadily decreased, going from almost 30 per cent in 2009 to just 18 per cent today.
people have given up the bread they love in order to lose weight. Now we finally have a product that addresses this very large group of consumers. Finally, they can eat bread again.”
Consumers will pay for transparency
A recent survey conducted by Label Insight reveals that nearly nine in 10 consumers say transparency is important to them across every food product category, and 40 per cent would switch brands for more transparency. Key findings from the survey include:
81 per cent of consumers would consider a brand’s entire portfolio if they switched to that brand because of increased transparency.
56 per cent report that additional
information about how food is produced, handled or sourced would make them trust that brand more.
73 per cent would be willing to pay more for a product that offers complete transparency in all attributes.
94 per cent are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers complete transparency.
86 per cent of 18 to 34-year-old women with children say they would pay more for food products with completely transparent information.
Weston Sr. steps down
W. Galen Weston has officially stepped down as executive chairman of George Weston Ltd., handing the title to his son, Galen G. Weston (43), who becomes chairman, George Weston Ltd. while retaining his responsibilities as executive chairman and president, Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Galen Weston Sr., 75, assumed executive control of George Weston Ltd. in 1974, when he succeeded his father. Over four decades, Weston oversaw the introduction of Canadian brands and retail concepts, including President’s Choice, No Frills and Real Canadian Superstore. And Weston Foods is a North American leader in the baking industry, producing fresh, frozen and specialty bakery products with over 40 facilities across North America with over 6,000 employees.
“Following my own father’s tradition of stepping down at the age of 75, I see this as a good time to create space for the next generation,” said W. Galen Weston in a company release. Weston Jr. becomes the fourth generation of family leadership.
Eataly opening in Toronto: 2019
The owners of the Italian-inspired Eataly food marketplace have announced plans to open the first Canadian location in early 2019 as an anchor tenant of the newly-renovated Manulife Centre at the corner of Bloor and Bay Streets in Toronto’s tony Yorkville neighbourhood.
The Italian-based company, brought to the Americas in 2010 with the help of celebrity chef Mario Batali and others, is partnering with the Selfridges Group and Toronto-based Terroni Restaurants for its entrance to Canada.
The Eataly concept is an Italian food marketplace including a mix of food markets, restaurants, bakery and eateries. The Toronto location will span three stories for a total space of 50,000 square feet.
Known for its unique offering, Eataly allows customers to shop for high quality products, eat at one of many restaurants and counters, and learn about the stories behind those products – all within the same marketplace.
Wayne Bryant rejoins Reiser
Wayne Bryant is back with Reiser Canada in the role of vice president of sales. Bryant will lead Reiser Canada’s sales team and be responsible for the continued sales growth of the company.
“Wayne is the consummate salesperson and his customer-first philosophy and management style is a perfect fit for Reiser,” said Roger Reiser, president and CEO of Robert Reiser & Co., Inc., in a company release.
For the past 10 years, Bryant has served as country manager for CFS Canada and more recently director of sales at Multivac Canada. Prior to that, Bryant held various roles at both Reiser Canada and Reiser UK.
Artist rendering of the proposed new Eataly location opening in Toronto in 2019
Wayne Bryant, VP sales, Reiser Canada
Galen Weston Jr.
Galen Weston Sr.
¦ concepts for success ¦
BY DIANE CHIASSON
NINE MENU DESIGN ERRORS
Think of your menu as a marketing tool. It’s your first impression and can impact a customer’s perception of your business.
Great menu designs will enhance a bakery experience and help your customers makes the right choices. Your menu is often the first impression your bakery will make. Menus are your best marketing tools. They are an extension of your brand, and everything about presentation, design and layout and food/beverage descriptions will contribute to your guest experience and will increase your profit. You should think of your menu as an advertising tool and as an opportunity to increase your profit. I have compiled a list of nine bakery menu design errors that I often see.
}1. BAKERY BRAND NAME NOT VISIBLE
each section. You should consider highlighting your most profitable items. Make sure that you have a minimum of one—but no more than two—highlighted items on each page or panel.
3.
TOO MANY ITEMS
If you have too many items on your menu, you will only overwhelm your guests and they will have a difficult time choosing. In the end, it will only confuse them and they will be less likely to return to your bakery.
4.
DESCRIPTIONS ARE TOO LONG
Describe each item properly. Use short, concise and accurate descriptions for each item. Your descriptions have to generate interest and sales. Long descriptions are confusing.
When designing a menu, it should guide your guests to your best and most profitable items with the highest gross margin, showcase your signature desserts, increase the sale of add-ons and it should make your bakery stand out from the competition.
Always place your bakery’s name and logo, address, telephone number and website at the very top of your menu and on the front and back of your menu. You want your guests to tell their family and friends about your bakery.
2. BAKERY PRODUCTS PLACEMENT
The average time a customer spends on a menu is just over 100 seconds, and therefore it is important that they see all your bakery items at once. Your menu should not be a list of ingredients. Proper menu engineering is not only to showcase your food and beverage items but it is also to create something interesting and unique in order to entice your customers. Many bakery operations don’t give much thought to where and how items are placed on the menu. Your most popular and profitable items, as well as your best signature desserts, should be at the top of your menu and at the top of
Effective typography will communicate your brand and result in a more legible menu. You want your type to look clean and consistent. As a general rule, try to stick to two different fonts to distinguish the names and descriptions of each menu item. DON’T CAPITALIZE everything, and if you have to – go bold.
5. USE LINES, ARROWS AND BOXES
Lines, arrows and boxes draw attention! Try to keep everything organized. Put lines and boxes around your eye-catching desserts with the highest profit margins.
6.
USE PHOTOS WITH CARE
Let me tell you that greyish photos will not sell your bakery food items. You should always use extremely professional and high-resolution photos to show off your signature desserts. If you are planning to use stock images, make sure that they visually represent the exact same thing that you offer.
7. DON’T EMPHASIZE
$$ DOLLAR SIGNS
Don’t make your customers overly aware
of how much they are spending. Studies have shown that customers are more likely to spend more when the dollar signs are omitted. You should display the price of each bakery item on your menu, but dollar sign overuse communicates that your bakery is just about money. Your bakery should reflect a tone of warm hospitality rather than business and commerce.
Incorporate your prices at the end of each menu item description, using the same size font and leaving two spaces between the end of the description and the price. Don’t list items from high price to low or vice versa. Try to mix them up.
8. UNKEMPT MENUS
Don’t use menus covered with food, grease, water stains and tears. Your menu is a reflection of you, your bakery and your brand. If your menus are old and worn out, your bakery will appear to your guests as an old, dirty and sloppy establishment. Order menus that are durable, and determine whether paper or laminated menus would be more beneficial. Since a bakery operation is often a take-out operation and a sit-down café, then a mix of both paper and laminated menus is probably appropriate.
9. FAILING TO PROOFREAD
YOUR MENU
Always read every word with careful attention, and ideally get another member of your team to check it too. Use a spellchecker to find misspelled words, but as you know, it will not catch correctly spelt words in the wrong context. Your menu is your most important sales tool, so make sure it’s professionally written. / BJ
Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years. Her company provides innovative and revenue-increasing foodservice and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns, and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com
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Superior dough quality is just the start. The Vemag is easy to set up, easy to run, easy to change over and easy to maintain Its double-screw technology provides the industry’s most accurate scaling while never overworking the dough It completely eliminates the need for divider oil. And its stainless steel construction and easy-to-clean design set the standards in sanitation and food safety. Test the Vemag for yourself –schedule a demonstration at the Reiser Customer Center today.
Vemag easily divides a
GAME OF SCONES
In April 2014, when chef Sandra Katsiou opened the doors to her small shop on St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto it was going to be an extension of her existing cooking and catering business. She knew her popular scones would be a good calling card—a nice nibble for customers waiting for their meal orders—but word in the neighbourhood quickly spread. On the first weekend, people were lined up out the door and down the block—the scones were a hit. Overwhelmed, Katsiou went into the back of the shop and cried. “That’s when everything changed,” she says.
“It was no more meals, no more food, it was just scones, and we’re talking about thousands and thousands of scones.” The crowds came not only on the weekends but through the week—the demand became constant. Initially she thought she’d be making a batch a day, but the scone has become the driver of her business.
Born and raised in the Toronto area, Katsiou always knew she wanted to be in the food industry. Although she doesn’t come from a family of chefs, mealtime was central to her life. “My family immigrated from Greece, and food is everything,” she says, noting that her grandmother “was an amazing cook and baker.”
}A product of George Brown’s culinary arts program, Katsiou has been a chef for 20 years. After a start in restaurants and hotels, for 10 years she worked as a private chef for families and operated her catering service. As a personal chef she would spend summers at people’s cottages often making a lot of breakfast or brunch-time meals. Her scone recipes developed over that time and, after years of receiving compliments, she knew that when she opened her own shop one day they’d be part of the offering.
“I didn’t realize this, but a scone is a daily consumable item. Unlike a cupcake or a doughnut, and more like a croissant, a scone with a cup of coffee can start your day…every day.”
She takes pride in being the first scone specialty store in the area. “In Toronto, there are a number of bakeries that I love that have amazing quality scones, but I really wanted to be the first with the idea of having scone in the name.”
few tables and chairs, and go. Katsiou had an architect help with the layout, but she commandeered the design, selecting colours, flooring and the merchandising. “I wanted to have a different kind of display. A lot of coffee shops and bakeries are behind a Plexiglas barrier, and I just wanted a unique visual in terms of seeing the scones. Lucky for me they stack well, so we can place them in glass jars and put the lids on. It’s that old-style apothecary type of look, and each jar contains a different flavour.”
She had been formulating a plan to open her own storefront for almost a decade, and it was her husband, Charles Baker, who encouraged her to finally take the plunge. The shop’s name, Baker and Scone, is a play on her husband’s family name and her signature product.
It took about a year to find space in her neighbourhood. The 600-sq.-ft. unit she chose was previously a barbershop, and she stuck to a modest budget to fix it up. “I got great help from the Meridian Credit Union,” notes Katsiou. “Where the big banks don’t help little food service operations starting out, Meridian went to bat for me and got me a government-backed small business loan.”
She had enough capital to paint the walls white, buy an oven, set up the counter, a
She acknowledges that the explosively positive reaction to the scones was a shock. “I didn’t realize this, but a scone is a daily consumable item,” she explains. “Unlike a cupcake or a doughnut, and more like a croissant, a scone with a cup of coffee can start your day… every day.”
While quick to admit that she’s not a pastry chef, Katsiou says that if France made a scone hers would be it. She’s taken the classic French laminated pastry technique, like mille-feuille or viennoiserie,
The scones (above) are made using a technique borrowed from French pastry with layers and lots of cold butter. Sandra Katsiou (left), owner of Baker and Scone in Toronto.
and adapted it to scones. “If you look at our scones, raw or baked, all you see are these layers, and within that are pockets of cold butter that then bake and act like pastry.”
At the beginning it was a staff of two operating the shop, Katsiou and her executive chef Erin Featherstone. “She’s a young me, which I love,” says Katsiou. This past summer the shop doubled to 1,200 sq. ft., and it has grown to 25 employees. The front still has limited seating, but now there is a long table in the middle and a production kitchen in the back.
Baker and Scone offers about 50 different types of scones (including seasonal varieties), with a mixture of sweet and savoury. “We rotate the flavours. Of the 44 regular flavours the café sells about 10 to 12 varieties a day until they sell out.”
The café offers a lunch menu with soups and salads. They also sell branded goods including jars of granola, lemon curd and Scone in a Jar (the scone mix), as well as jams, coffee, tea and gift items. The company also offers The Gift of Scone, a gifting program where they’ll package and deliver boxes of scones for customers.
“I love packaging,” says Katsiou, “Put anything in a box and it’s a gift.” She
worked with her brother, a graphic designer, on the name and logo design, and she researched boxes making sure she had the right colour, look and printing. “That’s one of the expenses that is really hard for a little business like me, but I had to have it.”
With a full shift of bakers on staff, Katsiou isn’t baking very often and instead thinks about the big picture.
After only two years she’s doing things she thought would take 10 years to accomplish. She has a wholesale department now with about 10 grocers buying frozen, unbaked, scones, which they proof and bake on site. “The goal is to take that idea to retail as well,” says Katsiou, who can foresee customers picking up boxes of frozen unbaked scones from their grocery store freezer and baking at home. “That’s in the next calendar year,” she laughs.
From the beginning she’s also offered Baker Eats: wholesome chef-prepared family meals available every Wednesday for pick-up or delivery. She expects to add more days as the service takes off.
There’s also a catering department for corporate or special events, and she uses the store for hosting cooking classes or renting out the space for small parties.
Katsiou is also working on the first Baker and Scone cookbook. “I work on the dream of growing the business in different ways.”
Despite all of that activity, everything comes back to the scone. “’Handmade with Love’ is our tagline,” she says, “We make here what I like to eat. Not indulgent, but good food made with quality ingredients.”
Maintaining that level of quality is a challenge as the cost of goods is constantly rising. “We have a lot of staff, and everything is made by hand, so we continue to find efficiencies and still do a good job.”
Reflecting on her success leads Katsiou to think about her grandparents. “They came here for future generations, like me, to have an opportunity like this,” she says. Inside, by the entrance to the shop, hangs an old barn-type door painted white. “It’s a door from the basement of my grandmother’s house. I’ve kept that door for 10 years knowing one day I was going to hang it on a wall. So my grandmother is here.”
Like a simple scone, it’s little things that can lead to great and unexpected opportunities. Sandra Katsiou knows it, and although proud of her past, she keeps her eyes on the future with plans for more big things for Baker and Scone. / BJ
BAC has completed its third report analyzing progress made by bakers in reducing sodium. The Report shows that since 2009, the industry has voluntarily by reduced the sodium levels of white pantry breads by 13% and wheat pantry breads by 16%. These reductions equate to the removal of approximately 640,000 kg of salt or some 113 million teaspoons.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
The following table shows the progress that bakers have made:
successfully met the maximum level of sodium proposed by Health Canada.
BACKGROUND
In July 2010 the Sodium Working Group released its Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada which recommended the implementation of voluntary sodium reduction targets by food category. The report also included recommendations to establish voluntary sodium reduction targets for meals and menu items sold in restaurants and foodservice establishment, as well as education programs to be
and Monitoring. In June 2012, the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch published its Guidance for Food Industry on Reducing Sodium in Processed Foods, which identified a three-phase approach for industry to voluntary reduce sodium levels in their products. The deadline for phase 3 is approaching (December 31 2016) and the data presented here is a snapshot of where our industry is as of September 2015.
SALT IS AN ESSENTIAL BAKING INGREDIENT
In addition as of 2015, 88% of white pantry breads, 83% of wheat pantry breads and 99% of grain pantry breads
developed by government to align with the efforts of industry in sodium reduction and systems for Research
Unlike many other food products, salt performs essential, non-flavour functions in bread. Salt provides: • Strengthening and tightening effect on the gluten in dough. The crumb grain, texture and resilient characteristics of yeast-raised baked products are key attributes to customer satisfaction and are directly affected by the addition of salt to the formulation. Without adequate salt in the formulation the resulting bread would be weak and crumbly over the shelf life of the product. To avoid this result, more expensive ingredients such as dough conditioners and additional gluten have to be utilized in reduced sodium
Health Canada Releases GMO Survey of Canadians
Bakery Congress 2017 Trade Show
BAC Golf Days
products. Not only does this create a higher cost of bread for consumers, it also contributes to a longer list of ingredients in bread which goes against the trend and consumer request of a clean label with fewer, natural ingredients.
• Fermentation Control – Salt aids in maintaining the osmotic pressure in the bubble structure and the raising process in yeast-raised products. Salt slows down fermentation and enzyme activity in dough. The salt crystals draw water away from their environment (salt is ‘hygroscopic’).
not only adds taste but especially helps bring out the flavors and aromas present in the flour and other ingredients. Bread without salt has a flat taste and is normally unsellable except to those consumers that strictly adhere to a low sodium diet. Salt in whole grain bread aids in masking bitterness.
• Salt promotes consistent colour formation during the baking process when the fermentation process is controlled. For many breads, optimum crust colour is a desired characteristic for the consumer purchase.
When salt and yeast compete for water, salt wins and the yeast is slowed down. The resulting fermentation is more consistent, thus providing a more uniform cell structure and better overall bread texture quality.
• Salt is a natural antioxidant and
CHALLENGES OF SODIUM REDUCTION
In April 2015, BAC conducted a second survey of its membership on their sodium reduction efforts. Results indicated that sodium reduction is amongst the top 3 priorities and most find sodium reduction difficult, with
product taste being the main barrier. The issues identified are as follow:
• Changes to the product taste, texture and quality due to dough weakness.
• Reduction in mold-free shelf life.
• Salt replacers are not effective and require time and resources for experiments that are not always successful.
• Clean label is no longer a trend, it is a rule. Many baking companies have committed to simplifying the ingredient list and to removing artificial ingredients from their popular products in the past few years. Salt replacers are less known and less recognized by consumers who demand fewer ingredients, ingredients they can pronounce and that they have in their own pantry. According to Tracking Nutrition Trends 2015, the majority of Canadians get information on food and nutrition from food product labels which are considered trusted source of information. As consumers’ awareness of ingredient increases, so does the need to keep the information simple.
CONCLUSIONS
The Baking industry in Canada continues to progress in sodium reduction. Members of the Baking Association of Canada are committed to sodium reduction and this commitment is demonstrated by the efforts that many companies have undertaken during the past decade. These efforts include introducing new, lower sodium products to the marketplace, reformulating existing products and undertaking further sodium reductions across company portfolios in the coming years.
In order to achieve the significant health benefits to Canadians that the Sodium Reduction Strategy set in July 2010, there was a call for an integrated multidisciplinary approach and an ongoing cooperation of all stakeholders. In measuring the overall success of the Sodium Reduction Strategy, BAC is recommending that this report be received as one successful component within the entire Sodium Reduction Strategy evaluation.
Since 2009, the mean sodium content of all breads have dropped by an average of 11%
Health Canada Releases GMO Survey of Canadians
Anew report by Health Canada shows that Canadians continue to be concerned and confused about GMO. The research, which was conducted through focus groups and online surveys gauged public perception but also reveals that consumers have little understanding about GMO science.
Highlights of the report include:
• Consumer’s views have been principally shaped by controversial (less than positive) media coverage, and any existing confusion or negative views are often reinforced by the ongoing activities of anti-GMO advocates and environmental groups.
• Consumers’ initial response and reaction to the topic of GM foods is certainly not positive and clearly presents some formidable challenges for communicators and policy-makers with respect to addressing the level of confusion, misinformation and generally low awareness/understanding that currently exists.
• Consumers believe that genetic modification is a process which does or could include injecting fruits, vegetables, animals and food products with potentially hazardous materials such as hormones, antibiotics, steroids or other product enhancers which then fundamentally changes the nature and composition of the product.
• There has been and continues to be an information void on this issue which has been rather successfully filled by the anti-GMO view.
• There appeared to be minimal understanding of innovation in farming practices or the challenges that farmers and agri-business face in producing higher volumes at reasonable prices, meeting changing consumer preferences, and getting food products to market quickly.
• There was a strong consensus among most focus group participants that they were not favourably disposed to GMOs
• In Saskatoon, parents tended to lean more neutral to negative in their initial impressions of GM foods, while participants in the group representing a crosssection of the general population tended to view GM foods in a more neutral to positive manner.
• In Quebec City, participants seemed to exhibit greater confidence in the safety of GM foods following a review of various key facts and information contained in statements about GM foods made by Health Canada.
• The public does not have a solid grasp as to why GM foods are being produced for sale in the Canadian market place. A strong rationale for GM foods would help, although it would not necessarily sway those who are adamantly opposed at the level of ‘values’ rather than ‘knowledge.
• The arguments that genetic modification is vital to producing foods that are more affordable, to ensuring Canada’s food supply, and to sustainability carry little to no weight among consumers.
• At the present time, most consumers view the marketplace for GM foods as one that has been created not to address consumer demand or evolving preferences, but principally as a means of increasing corporate profits.
• 78% say that all genetically modified foods should be clearly labelled as such on the package.
• While 70% of Canadians view the Government of Canada as a trustworthy source, just 54% said the same about scientists working for food products companies.
The full report can be found at :
http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/pwgsc-tpsgc/por-ef/health/2016/042-15-e/report.pdf
Bakery Congress 2017 Trade Show - Book Your Space Now!
Western Canada’s much-anticipated baking industry event Bakery Congress 2017 produced by the Baking Association of Canada (BAC) returns to Vancouver April 23rd and 24th. The event promises to be bigger and better and will be held for the first time at the Vancouver Convention Centre - East building.
Bakery Congress is held in Vancouver once every four years and it is Canada’s only baking industry trade show and conference for 2017. The trade show floor will be approximately 200 exhibits featuring baking ingredients, equipment, packaging, services, technology and semi-finished & finished baked goods (fresh, proof and bake, par-baked, freezer-to-oven, thaw and serve).
About 2,500 food industry professionals from commercial, retail & in-store bakeries and food service establishments are expected to take part in the event. Planning and preparation for new features, educational programs and networking events to support the baking and food service industry has begun.
Ontario Chapter Fall Golf Tournament
The weather was perfect for the Ontario chapter of the Baking Association of Canada (BAC) annual fall golf tournament held on September 13 at the Station Creek Golf Club in Gormley, Ont. with a full slate of golfers taking part in the day-long event. The top foursome in the best ball scramble format—scoring a nine-under 61—included: Robert Sweet of Furlani Foods; Doug White of Redstone Sales & Marketing; Peter Scopu of Gumperts Canada; and Tom Nowak, Lallemand Distribution. The host of the event was BAC board member and chair of the Ontario chapter Dan Peroff of Olympic Wholesale Co. Ltd. There was also a raffle
“The Bakery Congress keeps innovating and attracting more businesses every year,” says Paul Hetherington, President and CEO, Baking Association of Canada (BAC). “There will be many new products/services and exciting speakers to learn, see, touch taste, and experience.” Hetherington added. The BAC is Canada’s largest baking industry trade association that represents the country’s $8.6 billion commercial, retail and in-store bakeries. Its members represents more than 80% of the nation’s production capacity within the industry producing a wide range of products including breads and rolls, cakes, pastries, cookies and other sweet goods with semi-finished & frozen products.
Exhibit space booking and marketing opportunities are underway and the BAC are expecting a larger floor than the previous Vancouver edition in 2013. For more information and to reserve your exhibit space, please contact Ahmed Mutaher at 905 405 0288 extension 22 or email amutaher@ baking.ca
Golf Tournament - Atlantic Chapter
The BAC Atlantic Chapter held another successful and well attended golf event on a beautiful day in September. The golf champions for 2016 pictured were this year’s winner of the “Snairs Cup”: Dawn Foods Team (photo left to right) Pierre Boutet, Dawns Foods; Maxime Bourget, Sobeys Quebec; Blair Hyslop, (Presenting the trophy is Atlantic BAC Director and Owner of Mrs Dunster’s Bakery); Ian Milley, Dawns Foods.
table, with the top prize of a 55-inch 4K television. Proceeds from the event went towards academic scholarships. Representatives from Centennial College were also in attendance to announce the opening of the new commercial baking
labs at Centennial’s new 350,000 sq. ft. facility that hosts the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts located on Progress Avenue in Scarborough.
ABOVE Winning foursome and event host of the BAC Ontario Golf Day: (l-r) Peter Scopu, Robert Sweet, Doug White, Dan Peroff (host), and Tom Nowak.
HOLIDAY PREPARATIONS
For bakeries across the country, a successful holiday season comes down to detailed planning and preparation. As customers line up for their favourite seasonal treats and large holiday party orders are placed, smooth sailing can quickly turn into chaos without advanc planning of products, ingredients and staffing.
Many bakery-owners begin the holiday planning process between September and Thanksgiving to ensure they’re prepared for the Christmas crush. Michelle Edgar, owner of The Sweet Escape Patisserie in Toronto’s Distillery District, says her business picks up between 300 and 400 per cent over the holiday season. “It’s our busiest time of year,” Edgar notes. “Our holiday season starts at the beginning of November because of the Christmas Market that the Distillery puts on. We start planning at the beginning of October, preparing and scheduling production. We candy our own fruit for our fruitcake, so we have to start that then and by the end of October we’re well into production and the full swing of things, making sugar cookies, shortbread and biscotti. And then we just keep the crazy production up until December.”
}“Our problem is trying to decide what not to make, but there’s only so much time and you don’t make money if you have too much choice … it has to be a good performer to make the cut.”
In Halifax, Michael Winge, owner of Gingerbread Haus Bakery, says Christmas is his busiest time of year. “We’re non-stop busy and have reached maximum production capacity at Christmastime. We start preparing right after Thanksgiving.”
In order to keep pace with increased demand, deciding which items to put on the holiday menu ahead of time is one of the most important decisions in the planning process. “We have to have it all hammered out by October 1st, as to what we’re making and that’s maybe late for a lot of places,” says Kelly Mansell, co-owner of Rocket Bakery in St. John’s, Nfld. “Our problem is trying to decide what not to
make, but there’s only so much time and you don’t make money if you have too much choice. Everyone has their favourites that we do, but it has to be a good performer to make the cut.”
Making these decisions as early as possible will help the holiday season run more smoothly. “Have a focus on what you do best and go with it. Editing back is the hardest part, but planning what you’re going to do and sticking with it is the best plan,” Mansell advises. “Then you can get all your packaging and labelling lined up and it makes it a lot easier and less chaotic.”
Establishing your master list of holiday items well in advance ensures that required ingredients are on hand in time for the
busy season as well. For Winge, this is especially important because of his locale. “Being from the east coast, we have to get a lot of our ingredients from Montreal or Toronto, and they’re not always available right away so I have to be prepared and organized to make sure the ingredients are there when I need them.”
Since opening the Gingerbread Haus Bakery in 1999, Winge has kept a “Next Time” book that documents the products he makes each holiday season, as well as throughout the year. From the quantity of each item, to baking procedures, to the specific day each product is made is recorded. “I do this so that the next time I make it I can see what works and what I can do to improve each product or even improve production. On a spreadsheet I plan out the next month’s items—what day we’ll make what—because I have an idea of
A selection of holiday treats from Rocket Bakery in St. John’s, Nfld.
how much we’ll sell. I try to be as organized as possible. Being organized is a great way of trying to prevent any chaos and having things run very smoothly. And this way I know what ingredients to order,” Winge explains. Edgar employs a similar system at The Sweet Escape Patisserie to stay on top of things. “I print out a calendar every year and schedule what weeks we’re making things like biscotti and shortbread, according to how long they’re shelfstable. And I take it after Christmas is done and edit it as to the amounts of things I should change, and I keep it for the next year. I also have a big checklist for all the items we want to make, some of which we don’t get to,” says Edgar. “The calendar is the only way to survive it. From the time the Christmas Market starts, we need to have everything stockpiled.”
Of course, the classics are always in high demand during the festive season and easily top the holiday list. At Butter Baked Goods in Vancouver, owner Rosie Daykin says she creates a lot of products that she doesn’t offer throughout the rest of the year. “We sell an enormous amount of fruitcake, pounds and pounds of shortbread, and people love the fact that we have such a huge variety of bars, because for a Christmas open house, that’s a very retro but traditional element that you might think of from when we were kids, so we offer lots of options on bars in various sizes,” says Daykin.
}“We usually have a staff party before the season starts and during the planning, just to get everyone ramped up for the season and ensure everyone’s on the same page.”
In addition to these tried and true holiday classics, Daykin also creates snowballs, peppermint and gingerbread flavoured cakes and cupcakes, and panettone (the only bread she offers at this time of year). To weather the holiday rush, she hires three to four extra staff members and runs longer hours to keep up with production.
At Cadeaux Bakery in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood, owner Eleanor Chow Waterfall says the importance of gathering her staff together prior to the hectic holidays taking hold is vital. “We usually have a staff party before the season starts and during the planning, just to get everyone ramped up for the season and ensure everyone’s on the same page. It’s different from a regular staff meeting because we’re family run and we get along like a family. Having this outside-of-work gathering is really good for team building
and to get to know each other better. You can run a really tight ship that way,” says Chow Waterfall.
With selections of hand-rolled chocolate truffles, intricate sugar cookies and decadent sticky toffee pudding taking up a painstaking number of hours, Chow Waterfall notes that a supportive work environment is the key to success. “Team work and being behind your staff really helps. It’s nice for them to see that you’re on their side, because everyone’s working together for one common goal.”
Creating a space that not only smells delicious, but also feels good is an important aspect to remember, especially when the heat rises and staff are moving at a frenzied pace. In St. John’s, Mansell says many customers are drawn to the Rocket Bakery because of its good vibes, live music and happy environment. “People come to Rocket for fun, and unless you feel like you’re having a good time it’s not going to come across that way, so just try to enjoy
the process. It’s a joyful time.”
The reason for the season is what Mansell loves the most about being in Newfoundland during the holidays. “You could say Newfoundlanders embody the Christmas spirit—joy, music, giving. It’s really fun for me, especially at Christmastime.”
That sentiment of keeping joy in your baking, despite the frenetic pace of the holidays, is echoed by bakers from coast to coast. Back in Vancouver, Daykin says her only piece of advice to fellow bakers is to remember to breathe and enjoy. “Just breathe. Try to smile. I actually think even in the chaos of it all, it’s really a lovely time because you are so connected to everybody else’s celebration and it just really gets you in the spirit,” she says. “It feels incredibly festive to me, and that’s what I focus on versus how tired my legs are. There’s no better time of year to share my baking.”
And isn’t that the spirit of it all? Embrace the chaos, plan to the best of your ability and spread joy with every piece of your heartfelt baking this holiday season. / BJ
Julie Fitz-Gerald is a freelance writer based in Uxbridge, Ont., and a regular contributor to Bakers Journal.
Intricate designs on sugar cookies make great gifts for the holidays (Cadeaux Bakery in Vancouver).
¦ bakers formula ¦
BY SANDRA KATSIOU
OATMEAL COOKIES
Customers will enjoy buying, eating and sharing these classic treats, they’re also a great option to fill up lunch bags for young and old. This delicious oatmeal cookie recipe is courtesy of Sandra Katsiou, owner of Baker and Scone in Toronto.
INGREDIENTS
• Organic butter, softened 1/2 cup
• Egg 1
• Vanilla 2 tsp
• White sugar 1/2 cup
• Brown sugar 3/4 cup
• Large flake oats 2-1/2 cups
• Whole wheat flour 1/2 cup
• All purpose flour 1/2 cup
• Baking soda 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla bean, pod scraped 1
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
2. In a stand mixer on medium speed, begin by creaming butter and sugars together until smooth.
3. Add eggs, vanilla extract and pods, and continue mixing until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flours and baking soda together until combined.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, briefly mix for 30 seconds.
6. Add oats and mix until ‘just’ combines, do not over mix at this point.
7. On a cookie sheet place dollops of dough, spacing out two inches apart.
8. Leave dough nice and high, instead of flattening, and this will create thick chewy cookies.
9. Bake 11-12 minutes or until golden brown.
(TIP: underbake to achieve a chewy soft centered cookie.)
LEASE RENEWAL DO’S & DON’TS
When negotiating, consider what inducements the landlord would give a new tenant
Should you automatically agree to the same terms and conditions when you renew your lease as you accepted when you first signed? No. When we co-wrote “Commercial Leases & Renewals for dummies,” we explained that properly negotiating your commercial lease renewal was an important consideration for all tenants. With effective negotiation, you can sign for a more appropriate lease term, receive valuable tenant inducements (paid by the landlord) and decrease your monthly rent paid to the landlord. Here are a few tips:
}DO’S
tions with customers.
Do talk to other tenants. For lease renewals, talk with other tenants in the building who have recently renewed leases. How did these renegotiations go? What did the landlord agree to in terms of rental rates and further tenant incentives?
Do negotiate for lease renewal incentives. For some reason tenants neglect, or are simply fearful of, negotiating for lease renewal incentives. Ask yourself what inducements (e.g. free rent and/or tenant allowances) would the landlord give to a new tenant just coming into the property. If these were there for the offering to a new tenant, then why wouldn’t an established tenant—with a proven track record—get the same (or more) consideration?
Do walk away from a bad deal. In business, you must look at pessimistic
Tenants neglect, or are simply fearful of, negotiating for lease renewal incentives. Ask yourself what inducements would the landlord give to a new tenant?
Do create competition for your tenancy. Negotiate on more than one location simultaneously—especially with lease renewals. Even if you don’t want to move, create options so you can play one landlord against another. Share with each landlord that you are receiving proposals on other sites. To avoid hard feelings, you can explain that other landlords have been courting you. If you have written offers to lease this will strengthen your argument. Do start the planning and site selection process well in advance. Starting a minimum of 12 months ahead allows for ample time for completing paperwork, searching for alternate sites (if necessary) and accounting for Murphy’s Law. If you can’t secure a good deal within the first few months, you can still exercise your option to renew or start the relocation process.
Do keep your success quiet. Landlords raise rents for the lease renewal period due to your success. If you have been profiting in a particular location, you likely will not want to move with a rental increase. Some agents and landlords will take advantage of bakers knowing how costly it can be to move and set up a new business as a result of lost time, new investments and disrup-
projections. Years of frustration in a slow business can be avoided if only more bakers had walked away from poor locations and bad lease deals. Be careful, take your time and get some help.
DON’TS
Don’t have false optimism. When bakers tell us their business isn’t doing very well, but they want to renew their lease anyway, this is false optimism. Unless you change location or something else about the way you do business, you should not realistically expect your next five years to be better than your first five years. Moving can be difficult, frightening, time-intensive and expensive; however, this may become absolutely necessary.
Don’t accept an inappropriate lease length. A five- or 10-year lease is often the norm for most tenants. When renewing, do not automatically sign for that same time frame without considering your own personal and professional future. Are you planning to relocate, sell your bakery or retire? A long-term renewal may be suitable for you, but remember three-year or even one-year terms are an option in many cases.
Don’t settle for your same rental payment. Achieving a rent reduction on your lease renewal is a very real possibility. If your landlord is leasing space to new tenants at less than what you are currently paying, a rent reduction for you should be a given.
Don’t accept the first offer. Once your landlord has made the first offer or proposal regarding your lease renewal, the real negotiations begin. Don’t be too eager to accept that first offer, even if it seems reasonable. With patience and good communication, you can almost better any first offer, which may be a smokescreen anyway.
Don’t allow the landlord to retain your deposit. If you have paid the landlord a hefty deposit on the property, don’t forget to ask for this back upon your lease renewal date. You have, after all, proven yourself as a responsible tenant over your initial term. Why should your landlord keep this money?
Don’t disregard your operating costs. Having your lease and/or operating costs analyzed is a simple and effective way to keep your landlord and property manager honest. Frequently, bakery tenants pay more than they need to because of miscalculated operating costs.
Don’t jump to exercise options. Even though you have a renewal option, you may not want to exercise it—especially if the renewal term rental rate automatically increases or can’t decrease. If you are certain that your landlord wants you to stay and market rates (the “going rate” in your neighbourhood) have softened, you may want to negotiate from scratch. With 98 per cent of our clients, we do not exercise their lease options. / BJ
Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield—The Lease Coach—are commercial lease consultants who work exclusively for tenants. Dale and Jeff co-authored “Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals for dummies” (Wiley, 2013). Need help with a new lease or renewal? Call 1-800-738-9202, visit www.TheLeaseCoach.com or e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com. For a free CD, Leasing Do’s & Don’ts for Commercial Tenants, e-mail JeffGrandfield@ TheLeaseCoach.com.
Lok
Bread Baking: a n a rtisan’s Pers P ective
A guide to making artisan breads practically and profitably, Bread Baking: An Artisan’s Perspective includes step-by-step instructions on mixing, fermentation, shaping, proofing and retarding, and baking.
Covering the business of bread-making, this book features practical advice from successful artisan bakers as well as 40-plus tested artisan bread formulas, including ciabatta, pain au levain, bagels, honey whole wheat, croissants, and many more. Artisan bread baker and teacher Dan DiMuzio provides invaluable information on troubleshooting, ingredients, laminated dough, and creating dough formulas. Professional bakers and baking and pastry students will benefit from this practical resource to artisan breads.
BARNETT
TEACHING THE TEACHERS
Following an inaugural meeting at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary in November 2015, a group of baking and pastry instructors from Western Canada felt the need to continue their discourse on teaching and learning in the trade. As a result, an invitation for a reunion was sent out to all colleges in the four Western Provinces and Washington State, and 23 delegates made their way to Vancouver Island on the weekend of June 24-26 for a learning/teaching event.
The instructors at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo, B.C. proposed an agenda for the weekend with the opportunity for attendees to present innovations in both the lab/ kitchen and the classroom. The agenda items included plated desserts, garnishes, chocolates, new equipment, sugar work and other current trends in both the kitchen and the classroom.
On Friday, June 24, the group was welcomed and given a tour of VIU and an overview of the culinary programs offered along with a visit to the Sturgeon Center and VIU’s Center for Innovation and Excellence in Learning. On the way to a tour of Vancouver Island’s lush Cowichan Valley, the group stopped by Hearthstone Artisan Bakery in Nanaimo, a business recently established by two graduates from VIU’s baking program, Hailey Mannynvali and Paul Aboud. The travels continued with a visit to a vineyard, a cheese maker and True Grain Bread in Cowichan (a bakery with a flour mill). Then the group enjoyed an informal soiree at Providence Farm, (a VIU Culinary Institute partner) specializing in Farm to Table fare.
}The weekend was full of lively discussion, demonstrations and bonhomie. Baking and pastry instructors rarely get to network in an organized convention.
The evening also included a panel of local bakery owners and pastry chefs sharing their view of the industry and giving insights into how educators can support training for their recruitment needs. This lively discussion included: Teresa McNally Hogg, pastry chef at Butchart Gardens, Saanichton, BC; Cliff
Leir, owner and baker at Fol Epi Bakery in Victoria; Richard Wilson, production manager at Portofino Bakery in Victoria; Bruce Stewart, owner of True Grain Bread; and AJ Thalakkat, executive pastry chef at Fairmont Empress in Victoria. Diane Evans of the Industry Training Authority, a government-sponsored organization that leads and coordinates British Columbia’s skilled trades system, moderated the panel.
It was clear the challenge for today’s bakery managers is that we have to throw conventional ‘in-house’ baker training out the window. Millennials have their own agendas and they don’t always jive with conventional guidance and orientation programs that have worked well previously. Millennials come with their own agendas and if we don’t respond on modern day terms the result will be frustration for both the employer and employee.
On Saturday and Sunday the group was treated to a varied program by attending delegates. On the teaching side, ideas and challenges around
A group photo of attendees at an educational retreat on Vancouver Island hosted by Vancouver Island University.
TEACHERS
teaching ‘millennials,’ engaging with students in non-traditional situations and that catch-all, ‘good practice’ were presented by Rita Gower, a VIU baking and culinary instructor who has just earned her Master’s in Education.
Formative assessment, the idea of monitoring a student’s learning and providing ongoing feedback, continues to be the one of the most effective teaching tools available to instructors. However, it is also one of the most under-utilized. Busy schedules, contentheavy courses and increasingly challenging student environments all contribute to formative assessment falling through the cracks. This workshop gave participants a recap of what formative assessment is, why it is so important to establish
its regular use, and how to implement an effective regimen of this type of assessment.
Representatives of Thermomix demonstrated the versatility of their compact, multi-function food processing machines, with David Nolan (VIU) and Aron Weber (SAIT) jumping in to make ice-cream a la minute. Nolan and Weber later presented ‘Modern Plating Techniques,’ emphasizing molecular gastronomical effects for garnishes.
Ken Harper (VIU) led a discussion on organizing Culinary Field Schools on Saturday afternoon. Harper has participated in field schools to Brussels and Paris and developed and led a field school to Belize, with another trip to Belize scheduled for May, 2017.
Saturday evening the group reconvened at Martin Barnett’s (VIU) residence with a wood-fired brick oven and enjoyed Neapolitan pizzas. Participants were extremely interested to share how their respective institutions delivered their varied programs.
On Sunday, Alan Dumonceaux (NAIT), manager of the Baking Team Canada, introduced the attendees to ‘speed laminating’ skills and other techniques including special effects with chocolate croissant dough.
The weekend was chock full of lively discussion, demonstrations and bonhomie. It was unique, because baking and pastry instructors very rarely get to network in a formally organized convention. At the wrap-up discussion it was unanimous that a similar event would be organized again at another venue.
The educational institutions represented included: Vancouver Island University; Vancouver Community College; Camosun College; Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts; Northwest Community College; North Island College; SAIT; NAIT; Red River College; and Bellingham Technical College. / BJ
Martin Barnett is instructor and chair of the Professional Baking Department for the Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island University.
NEW MEANING
BAKER GIVES “STARTING FROM SCRATCH” A
Independent baker Fred Piechocki comes from a proud family of bakers. However, during the Great Depression, his grandfather, Stanley, and father, Edward, lost their bakery. As a result, this third generation baker had no recipes or business to carry on.
So what did Fred do? He started his bakery from scratch. In 1979, Fred opened The Cakery Bakery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ten years later, he moved to Warrington, Pennsylvania, where he and longtime friend, Henry Stoughton, opened the Warrington Pastry Shop. Fred describes his business as a European style, traditional bakery where products are baked from scratch every day.
Best known for the 60 to 100 decorated cakes it produces a week, Warrington Pastry Shop also turns out 10 to 15 wedding cakes a weekend during prime wedding season. It is also well known for Danish, regular cakes, cupcakes, butter cakes, cinnamon buns and donuts.
“My greatest accomplishment is to consistently produce a high-quality product,” said Fred. International® Bakers Services has played a key role in maintaining this quality.
“When I started out, I received a sample of International® Bakers Services B&V® and I have used IBS flavors ever since,” Fred recalled. His bakery also uses chocolate, banana, rum, coconut and hazelnut flavors. “I am very happy with IBS products,” Fred stated. “They are easy to use, very consistent and economical. Most importantly, the flavors hold up.”
“Using ingredients that will keep product quality high will make you proud to be an independent baker,” Fred advised. If you value consistent quality, you should get to know International® Bakers Services Contact us toll-free at (800) 3457175, 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.
From simple scales for the checkout counter to integrated digital point-of-sale solutions, Bakers Journal keeps you “in the know.” FOR MORE on new products for the baking industry, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com
Standalone checkout scale
The new Ariva-S-Mini from Mettler Toledo is a standalone scale designed for checkout counters. The scale measures 6.3 x 7.875 inches and connects to most point-of-sale systems for checkout applications or to personal computers. It
can handle a maximum load of 15 lbs. (6 kg), while also offering a sensitive weight resolution of up to 0.002 lb (1 g) for lightweight, high-value items. It also offers low power consumption and is made with stainless steel and aluminum. The housing has been designed to be
impermeable to liquids and dirt, protecting the weighing mechanism.
The Ariva-S-Mini also provides fast weighing and for quick transaction speed to reduce customer wait times.
www.mt.com/retail-ariva
POS integrates with QuickBooks
TouchBistro, an iPad point-of-sale solution for cafes and restaurants, now offers integration with QuickBooks small business accounting software.
QuickBooks integration, which is provided as an option for TouchBistro POS app users, helps restaurateurs reduce accountant fees and bookkeeping hours by eliminating double entry of operating data into accounting records. The integration with QuickBooks takes only minutes to activate, using cloud-based integration. During installation the TouchBistro revenue and cost categories are mapped to the related accounts the restaurant has set up in its QuickBooks application. Existing TouchBistro users on the latest version can simply activate the QuickBooks integration.
TouchBistro features a full suite of cloud reporting tools to streamline restaurant operations from seating and scheduling to inventory, payroll, tax calculations and sales analysis. With the QuickBooks integration, TouchBistro accounting data can be imported into the restaurant’s QuickBooks desktop or online app by categories or totals. www.touchbistro.com
toronto_bakery_jan14.indd
BY JANE DUMMER, RD
SHORTBREAD BEYOND THE HOLIDAYS
Enjoying baked melt-in-yourmouth goodness all year long
Shortbread has been a Christmas favourite of mine since childhood. Mom’s recipe originated in Scotland and only has four ingredients: butter, rice flour, all purpose flour and fruit sugar. She always places the dough in an air tight container and leaves it in the fridge for up to a week. Chilling the dough provides a slightly darker colour, a more pronounced flavour and a shorter texture. Family and friends look forward to these delights every holiday. Across the baking sector we are observing that shortbread has become a year round treat. I believe with the resurgence of afternoon tea, an increase in independent coffee houses and an emphasis on simple ingredients are some of the contributing factors to the yearround increase of these crowd pleasers.
At Langdon Hall Country House and Spa in Cambridge, Ont. afternoon tea is one of their treasured services. Rachel Nicholson, pastry chef at Langdon Hall explains, “With tea, it’s important for us to look at the textures we have on the rest of the sweets tier. We have a few different base recipes that we play with to create a crumb that will satisfy and provide a delicious customer experience. In the spring and summer, when everyone is looking to eat light and fresh, I tend to use dough that will allow us to have a fine, melt in your mouth final crumb complemented with delicate flavours. In the fall and winter months, it is ideal to create a more substantial bite, still soft and tender but with a more caramelized, bold flavour profile. Our guests are always thrilled when Christmastime rolls around. We have found their favourite to be a traditional Sablé Breton; it is a beautiful and tasty shortbread.”
}ers’ desire for shortbread as an everyday treat and not just for the holidays.
“The number one reason is it’s a pure treat. Nothing pairs better with tea than a scrumptious shortbread cookie, and these are harder to find as manufacturers find cheaper ways to make shortbread, without using butter. Our consumers love that we use only premium ingredients with butter, sugar and flour being our core.”
Tasting Mary Macleod’s original
Nothing pairs better with tea than a scrumptious shortbread cookie, and these are harder to find as manufacturers find cheaper ways to make shortbread without using butter.
Sharon Macleod is the chief cookie officer at Mary Macleod’s Shortbread. Macleod has seen an increase in consum-
shortbread cookie—childhood memories of my Mom’s baking fill my head. I don’t have a ‘chocolate tooth’, however I love their Dutch chocolate cookies, and the maple crunch is the perfect Canadian classic. The butterscotch shortbread bars are another wonderful creation. “We only used to make them from September to December. The bars are cut and packed and there is a lot of pan edging left over. Mary didn’t like to throw anything away, so she would store these to dry and put them in one-pound bags. Then she started to make us all fruit pies with the Butterscotch Shortbread Crumbs topping. Then she started bagging them and selling them to customers. They love them as much as we do and use them in a variety of baking applications year round.”
Last summer, a friend made me lavender shortbread squares. They were the perfect combination of lavender essence and melt in your mouth buttery cookie. It’s easy to experiment with flavours and spices with shortbread’s basic ingredients. Nicholson agrees and identifies the gardens at Langdon Hall are overflowing with inspiration. “I use the flowers and herbs generously in our shortbread. In the spring and summer I try to use the more delicate flavours such as marigold, rose and lemon verbena. In the fall and winter we try to use the herbs that will be available fresh as long as possible from the garden, often even after the first snowfall: oregano, thyme, and sumac, but sage is my absolute favourite!”
Shortbread can be adapted to a variety of textures, and by adding an assortment of ingredients it can change the taste depending on the season. I can’t wait to taste new combinations from inspired bakers, as eating shortbread year round continues. / BJ
Jane Dummer, RD (www.janedummer.com), known as the Pod to Plate Food Consultant, collaborates and partners with the food and nutrition industry across North America.
Editor’s Note: Bakers Journal was saddened to hear of the passing of Mary Macleod, founder of Mary Macleod’s Shortbread, on September 27, 2016. We send our condolences to her family.
A wide assortment of shortbread options, like these from Mary Macleod’s Shortbread, make them appropriate for any season.
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The advantage is yours.
When you bake with products that carry the Dawn Distributors Advantage® brand, it means we’re standing behind you. We’ve searched and found the highest quality products that perform consistently every time, so you can focus on what’s most important - growing your business.
From flour to spices and oats to chocolate chips, our DDA® products are the essential ingredients you need to run your bakery. Contact your Dawn Sales Representative to discover the advantage you’ve been looking for.
For more information about these and other fine products, visit DawnFoods.com or call (866) 277-3663.