Erica Leahy was working in an office job when she realized she had missed her calling.  So she gave up her stock options and health plan, left the office and set off for the life of a pastry chef.  After unpaid internships, several stints baking for fine restaurants, finding her feet in a commissary kitchen and starting a family, she opened Three Daughters Baking Co. in 2018.

In this episode, Mark and Erica talk about the people in her life that have been cheering her on (and pitching in) throughout Erica's baking career, and how she's put down deep roots over the past 16 years in South Orange.

There is also talk about Mark's new project, the Bakery Leadership Circle, which has a new session starting in early 2025.

Helpful Links

Three Daughters Baking Co.

@threedaughtersbaking2018 on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Gillian Lundgren was lured to the Bay Area by her favourite aunt and has never left.  Through a long and varied career as a baker in San Francisco, from bakeries to pop ups, she founded Black Jet Baking Co. right down the block from where she got her start.  She's putting down deep roots and making sure the people in her neighbourhood are well fed.

In this episode, Mark and Gillian talk about both the need for and the short life span of Hustle, how Covid forced her bakery to flip from mostly wholesale to all retail, and how Gillian keeps her creative juices flowing in all aspects of her bakery. 

There is also talk about Mark's new project, the Bakery Leadership Circle, which will run again in 2025

Helpful Links

Black Jet Baking Co.

@blackjetbaker on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Carly Rossmeissl wants to experience everything baking has to offer.  Since graduating from baking school she's travelled from New York to Austin to Wisconsin, working with bread, cakes, desserts and even stuffed pretzels.  But her work keeps coming back to two things: solving problems and building strong, happy teams.  In this episode we talk about Carly's long and winding journey in baking, with some trade union talk and even a detour into Halloween costumes as well.

There is also talk about the Bakery Leadership Circle, which has a new session coming in 2025.

Helpful Links

Madison Sourdough

@madisonsourdough on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

There's something special about small town bakeries.  And when your bakery is on the main street of a small town in the heart of Sonoma, California and you're baking stellar bread from a massive brick oven, well, now you really have something special.

Jessie Frost has all that and more.  A native of the Sonoma area, she baked around the Bay Area before eventually taking over Nightingale Breads.  In this fun, thoughtful episode, Mark and Jessie talk about her love of place, taking the plunge to owner her bakery during a time of turmoil and her slow, steady approach to making the bakery her own. 

There is also talk about the Bakery Leadership Circle, which has a new sessions coming up in the New Year.

Helpful Links

Nightingale Breads

@nightingalebreads on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

When Mark Hart decided to go out on his own, he built a commercial baking space, but not for his own production baking.  Instead, he and his partner Luis Cabral started Rise Baking Lab, a teaching and event space where they can share their love of baking with professional and amatuer bakers alike.

In this episode, Mark and Luis share their vision for their new bread lab, the joys to teaching, and their growing consulting business, while discussing how there are so many ways to be a part of the baking industry without focusing on early morning production. 

There is also talk about Mark's new project, the Bakery Leadership Circle, which is offering a new session in early 2025.

Helpful Links

Rise Baking Lab

@risebakinglab on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Jonathan Stevens new book, The Hungry Ghost Bread Book, is a throwback to the first wave of books on artisan baking in the 1990's.  And for good reason, because Jonathan has been part of the North American bread scene from the very beginning.

In this episode, Mark and Jonathan take a trip back to the early days in Northern California, figuring it out with Alan Scott, opening an opinionated bakery in Western Mass, telling stories, singing songs and writing poetry.  And through it all, reconnecting to the power of feeding people good bread day after day.

Helpful Links

Buy Jonathan's Book via bookshop.org

Hungry Ghost Bread

@hungryghostbread on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Holly Showalter was a pastry chef in Virginia when the big skies of Montana came calling to her.  After several years working different jobs and settling into the local community, Holly opened Wild Oats Baking.  Now she's feeding the people and the people are fully embracing her and her food.

In this episode, Mark and Holly talk a little about tiny houses, more about hiring from within a small town, and a lot about how serving the local community means bringing all your skills to bear on the things they want to eat. 

Helpful Links

Wild Oats Baking website

@wildoatsbaking on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Today Mark is joined by Karen Bornarth of the Bread Bakers Guild of America and Martin Barnett of the Baking Association of Canada to talk about the state of the baking industry in North America. 

They reflect on the success of two recent national meetings, discuss the range of benefits that nationwide education and advocacy can provide, ponder the implications of a $10 loaf of bread, and more. 

Helpful Links

@breadbakersguild on Instagram

@bacnational on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Once Lyndsey Bell realized that the corporate life was not for her, she and her partner Jay Valeri dove into the world of donuts and coffee.  Since they found their sweet spot and opened Bigfoot Donuts seven years ago they have gone from strength to strength.

In this episode, Mark, Lyndsey and Jay talk all things donuts and coffee, being able to take advantage of opportunities when they are presented, who exactly is going to drive their donut truck, and more.  It's a fun talk with two hard working bakers.

Helpful Links

Bigfoot Donuts

@bigfoot.donuts on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

When we get tired and frustrated as bakery owners, we often fall into the trap of thinking of our employees as expenses and not assets and partners.  Luckily, there are resources like the Good Jobs Strategy to help us reset our thinking and put our employees at the forefront of our business success.

In this episode, Mark talks with Sandhya Mahadevan of Good Jobs Institute about their work with large and small businesses evaluating the role of employees and implementing strategies to build long term benefits for the people and the business.  They talk specifically about the Good Jobs Strategy and how it can be applied to bakeries of all sizes.

There is also talk about Mark's new project, the Bakery Leadership Circle, which has a new session starting in July.

Helpful Links

Good Jobs Institute

The Good Jobs Strategy overview

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin

Ian Herrington turned the turmoil of Covid into the catalyst to make the leap into bakery ownership.  Now Leavened, his elegant bakery / cafe in Cleveland is making a name for itself within the neighbourhood and for miles around.

In this episode, Mark and Ian talk about the quiet rhythms of a bake team working around the bench, the joy of working with great partners and the thrill of welcoming Ian's regulars into the bakery every morning.

There is also talk about Mark's new project, the Bakery Leadership Circle, which has a new session starting in July.

Helpful Links

Leavened website

@leavenedcle on Instagram

Support the Podcast Here!

Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website

The Bakers4Bakers Community

Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series

Mark on Instagram

Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck

Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck

Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin