Vancouver
May 14-15, 2023
Vancouver Convention Centre

Download our handy At-a-Glance one-page guide HERE!

Download the full 2023 Show Guide HERE and on site at Bakery Showcase.

Moderator:

• Martin Barnett, Executive Director, Baking Association of Canada

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

10:00am – 11:00am (Session Room A) Keynote Talk: Mark Dyck on Telling the Story of Your Bakery
Presenter: Mark Dyck, Creator and Host of Rise Up! The Baker Podcast, and founder of Bakers4Bakers.org

You opened your bakery or pizzeria because you wanted to build something special.  Something different. Something that is uniquely your own.

But telling your story so it stands out from the crowd often seems impossible. We get caught up in the noise and the chatter, trying to figure out the next platform, trying to beat The Algorithm, and working on our dance moves rather than our products, our team or our customers. In all that striving and chasing, we lose sight of the people we want to reach and the actual story we want to tell.

There is a better way. A way to get your message out to the people who are desperate to hear it. We’ll get there by telling better stories.

In this session, you will learn key techniques that will help you tell better stories about your bakery and more. You will learn a simple framework for finding the best stories to tell and the best place to tell them, without worrying about The Algorithm. And you won’t have to learn how to dance (unless you really want to)!

Mark Dyck has people on his mind. He usually has flour on his shirt too. After a successful corporate career, Mark took a big leap with his wife Cindy and opened Orange Boot Bakery in Regina, Sask. Their small, traditional bread bakery was known as much for its generosity, humanity and devoted customers as for its delicious bread and pastries. The bakery was a natural extension of Mark’s people-first approach to his work.

Mark is the creator and host of Rise Up! The Baker Podcast, featuring conversations with professional bakers and bakery owners from around the world. He is the founder of Bakers4Bakers.org, a global community of bakery owners working together to build successful, sustainable bakeries. Mark is also a coach, helping people tell better stories and leaders make meaningful change.

10:00am – 11:00am (Session Room B) Adventures on the Great Canadian Baking Show: A Conversation with Zoya Thawer, Finalist, Great Canadian Baking Show

Zoya Thawer baked up a storm on the Great Canadian Baking Show. Zoya shares why she entered the competition, what it’s like to bake under the tent and details of her specialties. Bring your questions and get ready to be inspired by this inventive baker!

Zoya has been baking since childhood after moving to Canada from Tanzania. With help from her mother and sister she maintained her own cabinet with everything needed for her kitchen experiments. Her mother is still her biggest resource for baking advice and even some signature tools. Now a doctor in Victoria, Zoya has succeeded through medical school, residency, and fellowship, but baking in the Tent feels like her biggest challenge yet. Connect with Zoya on Instagram @allpurposezoya.

11:00am – 12:00noon (Session Room A) Panel: Women in Baking

Sponsored by Ardent Mills

Day 1 of Bakery Showcase is Mother’s Day. To honour moms everywhere, we will celebrate three successful women who lead in the dynamic baking industry. As part of our panel, enjoy and benefit from stories from and about baking professionals who took initiative, started a business and are leading lights among their teams, communities and peers!

You will learn:

• What gives these leaders the drive to succeed
• What stumbling blocks they faced and how they overcame them
• What education and support system they found in the industry
• How they think the industry could be more inclusive
  And more!

Learn from the experiences of top bakery owners, ask questions and find inspiration to take back to your own business!

Moderator: Elaine O’Doherty, Marketing Lead, Ardent Mills Canada

Elaine O’Doherty is the marketing lead for Ardent Mills Canada. A member of the Canadian leadership team, Elaine’s role is to deliver consistent value to customers, drive brand awareness, and build and execute strategic plans that will help provide nutritious grain based and plant forward solutions for customers and consumers.
Elaine is an experienced marketing leader with a long tenured history of working in the food industry across commercial, foodservice and consumer packaged goods (CPG). She joined Ardent Mills from Cargill where she spent more than eight years leading Commercial and Foodservice Marketing for Canada. Previously, O’Doherty spent close to 20 years at various CPG companies such as Smucker Foods of Canada and Robin Hood Multifoods where she successfully managed iconic brands in retail, foodservice and export channels.
Elaine holds and HBA in Economics and Business from York University.

Panellists:

Mary Mackay, Vice-President Innovation and Production of Product Development, Terra Foods Inc., Vancouver, B.C.

Mary Mackay has been working in the restaurant and baking industry for almost 40 years. She is currently the co-owner and vice-president of innovation at Terra Breads, where she has led the team since the bakery’s establishment 30 years ago.

Mary graduated Culinary Training at the Dubrulle French Culinary School in 1987. Before joining Terra Breads, she worked in the restaurant industry as a chef, pastry chef and baker.

Terra Breads is an award-winning bakery committed to making the highest quality, hand-made bakery products, including fermented sourdough bread, family-recipe granola and quality pastries. With the help of Mary’s passion and creativity, Terra Breads paved the way for traditional slow-rise artisan breads in Vancouver. It was one of the first bakeries to offer customers a behind-the-scenes look at how the products are mixed, shaped and baked. Since then, it has earned its reputation as the leading artisan bakery in Canada.

Community engagement is very important to Mary, and she continues to have longstanding involvement in several community organizations, including Les Dames d’Escoffier, an organization of women chefs and culinary professionals who work together to raise funds for scholarships for aspiring women in the culinary industry; and Chefs Table Society, which is dedicated to supporting innovative and sustainable programs that inspire, educate and nurture chefs and producers in the local food industry. More recently, Mary has become involved with Better Together, a neighbourhood-based pilot that works to collectively problem-solve issues related to poverty, unsheltered homelessness and mental health.

Babette Kourelos, Cookbook Author and Owner, Babette’s Bread, Langley, B.C.

Babette Kourelos lives in beautiful British Columbia with her husband, Vasili, and their two Smooth Fox Terriers, Tango and Cash. She was born in South Africa and is of Afrikaans, Greek and Italian descent. She holds a BA and LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. After graduating from Law School, Babette travelled to Vermont to apprentice under the late French Master Baker Gerard Rubaud. Babette ran her own artisan bread bakery and baking studio in Johannesburg for several years before relocating to Canada in 2020. She has introduced hundreds of beginner bakers to the art of bread baking and has been featured in numerous media publications. She has been a guest speaker at several Women in Business events, including many Lionesses of Africa Lean-In Talks. Babette is a two-time Cherie Blair Foundation Mentee Alumni and she was a judge at the World Bread Awards USA in Las Vegas in September 2022. Her debut bread cookbook is due for release in Canada and the U.S. in 2024.

Chef Tracey Muzzolini, Co-Owner, Christies Bakery, Saskatoon, Sask.

Chef Tracey Muzzolini was born into the baking business with her family-owned Christies Bakery that opened in 1932. Along with her brother, she took over the business in 1999 from her parents Ennio and Janet and expanded to open a restaurant serving Saskatoon’s first wood-fired Napoletana-style pizza.

After learning from world-class bakers at the Bread Bakers Guild of America, Tracey competed in the category of “Baguette and Specialty Bread” with Team Canada in 2007, for the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie. She brought this knowledge and experience to her Christies and is proud to have been one of the first in Saskatoon to offer artisan sourdough breads. They have a second location, Il Secondo, a successful bakery-bistro featuring a wood-fired pizza oven.

In 2022, she served as a judge on The Food Network’s Wall of Bakers, encouraging novice bakers. Chef Muzzolini is a member of the Baking Association of Canada and an educator with the Bread Bakers Guild. She is passionate about traditional baking methods and truly believes in passing on this knowledge in order to keep the baking profession alive.

11:00am – 12:00noon (Session Room B) Sourdough in the Spotlight with Jan Willem Groen

Sponsored by

Sourdough expert Jan Willem Groen will give a presentation on Puratos’ world-famous Sourdough Library followed by a lively interview with Karen Bornarth, Executive Director of the Bread Bakers Guild of America.

Speaker:

Jan Willem Groen, Product Manager Sapore Sourdoughs, Puratos

Jan Willem is part of Puratos’ global sourdough team, based in Belgium. As an international supplier of baking ingredients, Puratos supports bakers, patissiers and chocolatiers in creating exceptional food. Jan Willem serves as the global product manager for Puratos’ Sapore sourdough brand and is often found at the Puratos Sourdough Library, where 138 sourdoughs are preserved for future generations. This non-profit initiative allows bakers to store a backup of their own sourdough, protecting their unique cultures. By investing in the heritage of bread, Puratos contributes to the understanding of sourdough.

Jan Willem’s passion for sourdough and its diverse cultures and applications is evident in his work. He has conducted analysis on global sourdough flavour profiles and applications, revealing a renewed interest in local bread characteristics, taste profiles and surprising sourdough baked goods. Jan Willem believes that the future of bread lies in rediscovering its past, and through the Puratos Sourdough Library and the team’s ongoing work, he’s helping to revive the dominant role of sourdough in baking.

1:00pm – 2:00pm (Baking Association of Canada booth (109)) Meet Chef Bruno Feldeisen, Great Canadian Baking Show

Renowned baker, cookbook author and judge on CBC’s Great Canadian Baking Show Bruno Feldeisen will be at the Baking Association of Canada booth to sign copies of his book, Baking With Bruno. Come by the booth to meet Bruno and to chat with the folks at BAC who are working hard on your behalf and keen to meet you!

Bruno Feldeisen was born in the small French town of Clermont-Ferrand. He began his career as an apprentice at one of France’s most renowned chocolate shops in Moulins: Les Palets d’Or. He graduated from his apprenticeship with an almost-perfect score.

After working as a chocolatier at Hotel de Paris in Monaco under the leadership of Chef Alain Ducasse, Bruno moved to the United States in 1988, working in a number of prestigious restaurants and hotels in California such as Patina and the Highlands Inn. In 1994, he became the executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York. Bruno’s culinary journey continued when opened Soléa, an American-French restaurant in San Francisco. He later became a pastry chef instructor at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and the executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. Recently, Bruno was leading the kitchen of the Semiahmoo Resort in northern Washington State, making the place a foodie destination to the delight of the Seattle crowd.

Bruno was named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Chocolatier Magazine two years in a row and has been nominated twice for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. His delicious works have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit Magazine and New York Magazine.

Bruno is a passionate and energetic chef, known for crafting unique cooking experiences. A supporter of the local food movement, he’s committed to food sustainability and supports ethical farming and fishing. Bruno is also a committed supporter of many not-for-profit organizations like Anxiety Canada, Growing Chefs, B.C. Cancer Society, and B.C. Kidney Foundation, among others.

A cookbook author, Bruno released Baking with Bruno in 2020 and is working on his second book, The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook to be published in late 2023.

2:00pm – 3:00pm (Session Room A) Technical Talk: KPM – Why Damaged Starch Is a Must Parameter in Flour Specifications for Bakers
Presenter: Dr. M. Hikmet Boyacioglu, Applications Development Specialist, KPM Analytics, Cereals & Grains Association

Starch granules in wheat endosperm may be damaged during milling, and the degree of starch damage depends on both milling conditions and raw materials. While a moderate level of starch damage is beneficial in bread making in terms of water absorption, fermentation process as well as staling, excessive starch damage can cause production problems like lower dough and baking yield, dough stickiness, and inferior product quality. Therefore, control of starch damage at a moderate level is essential in flour and any kind of bread production, and consequently, damaged starch content of flour should be included in flour procurement specification. In this presentation, renowned cereals expert Dr. M. Hikmet Boyacioglu will discuss the importance of damaged starch from the baker’s point of view and current damaged starch determination methods, and answer your questions.

Join government dignitaries, baking industry and trade organizations as the Baking Association of Canada officially welcomes the world to Bakery Showcase 2023!

Are you visiting from beyond Canada’s borders? Here is the perfect opportunity to meet the Baking Association of Canada and make new business connections and friends! We invite our international visitors to join as at the FCC Networking Lounge. After registering for Bakery Showcase, please RSVP info@baking.ca to let us know you are coming!

Welcome to the Mother’s Day Celebration Cakes Student Cake-Decorating Competition!

Sponsored by

Organized in collaboration with Vancouver Island University and Vancouver Community College, this unique competition will test and showcase the skills of the students from local baking programs, provide them with feedback from judges and allow them to make connections within the industry. Students will craft cakes on a Mother’s Day theme that will be on display throughout Showcase. Judging takes place Sunday, May 14, from 4-5 p.m., and we’ll present the awards Monday, May 15, at 11 a.m.

Meet the next generation of Canadian bakers and see what sparks their creativity and what skills they have to offer!

The Canadian Pizza Summit and Chef of the Year Competitions is a two-day event bringing together chefs, owners, operators, suppliers and teams from pizzerias, restaurants and bakery-cafés in Canada. It’s the only event in Canada dedicated to the art and business of making pizza, and it offers attendees exciting competitions featuring signature pizzas from dozens of pizzerias, ideas to take back to your pizzeria, opportunities to network with other pizzerias and exhibitors, check out the latest pizza-focused products and equipment and the chance to learn innovative techniques from other pizza makers!

12:00noon – 1:00pm (Canadian Pizza Summit Stage) Let Your Creativity Shine!
Presenter: Diana Cline, Owner and Partner, Diana’s Cucina and Lounge, Winnipeg, consultant to pizzeria owner/operators

Get set for an exciting, engaging and informative demonstration of pizza-making by award-winning pizza chef Diana Cline.

Diana will make a small batch of beer dough by hand, while offering tips for using different beers in pizza dough and highlights of those flavour profiles. While her brew-y pizza dough bakes, Diana will walk us through her creative process while building a pizza using international flavours.

Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year champion, three-time winner of “Canada’s Best Pizza Chef” at international pizza competitions and a judge for international pizza culinary competitions in Las Vegas, Italy and France, and for the Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year competition. She is partner with Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg and a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating operational systems and marketing to help operators grow their business strategically.

Don’t miss this interesting demo with one of the most creative, talented pizza chefs in Canada, who has been featured on the TV show You Gotta Eat Here! and Guy’s Grocery Games.

1:00pm – 2:00pm (Seminar Room B) The History and Culture of Pizza

Presenter: Francisco Migoya, Chef and Co-Author, Modernist Bread and Modernist Pizza

Francisco Migoya is the Modernist Cuisine head chef and co-author of Modernist Bread (2017), and Modernist Pizza (2021). Modernist Bread has won many awards, including: James Beard Foundation, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Gourmand cookbook awards. Together with Nathan Myhrvold, he directs culinary research, including the development of new techniques and recipes. He has been recognized as a top U.S. pastry chef and chocolatier, with accolades that include the Medal of Master Artisan Pastry Chef (2013) from Gremi de Pastisseria de Barcelona. Migoya owned Hudson Chocolates in New York and worked at both The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery as executive pastry chef. Prior to joining the Modernist Cuisine team, Migoya was a professor at The Culinary Institute of America, where his areas of instruction included bread, viennoiserie, pastry, and culinary science. Migoya’s book The Elements of Dessert (John Wiley & Sons, 2012), won a 2014 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award in the Professional Kitchens category.

3:00pm – 4:00pm Women in Pizza Panel-Canada Edition (Seminar Room B)

It’s no secret that the hospitality industry is male dominated, and the pizza scene is no exception. Join Modernist Cuisine publisher and editorial director Stephanie Swane for a special panel featuring women in the pizza industry highlighting some of their biggest champions! Stay tuned for more announcements about our panellists!

Moderator: Stephanie Swane, Publisher and Editorial Director, Modernist Cuisine

Stephanie Swane is the publisher and editorial director of Modernist Cuisine’s in-house publishing department The Cooking Lab. She develops and leads new publishing projects and partnership opportunities. She brings over 25 years of experience working on book publishing, global sales and distribution, brand management, foreign rights, production, and licensing to the team. In 2017, after four years of compiling research, the award-winning Modernist Bread was published and later translated into French, German and Spanish. In 2021, pizzaiolis around the world embraced Modernist Pizza with translations in Italian, French, German and Spanish published in June 2022. Over the last nine years she has traversed the globe to help the team research bread and pizza from every imaginable angle. Stephanie has met with experts in baking, milling, agriculture, production, history, fermentation, equipment and ingredient manufacturers, and beyond. She regularly attends industry workshops and conferences that cover all aspects of baking, from commercial production to cereal science. Stephanie is the host of a variety of Women in Pizza IG Live episodes highlighting the amazing and inspiring pizzaiolas from around the globe.

Panellists:

Diana Cline, Owner and Partner, Diana’s Cucina and Lounge in Winnipeg

Award-winning pizza chef Diana Cline is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year champion, three-time winner of “Canada’s Best Pizza Chef” at international pizza competitions and a judge for international pizza culinary competitions in Las Vegas, Italy and France, and for the Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year competition. She is partner with Diana’s Cucina & Lounge in Winnipeg and a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu development, creating operational systems and marketing to help operators grow their business strategically.

Suzanne Fielden, Co-Founder, Rocky Mountain Flatbread, EarthBites Society, Vancouver

Suzanne Fielden is an entrepreneur and co-founded with her husband, Dominic Fielden, the award-winning family farm-to-pizza restaurant Rocky Mountain Flatbread in 2004. You can find Suzanne in the restaurant hosting pizza-making parties or in a community garden growing food with families! Suzanne also started EarthBites Society to connect youth and families with their food. The EarthBites Team design, maintain urban gardens and deliver projects which teach families how to grow their own food and create healthy seasonal snacks – including pizza! Over her last 19 years Suzanne has been a part of a lot of changes in the restaurant industry and is proud that Rocky is still thriving and part of the farm-to-table movement in B.C. and Alberta.

Gabrielle Hamelin, Brand Manager, Pizzeria Napolitaine No. 900, Montreal

Gabrielle Hamelin is the brand manager for Pizzeria Napolitaine No. 900 in Montreal. Pizzeria Napolitaine NO. 900, a franchise of 28 restaurants, is the first pizzeria in Quebec to have received a certification  from the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN). Team members compete internally to decide which pizza chefs will represent the pizzeria at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas. Gabrielle is right there documenting No. 900’s activities and successes as just one aspect of her busy role!

3:30pm – 4:00pm (Canadian Pizza Summit Stage) Sourdough Pizza and a Twist on International Flavours

Presenter:
Steven Che, Wild Flour Pizza Co., Burnaby, B.C., 2nd Place, Chef of the Year West, 2022

Steven Che, partner in Wild Flour Pizza Co., will explain sourdough concepts, how sourdough relates to the pizzeria’s dough and why they decided to go the sourdough route with their business. He will demonstrate how they incorporate international flavours into their pizza, including his Butter Paneer Pizza, which earned him second place in the Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year Competition and features prominently on the adventurous menu.

4:00pm – 4:30pm (Canadian Pizza Summit Stage) Pizza Demo

Presenter:

Andy Finlayson, 70 Pizzeria/Rebellious Tomato, North Vancouver, B.C., 3rd Place, Chef of the Year West, 2022.

12:oopm – 1:00 pm  Sourdough Magic (Bakery Showcase Demonstration Stage)

Sponsored by

Bringing the magic of sourdough to the stage – Puratos’ Technical Advisors Michael Ranaudo and Tony Amaro will show you how to incorporate Puratos’ newest Whole Wheat Sourdough (Sapore Leo) into a delicious whole grain bread. You will also learn other ways that Puratos incorporates their passion for sourdough into their portfolio to bring differentiation, health, taste and freshness to the Canadian baking Industry.

Presenters:

Tony Amaro, Technical Advisor, Puratos Canada
Michael Ranaudo, Technical Supporting Sales

Tony Amaro
Tony Amaro, Technical Advisor to Puratos Canada, brings with him extensive experience in artisan baking and industrial and retail supermarket segments. Tony’s professional experience in the baking industry spans nearly 40 years and he has been associated with Puratos for more than 10 years. He began in Sundre, Alta., at IGA as an apprentice baker, then moved to Safeway, and later Sobeys, where he worked for eight years. Tony also owned and operated an artisan bakery for 17 years. Puratos’ international group offers a full range of innovative products and application expertise for artisans, industry, retailers and food-service customers in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors.

Michael Ranaudo
A graduate of the food technology program at Niagara College, Michael Ranaudo joined Puratos Canada in 2019 as part of the technical team, supporting sales in developing unique products to delight customers. His passion for baking is the driving force that led him to work with various professionals in the industry which inspired him to continue learning about baking. He previously completed an internship at the Center for Bread Flavour in May 2018. Based in Saint Vith, Belgium, the centre combines Puratos’ expertise in fermentation, flavour and bread pairings to show how flavour can influence the taste and texture of bread. During his internship, he learned about different bread concepts, with a focus on bread flavours and sourdough, working with a wide range of Puratos’ ingredient solutions.

1:00pm – 4:00pm Vancouver Community College Demonstrations

VCC’s skilled instructors present three dynamic demonstrations on baking techniques. Come watch, learn, ask questions and sample the goods!

1:00pm – 2:00pm Trending Travel Cakes with Leanne Bentley
2:00pm – 3:00pm – Galettes with Nav (Navkinderjit) Sidhu
3:00pm – 4:00pm Sourdough with Mark Burton

Leanne Bentley
Leanne Bentley is an instructor for the baking and pastry arts program at Vancouver Community College. Leanne’s journey started when she followed her love of food and baking and enrolled in the program at VCC in 2002. After completing her certificate, she went on to earn her Red Seal apprenticing at The Sutton Place Hotel. During her apprenticeship Leanne competed in a trades competition for Skills BC, and after winning went on to represent B.C. and compete nationally in Halifax, where she won a silver medal. Throughout her career she refined her skills working for establishments such as Mission Hill Winery, Delta Hotels and Fairmont hotels both locally and abroad before returning to VCC as an instructor in the fall of 2015. Leanne is excited to share her knowledge and passion for all things sweet with attendees.

Have you thought about adding a travel cake to your bakery’s menu? Travel cakes contain staple store cupboard ingredients, have a good shelf life of up to two weeks at room temperature, are easy to cut, package and consume, are shareable and great for long journeys! They make great snacks, and even better gifts. Inspired by this global trend, Leanne will showcase two flavours of travel cakes and demonstrate glazing and finishing techniques. Watch Leanne prepare and enjoy a taste of:

Strawberry shortcake featuring vanilla and strawberry swirl pound cake, dipped in a white chocolate strawberry glaze, garnished with vanilla buttercream, strawberry curd and crunchy streusel.
Chocolate praline featuring chocolate hazelnut pound cake, dipped in a chocolate glaze with crunchy hazelnut pieces, garnished with praline ganache and candied hazelnuts.

Nav (Navkinderjit) Sidhu
Navkinderjit Kaur Sidhu, a Red Seal Baker and VCC alumni, works as an Instructional Assistant at Vancouver Community College. Growing up in Punjab, India, food has always been an important part of her life as her parents owned a small-scale dairy farm and dairy processing plant. She developed a passion for baking after her son developed life-threatening nut allergies. Not being able to get any safe baked goods, she started to learn on her own and later graduated with a Pastry Arts Diploma. After graduation, she worked as a Research Baker in an NSERC project with VCC, BCIT and Rogers. This project was focused on the development of techniques and processes for gluten degradation and the improved nutritional value of sourdough breads. Navkinderjit eventually chose to open her own bakery Sugar and Spice Bakeshop in 2017 where she produces nut-free artisan style breads, galettes, cinnamon buns and many other treats. She works with local farms to directly source many of the fruits, vegetables and whole grains for her bakery. You can find these products at her regular pop-ups throughout Richmond and seasonally at the Steveston Farmers Market. Contact Nav @sugarandspice_bakeshop

Mark Burton
Mark Burton is a baking and pastry instructor at Vancouver Community College. Mark and wife Carly made a splash as Inspirational Bakery of the Year when they opened Best Kind Bakeshop in 2020. Mark previously served as executive pastry chef and director of culinary and baking pastry arts at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, and as executive pastry chef at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. He is a journeyman baker and graduate of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Baking Association of Canada BC Chapter Bakery Showcase Event

The Baking Association of Canada’s BC Chapter invites you to a dinner cruise on the M.V. Abitibi to celebrate Bakery Showcase and raise funds for our baking and pastry students. Experience dining in cruise-ship elegance, through the quiet waters of False Creek by the glitter of Science World and into the Inner Harbour. Take in the beautiful West Vancouver shoreline.This is a rare opportunity to network and celebrate with your friends and colleagues attending Bakery Showcase. Enjoy a West-Coast buffet dinner and a fully licensed bar. Proceeds of this event will help support baking and pastry and culinary students: the next generation of industry professionals! Come celebrate with us and raise funds for the betterment of students in the baking industry! Cost is $150 per person (plus tax) and space is limited. Don’t miss out! Register now!

Sponsored by 

Organized in collaboration with Vancouver Island University and Vancouver Community College, this unique competition will test and showcase the skills of the students from local baking programs, provide them with feedback from judges and allow them to make connections within the industry. Students will craft cakes on a Mother’s Day theme that will be on display throughout Showcase. Judging takes place Sunday, May 14, from 4-5 p.m., and we’ll present the awards Monday, May 15, at 11 a.m.

Meet the next generation of Canadian bakers and see what sparks their creativity and what skills they have to offer!

Meet the judges:

Chef Bruno Feldeisen, Great Canadian Baking Show

Renowned baker, cookbook author and judge on CBC’s Great Canadian Baking Show Bruno Feldeisen will be at the Baking Association of Canada booth to sign copies of his book, Baking With Bruno. Come by the booth to meet Bruno and to chat with the folks at BAC who are working hard on your behalf and keen to meet you!

Bruno Feldeisen was born in the small French town of Clermont-Ferrand. He began his career as an apprentice at one of France’s most renowned chocolate shops in Moulins: Les Palets d’Or. He graduated from his apprenticeship with an almost-perfect score.

After working as a chocolatier at Hotel de Paris in Monaco under the leadership of Chef Alain Ducasse, Bruno moved to the United States in 1988, working in a number of prestigious restaurants and hotels in California such as Patina and the Highlands Inn. In 1994, he became the executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York. Bruno’s culinary journey continued when opened Soléa, an American-French restaurant in San Francisco. He later became a pastry chef instructor at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, British Columbia and the executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. Recently, Bruno was leading the kitchen of the Semiahmoo Resort in northern Washington State, making the place a foodie destination to the delight of the Seattle crowd.

Bruno was named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Chocolatier Magazine two years in a row and has been nominated twice for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. His delicious works have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Gourmet Magazine, Bon Appetit Magazine and New York Magazine.

Bruno is a passionate and energetic chef, known for crafting unique cooking experiences. A supporter of the local food movement, he’s committed to food sustainability and supports ethical farming and fishing. Bruno is also a committed supporter of many not-for-profit organizations like Anxiety Canada, Growing Chefs, B.C. Cancer Society, and B.C. Kidney Foundation, among others.

A cookbook author, Bruno released Baking with Bruno in 2020 and is working on his second book, The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook to be published in late 2023.

Dalana Fleming, Owner, The Cake & The Giraffe, Vancouver, B.C.

Dalana Fleming, owner of The Cake & Giraffe in Vancouver, started baking with her mother around the age of four and has been carried by her passion ever since.

After graduating high school, she completed Vancouver Community College’s culinary arts course, then specialized in pastry arts. Since graduating the program she has worked in a chocolate shop, as the pastry assistant at catering company Savoury Chef Foods and as assistant cake designer with Tartlets Cake Design. She was awarded a scholarship from Les Dames d’Escoffier, which took her to study at the Bonnie Gordon School for Cake Design in Toronto and return the following spring to apprentice at the school.

Dalana conceived and began building her custom cake business The Cake & The Giraffe in 2009, finally opening in 2014. Whether it’s figure modelling, hand painting, sculpting or even creating a landscape, Dalana’s goal is to make every cake unique for every client.

Her delightful cakes have been featured in such publications as Real Weddings, B.C. Living and WedLuxe Magazine.

9:00am – 10:00am (Session Room A) What Does a Sustainable Bakery Business Look Like – and How Do You Get There?

Moderator: Colleen Cross, Editor, Bakers Journal

Panellists:
Michelle Reid, Community Engagement and Activation Lead, US/Can Team, B Corp
Matt Cimon, President of Portofino Bakery and Co-founder of Bond Bakery Brands

Learn from a certification expert what pursuing B Corp certification can mean to bakeries and restaurants of all sizes. Discover the concrete steps that two responsible and highly successful businesses have taken to become not only sustainable but also regenerative. Discover how alignment of your values with your bakery’s purpose can help drive your business decisions toward balance and financial success and make you an employer of choice.

Meet the Panellists:

Michelle Reid

Community Engagement and Activation Lead, B Lab US/Canada
Michelle Reid supports the growth and nurturing of the B Corp movement in her role as the Community Engagement and Activation Lead for B Lab US/Canada, which is supported by the Business Development Bank of Canada. She creates connections by building B Local Communities by providing resources, guidance and collective action opportunities to strengthen the B Economy and communities.

Michelle is passionate about the local economy and the impact of local purchasing, and supports organizations such as Loco BC where she served on the board of directors. Michelle is constantly striving to ensure that companies are using the best practices for their employees, the environment and the community they reside in and takes great pride in being able to support the redefining of success in business.

Matt Cimon

President of Portofino Bakery & Co-Founder of Bond Bakery Brands
Matt is currently president at Portofino Bakery, based in Victoria and one of Canada’s fasted growing commercial artisan bakeries. Portofino Bakery has recently made significant investments in stakeholder impact areas including receiving a Radicle Climate Smart Certification and B Corp Certification in 2023. Matt is also a co-founder of Bond Bakery Brands, a Canadian-based bakery investment platform that has a mission to build better bakeries and prove that food companies can both grow and be impact-leaders.

9:00am – 10:00am (Session Room B) Up-and-Comers: Three Baking Businesses to Watch

Moderator: Mark Dyck, Creator and Host of Rise Up! The Baker Podcast, and founder of Bakers4Bakers.org

Join the always-engaging baker, podcaster and forum host Mark Dyck for rich, thought-provoking conversation with up-and-comers in the world of baking and food service. With his engaging style, Mark will explore how these entrepreneurs got started, their priorities and their biggest challenges and triumphs. It’s a chance for aspiring bakery owners to get a sense of what really goes into opening “for real” and for the old guard to get a reminder of what it’s like to be starting out fresh!

Panellists:

Cass Helps and Dayle Kennedy, Tall Shadow Breads, Vancouver, B.C.
Adam Christie, Co-Owner, Working Culture Bread, Victoria, B.C.

Mark Dyck
Mark Dyck has people on his mind. He usually has flour on his shirt too. After a successful corporate career, Mark took a big leap with his wife Cindy and opened Orange Boot Bakery in Regina, Sask. Their small, traditional bread bakery was known as much for its generosity, humanity and devoted customers as for its delicious bread and pastries. The bakery was a natural extension of Mark’s people-first approach to his work.

Mark is the creator and host of Rise Up! The Baker Podcast, featuring conversations with professional bakers and bakery owners from around the world. He is the founder of Bakers4Bakers.org, a global community of bakery owners working together to build successful, sustainable bakeries. Mark is also a coach, helping people tell better stories and leaders make meaningful change.

Dayle Kennedy and Cass Helps
Cass Helps and Dayle Kennedy, co-founders of Tall Shadow Breads, live and bake bread in East Vancouver. They specialize in sourdough breads, using organic grains and a slow fermentation process. They say making sourdough is a physical and humbling process that requires time, patience and a sense of humour. These passionate entrepreneurs are transitioning the business from commissary kitchen to storefront, partnering with Miki Ellis and Stephen Whiteside to open Tall Shadow Bakery in East Vancouver early this summer.

Adam Christie

Adam Christie owns and operates with partner Jess Working Culture Bread, a neighbourhood bread and coffee shop in Rock Bay, Victoria, B.C., founded in fall 2020 after years of dreaming, planning and test baking. They bake organic sourdough bread from scratch and all of their products are handmade with a focus on local sourcing and seasonality. We are committed to being active members in our neighbourhood and local community.

10:00am – 11:00am (Session Room A) Paying a Living Wage

Moderator: Colleen Cross, Editor, Bakers Journal

Panellists:

Anastasia French, Provincial Manager, Living Wage for Families BC
Aart Schuurman Hess, CEO of Goodly Foods

Have you been considering paying a Living Wage at your bakery or restaurant? Anastasia French of Living Wage for Families BC will explore why this can be right for your business, walk you through the steps involved and provide concrete examples of businesses who have made the transition and become employers of choice.

Anastasia French

Anastasia French has been managing the Living Wage Campaign in BC since June 2020. She works with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to calculate the Living Wage for communities across British Columbia and certifies those employers who commit to paying both their staff and contracted workers a Living Wage. Over the past three years the number of Living Wage Employers in BC has doubled. Anastasia has a decade of experience managing campaigns and projects that have changed laws and policies in the U.K. and Canada. She can be reached through Living Wage for Families.

Aart Schuurman Hess

As Goodly Foods CEO, Aart Schuurman Hess brings a tremendous love for good, honest food to the table. With an extensive experience in both the private and public sector, food has played a key role in his life and career. Aart brings a wide and varied skill set to the position of chief executive officer. Before joining Goodly Foods, Aart acted as the CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank where he was instrumental in successfully executing the new vision and first strategic plan in the history of the organization. Prior to working at the Food Bank, Aart held executive roles as the Interim CEO (two years) and chief administrative officer of The Mustard Seed Alberta. Aart also held an executive role in a Dutch private equity investment firm, as well as senior-level positions in the airline food service and food manufacturing industries, where he successfully executed the move and start up of the world’s largest airline catering kitchen. Outside his daily work life, Aart served as chair of the Board of Food Secure Canada, as president of the Dutch Canadian Business Club of Calgary and chair of the Tax & Economic Affairs Committee of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. He is an active member the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, with a focus on community services and events.

10:00am – 11:00am (Session Room B) A Formula for Thriving Businesses and Good Jobs

Join Karen Bornarth, Executive Director of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, for a session on how to improve your business performance and employee experience simultaneously by combining an investment in people with operational choices that raise the productivity, contribution and motivation of employees. We will explore four operational choices – focus and simplify; standardize and empower; cross-train; and operate with slack – that have been proven to lower employee turnover and increase profitability. You will come away from this workshop with concrete ideas and tactics for your own operation and an understanding of why good jobs make good business sense.

Karen Bornarth is Executive Director of the Bread Bakers Guild of America, a nonprofit membership association dedicated to supporting the sustainable growth of the artisan baking industry through education, training and community.  The Guild’s 2000+ members are bakery owners, professional bakers, ingredient and equipment suppliers, educators and others dedicated to the production of the highest-quality baked goods and to advancing the baking industry.

Through her years of experience as a bread baker and educator in New York City’s culinary landscape, Karen brings a passion for education and advocacy for frontline food production workers. She is particularly interested in breaking down the systemic and structural barriers to career and economic advancement for people of color and women in the culinary industry.

In her current work with the Bread Bakers Guild of America, she supports bakery owners and professional bakers to achieve success in their baking practices and businesses through classes and events in baking techniques and the business of baking, and opportunities to connect with and learn from their peers.

During her seven-plus years with Hot Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit workforce and small business development agency in NYC, she developed an initiative to improve job quality and business performance in small food businesses, and oversaw a team to design and deliver a dynamic workforce development program in New York City.

She launched her career at Amy’s Bread as an overnight production baker, taught bread baking for several years at the French Culinary Institute, and developed products and processes for Le Pain Quotidien, an international franchise of bakery-cafés.

Sponsored by Puratos

2:00pm – 3:00pm (Session Room A) Sustainable Chocolate Solutions

Sylvestre Awono, global business development manager of Cacao-Trace for Puratos, will deliver a presentation on Cacao-Trace and lead a tasting of the chocolate so bakers can understand and experience the characteristics described in the presentation.

Presenter:

Sylvestre Awono is a Cacao-Trace expert and spokesperson, two roles he combines as global business development manager of Cacao-Trace, the Puratos sustainability program that creates and shares value among chocolate chain stakeholders, and especially cocoa farmers, to improve their living conditions. Sylvestre is the grandson of a cocoa farmer and worked in cocoa plantations in Cameroon as from an early age. He has a masters degree in food technology engineering, a post-graduate degree in entrepreneurship management and a masters in management from University of Liège in Belgium, where he launched his career as associate researcher. He has held various R&D and process improvement management positions in the field of essential oils, vanilla flavours and fermentation at academic and corporate levels prior to joining Puratos in 2005. During his 17-plus years with Puratos, he has successively led R&D of fermentation, product management and business development of bakery products. As global business development manager of Cacao-Trace, Sylvestre helps companies be successful in their business by prioritizing sustainable and ethical cocoa sourcing.

11:00am – 11:30am Mother’s Day Celebration Cakes Student Cake-Decorating Competition Awards Presentation

Sponsored by

Canadian Pizza Summit and Chef of the Year Competitions
The Canadian Pizza Summit and Chef of the Year Competitions is a two-day event bringing together chefs, owners, operators, suppliers and teams from pizzerias, restaurants and bakery-cafés in Canada. It’s the only event in Canada dedicated to the art and business of making pizza, and it offers attendees exciting competitions featuring signature pizzas from dozens of pizzerias, ideas to take back to your pizzeria, opportunities to network with other pizzerias and exhibitors, check out the latest pizza-focused products and equipment and the chance to learn innovative techniques from other pizza makers!

Chef of the Year Competition
Professional pizza makers will compete to be our next Chef of the Year West! The winner will be featured on the cover of Canadian Pizza magazine and receive a free trip to compete in the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in March 2024!

Open to owners, managers, chefs and employees of Canadian pizzerias or restaurants that feature homemade (fresh) pizzas. Must be 18 years of age and older. Canadian Pizza employees and their family members are not eligible, nor are employees or representatives of advertisers, exhibitors, other suppliers to the industry or their affiliates.

Our winner snags a free trip to compete in the International Pizza Challenge at Pizza Expo in March 2024. Canadian Pizza magazine will feature you on the cover! And of course, an award to display proudly in your pizzeria.

Read the rules here and register now!

Meet the Judges:

Francisco Migoya, Chef and Co-Author, Modernist Bread and Modernist Pizza

Francisco Migoya is the Modernist Cuisine head chef and co-author of Modernist Bread (2017), and Modernist Pizza (2021). Modernist Bread has won many awards, including: James Beard Foundation, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Gourmand cookbook awards. Together with Nathan Myhrvold, he directs culinary research, including the development of new techniques and recipes. He has been recognized as a top U.S. pastry chef and chocolatier, with accolades that include the Medal of Master Artisan Pastry Chef (2013) from Gremi de Pastisseria de Barcelona. Migoya owned Hudson Chocolates in New York and worked at both The French Laundry and Bouchon Bakery as executive pastry chef. Prior to joining the Modernist Cuisine team, Migoya was a professor at The Culinary Institute of America, where his areas of instruction included bread, viennoiserie, pastry, and culinary science. Migoya’s book The Elements of Dessert (John Wiley & Sons, 2012), won a 2014 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award in the Professional Kitchens category.

Peter Jacobs, Certified Master Baker, Bakery Application Consultant at The Baker’s Workshop, Newmarket, Ont.

An RBA Certified Master Baker, Peter Jacobs has worked more than 40 years in the bakery and food production industry in North America and Europe. His passion for baking started in Europe in the 1980s where he earned dual diplomas as journeyman baker and pastry chef by the age of 20. He moved to North America in 1990 where he became proficient in bread, bun, cake and pastry production. Since then he has built his skills, training and wide network in a variety of positions in the baking industry.

Peter is the owner of The Baker’s Workshop, a bakery-specific consulting company that provides such services as production optimization, efficiency evaluations, formula adjustments and collecting data during the baking and freezing process using an oven M.O.L.E. He is passionate about helping bakeries and pizzerias develop products, improve their production-line efficiencies, develop formulas and mentor new recruits.

Marzia Molatore, Mamma Marzia, Bella Cibo, Langley, B.C.

Mamma Marzia, founder of Bella Cibo, born in Naples and grew up in the Valtellina in northern Italy, moved to Vancouver in 2003 to follow the big love of her life. Growing up in Italy homemade food was a big part of her culture. She learned how to cook with passion from her mom, nonna and aunts.

In February 2003 she hosted her first lasagna cooking class. Inspired by the enthusiasm of her students, she made it her goal to teach people how to cook real food while they have fun. She launched a social media campaign and started to teach authentic Italian cuisine to other people. The name of her company, “Bella Cibo,” literally means “beautiful food.” Mamma Marzia now hosts classes from her kitchen. Bella Cibo is well known for making donations to schools and various local charity events. In 2018 Bella Cibo won the Service Excellence Award from the Langley Chamber of Commerce. Mamma Marzia published a cookbook in 2020, a collection of her family recipes.

Hassi Sadri, Napoli Culinary Academy and Café Napoli, Sacramento, Calif.

Hassi Sadri is an award-winning chef and the founder of Napoli Culinary Academy and Café Napoli, an international restaurant and hotel consultant, Head Judge at the Annual International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas and Pizza and Pasta Expo in Atlantic City.

 Chef Hassi has an extensive international background in the culinary arts, food and beverage, and hotel management. He has a PhD in industrial management and experience as director of food and beverage of a premier hotel and casino in Reno, and international hotel and restaurant consultant. 

He appeared on the cover of Pizza Today magazine as one of the “Top Pizzas in the Nation,” in addition to making the restaurant one of the “Top 100 Unique Restaurants In The Nation.” Chef Hassi’s regular customers have included everyone from prominent local business, local TV personalities, to the governor’s office, and the Sacramento Kings.  Chef Hassi donates thousands of dollars in scholarships, classes, and food, annually to local charities, schools, and low-income and at-risk students, and has been honoured with the distinguished Domestic Violence Prevention Collaboration Award by the District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement, for his donations and dedication to helping his community.

4:00pm – 4:30pm (Canadian Pizza Summit Stage) Great Pizza Box Fold-Off

The Great Pizza Box Fold-Off is back! Want to show off your box-folding skills? Looking for a way to set your pizzeria apart from the rest? Want to have fun and meet fellow pizza teams? Enter the Great Pizza Box Fold-Off! We invite attendees to challenge the standing record of 10 boxes folded in 36.33 seconds by Virgil Risi of Maria’s Original Pizza, Brantford, Ont., in 2020 to earn bragging rights as Canada’s top folder! Read the rules here and register now!

4:30pm Chef of the Year awards presentations

1:00pm – 4:00pm Vancouver Island University presents three dynamic demonstrations by skilled instructors

1:00pm – 1:45pm Beekeeping and the Baker: sharing my insights and experience keeping bees as a pastry chef and crafting a delicious dessert

Presenter: Aron Weber, Baking and Pastry Program Chair and Instructor

Chef Aron is a graduate of the Cook Training Program at Vancouver Island University, graduating with honours in 1996. After completing his Red Seal Apprenticeship in Baking at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, Aron continued his career with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, working in Bermuda, Jasper, Washington D.C. and Hawaii. During his career, he received many accolades, including as leader of the year for Fairmont Washington D.C., numerous culinary competition medals, and for co-founding rooftop beekeeping programs. Aron began working as an instructor in post-secondary in Vancouver and Calgary, and has been teaching the next generation of bakers and pastry chefs since 2013. In 2022, Aron accepted the position of Chair and Instructor for the Professional Baking Arts Program, bringing his culinary career full circle back to Vancouver Island University.

2:00pm – 2:45pm Bi-Colour Lamination, Rose and Strawberry Croissants

Presenter: David Nolan, Pastry and Baking Instructor, Professional Baking and Pastry Arts, Vancouver Island University

Pastry and Baking Instructor, Professional Baking and Pastry Arts, Vancouver Island University

Pastry Chef David Nolan is a Red Seal Baker and Red Seal Cook with over 20 years’ experience, and has made several appearances as a guest chef on television shows. He began his culinary career at the age of 14 washing dishes in a small, family-run restaurant in Brantford, Ont. After graduating from the Niagara Culinary Institute, he joined Fairmont Hotels and worked in the Canadian Rockies as well as the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC. While working at the Empress, Chef Nolan taught pastry instruction under Chef Ken Harper at VIU. Chef Nolan then joined Ritz-Carlton Hotels and worked as the Executive Pastry Chef in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Tysons Corner, Virginia (Washington DC); and beautiful Lake Oconee in the State of Georgia. He returned to Canada in October of 2011 to work as Pastry Chef Instructor at VIU. In 2021 he joined the Professional Baking program on a full-time basis where he enjoys helping students succeed in the field he is so passionate about.

3:00pm – 3:45pm Chocolate: More than just Bean to Bar

Presenter: Ken Harper, Pastry Chef Instructor, Vancouver Island University

The story of how students helped made a custom chocolate for VIU Professional Baking and Pastry Arts Program. Making chocolate is a process that many, even those in the industry, may not fully understand. Through the custom chocolate program of Cacao Barry called Or Noir, our students and faculty visited a factory outside of Paris, France, to create 500 kilograms of a unique chocolate only available and made especially for VIU. Sample the chocolate and products made from it.

Ken Harper is a graduate of Camosun College’s culinary program. He is currently Pastry Chef Instructor at Vancouver Island University. Ken has served as Executive Pastry Chef at The Fairmont Empress in Victoria; as Assistant Pastry Chef at the Edmonton Convention Centre; and as Chef de Partie at Pan Pacific Vancouver and Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort.

Ken has earned multiple medals at national and international culinary competitions and excelled in the field of ice carving. He was a participant at Ice Magic Lake Louise for many years, taking third place and the People’s Choice Award in 2008 and 2009, and in the international competition Ice Magic, Ice on Whyte in Edmonton and WinterLude in Ottawa.

Ken graduated from the Instructor Diploma Program at Vancouver Community College, earned the Vancouver Island Chef’s Collaborative award and is a past member of the board of directors. He is a Canadian Culinary Federation accredited culinary salon judge and a past member of the board of directors’ local branch, as well as a member of the U.S. Pastry Alliance.

He is known for his many appearances on cooking and pastry segments on CH Victoria (Global Television), articles in local news publications and spots on national new programs as a member of Culinary Team Alberta and Culinary Team Canada.