Lagostina introduced a new logo and updated packaging to Canadians.

Social-mission bakery, Rubicon Bakers has launched a new addition to their deliciously innovative product line: Vegan Neapolitan Cupcakes. Inspired by a nostalgic favourite, these delightful pink treats are, incidentally, vegan.

Due to the growing body of evidence of its role as a potential carcinogen, acrylamide is fast becoming a big concern for the food industry.

Wellbake has developed a specially designed machine for sheeted flat bread products.

Herza Schokolade will unveil new chocolate couverture pieces made from specific fine organic cocoa varieties, at BioFach 2019.

Kerry signed a license agreement with Renaissance BioScience Corp to supply Renaissance’s Acryleast, a non-GMO acrylamide-reducing yeast enzyme, to food and beverage manufacturers, starting in 2019.

A 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion named Total Corbion PLA, announced the start-up of its 75,000 tonnes per year PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) bioplastics plant in Rayong, Thailand.

A new concept from Arla Foods Ingredients will help cookie manufacturers tap into the high-protein and healthy indulgence trends while overcoming technical challenges.

Metal detection specialist Fortress Technology will reveal its latest pathogen cross contamination deterrent - the Meat Pump Pipeline at the International Production & Processing Expo. Its IPPE launch coincides with the new BRC Global Food Safety Standard Issue 8 audits commencing in February.

Salt of the Earth, Ltd., announced exclusive distribution agreements for Australia, Poland, South Africa, and Thailand of its clean-label  flavour enhancement and sodium reduction ingredient.

Flexible screw conveyors in popular sizes are now available for shipment in two to five days as ready-to-assemble packages with Flexicon’s Quick-Ship Program, the company announced.

Chef Aiko Uchigoshi has over 14 years of experience in pastry. Her expertise in both Japanese and French pastry made her a natural choice for Toronto’s Miku restaurant.

When Chef Nadège Nourian first came to Toronto, macarons weren’t near as popular in the city as they were in her original home of Paris, France. Now calling her Queen West neighbourhood her home, she not only made her flagship shop the go-to destination for authentic French pastry, but she has since changed the pastry landscape in Toronto, as well.

"In black and white” has so many meanings. That term can refer to cut-and-dried facts, printed in black ink on white paper. Black and white speaks of contrast, of light and dark.

Did you know that an African American was the first to invent industrial kitchen equipment?

If you’re a baker who is creating gift baskets in provinces that allow for alcohol sales, or if you just want to know which wines pair well with certain pastry, read on! Bakers Journal has an exclusive interview with the multiple award winning sommelier, Véronique Rivest.

Riding the tail feathers of a festive Thanksgiving season, industry bakers are now poised to serve up delectable yuletide sweet Christmas treats. And none is more excited for the season than celebrity baker, chef, and self-admitted “Christmas nerd” Anna Olson, whose nostalgic holiday memories continue to inspire her culinary journey to this day.

A plated dessert provides a sweet chance to relax and indulge at the end of a meal. The dessert needs to complement the menu, fit with the style and ambience of the restaurant or venue and be pleasing to the palate. Most importantly, the plated dessert is the last impression a customer leaves with, as it lingers on tastebuds.

Bakers Journal had the privilege of interviewing the busy, internationally-known pastry chef who began his illustrious career at the age of 16.

As Canadian consumers continue feeding their appetites for low carbohydrate, reduced sugar, and gluten-free foods, bakers such as Chef Jan Campbell-Luxton bake on, unburdened by the latest food trends.

James Beard Foundation Award nominee, Chef Greg Wade of Publican Quality Bread is modest, but pleased with the nod from the American Who’s Who in culinary excellence. “It’s nice to be thought of and recognized as one of the best bakers in the country, and I’m hopeful for next year…it’s just pretty cool. It’s a pretty wild experience,” says the young chef.

Artisan breads are all the rage. Prefermentation, the process of using bread dough made hours in advance, to add to the final dough, is the new norm. Think biga, poolish, sourdough and levain. Mix in a vast variety of grains and seeds to really ramp up flavour and basic white bread just can’t compete.

A home cook’s version of Miku Toronto’s famous Green Tea Opera Cake

Cozy up this fall with a warm pie and Cameron’s Auburn Ale. Thanks, OCB and Cameron’s Pale Ale!

Chef Allen Susser recommends using mangoes at their ripest. This recipe was launched at the South Beach Mango Festival.

Vegan baking is on the rise. If you are on the hunt for a yummy vegan cupcake recipe to offer your customers, try this sweet potato recipe from Kelly Childs and Erinn Weatherbie of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe in Burlington, Ont.

Toronto – Muskoka Brewery and Ace Bakery of Toronto teamed up to create bread recipes using three seasonal beers, Winterweiss, Shinnicked Stout and Harvest Ale, and offer classes on how to make them. The London Free Press reports. | READ MORE

Pizza New: A whole new era for the world’s favourite food, by chef Stefano Manfredi, looks at what happens when pizza is made using different stone-milled flours, various fermentation procedures and free of the strictures of tradition. It includes recipes for pizza rossa, pizza bianca, Roman pizza, and filled, fried and sweet pizzas such as the delicate dessert recipe below, “Pillow of dreams.”

These brownies were inspired from her chocolate bar that is infused with cherry fig black tea, as well as the chai brownie recipe in Raelene Gannon’s book tea from cup to plate, which was published in 2015.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Rhubarb Pie

Coconut Passion Fruit Domes

Pineapple Dream Bars

Scientists have developed a natural way to prevent discoloration of pastry dough during storage using a combination of white wine and lemon juice.

Breakfast has evolved from an early morning dish to grab-and-go snacks or all-day meals.  In 2018 we observed consumers loving quick, easy and nutritious breakfast choices like overnight oats and high protein breakfast cookies. Social media is flooded with breakfast from the iconic avocado toasts to innovative, healthy pancakes for the grab-and-go market.

With the legalization of cannabis, many companies may need to revise their health and safety rules, and know their employees' rights.

Over the years, the very low carbohydrate, high protein diet has been marketed and rebranded. In the course of my twenty-plus year food and nutrition career, I’ve seen it go from Atkins to keto.

Now, in its second year, WSIB’s Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards recognized outstanding health and safety programs in small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

This summer, ice cream served in exotic cones is a popular trend with chefs and restaurants around Canada and the United States. Croissants, Cruffins (croissant-muffin hybrids), and even traditional Hungarian chimney cakes are seen in bakeries, pop-up shops and food trucks.

Summer is a time where consumers desire healthy, refreshing and fun food and beverage options to enjoy with their friends and families. Here’s a perspective on satisfying summer flavour trends:

Researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) have found that the cleanliness of restaurant employees is vital to customer perceptions of food safety, equally as important as a clean environment and hygienic food preparation.

Did you know that nine out of every ten bites of food we eat today start with a seed? Seeds are important in our food ecosystem. Seeds – specifically the ones often called “super seeds” such as chia, flax, pumpkin, hemp, sesame and sunflower seeds – are garnering a lot of attention in the North American baking world these days.

Aquafaba, the fancy, latinate term for “bean water,” is a cost-effective egg substitute that lends itself well to vegan and allergy-free pastry. Rebecca Coleman, the author of “Aquafabulous! 100 + Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba,” was first introduced to this versatile ingredient through social media.

Inclusions and topping add flavour, colour, texture and elegant design elements to baked goods and desserts. Dried fruit, fresh fruit, a variety of nuts and candies are popular options. So, just how can bakers and pastry chefs use these items for product development and to enliven their menus?

There is an old proverb that goes, “Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish, and you’ll feed them for a lifetime.”

Learning real estate law around starting a business is hard enough: Here are tips to help you recognize a lease that’s legit.

When most people hear that the government gives money away as grants, their reaction is that it must not be true.

Does your bakery make a good first impression? 5 easy tips to influence would-be customers.

If you are struggling with sluggish sales, there are two critical areas you must review. The first is determining if the slowdown is due to changes in your target market. The second is determining if your sales and promotional approaches are ineffective.

Food companies have been subject to more frequent audits, with both Safe Quality Food (SQF) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) completing annual audits to the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) standards: Here's how to keep your business running safely.

Interruption or complete loss of power in a food and beverage plant is estimated to cost between $100,000 and $1 million per hour, stressing just how dependent bakeries are on a continuous supply of electrical power.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software integrates multiple business functions into one program, from accounting to traceability.

Food-tech company OAL announced the formal launch of the world’s first artificial intelligence-based vision system, APRIL Eye, for date code verification.

Do you remember the last time a restaurant, bakery or a café surprised you, with a quick phone call, handwritten postcards or a sample of freshly baked cookies?

Bakery merchandising can be a simple and cost-effective way to enhance your customers’ shopping experience, and most importantly, boost your sales. Give passing pedestrians a chance to see something they might not have seen before: Turn your bakery into an experience, not just the to buy treats.

Back to School” is a deeply nostalgic term. It brings me back to the smell of new notebooks, fresh pens, and a chance to start anew. With this edition of Bakers Journal, students of all ages are learning something new, and with it, the olfactory memories of school supplies means the smell of something delicious in the oven.

Aurora, Ont. – The Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College will offer short-term and part-time training in culinary skills, commercial brewing and viticulture in Aurora, Ont.

Charlottetown – The Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College in Charlottetown recently opened up its new facilities – which include a restaurant and cafeteria – to students after months of renovations. The Guardian reports. | READ MORE

With their semester coming to an end, students in the Advanced Baking and Pastry graduate certificate program at Durham College (DC) were put to their final test – create a Pop-up Bake Shop in which to package, market and sell their creative concoctions.

George Brown College's chef school held its annual gingerbread house competition on Tuesday, Nov. 29, with 23 entries vying for prizes.

Belgian pastry chef Mathieu Dierinck, a technical advisor to the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Wieze, Belgium, made a stop at George Brown College in Toronto in late October to provide to demonstration to a crowd of industry professionals and students.

There is no language barrier when it comes to high-end patisserie.

On Thursday, May 12 Cacao Barry, in cooperation with George Brown College in Toronto, hosted a demonstration by chef Ramon Morato, an award-winning cookbook author and the global creative innovation leader with Cacao Barry, based at the Chocolate Academy training centre in Barcelona.

Customers are curious about what you do, how you do it, and how they can execute some of your tricks of the trade at home. Just look at the programming line up on Food Network Canada, the abundance of food and drink magazines lining the checkouts at your local grocery store, and the buffet of websites, blogs and social media accounts catering to self-proclaimed “foodies.”

Three creative star chefs and Cacao Barry chocolate proved an irresistible combination for students of George Brown College’s baking program.

To borrow from Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changing, and nowhere is that more evident than in the baking and pastry programs across the country. And the students are changing, too.