Rubbermaid Commercial Products has launched its colour-coded foodservice system, a food prep and storage collection to help commercial kitchens reduce foodborne illness and cross-contamination issues. The colour-coded line ranges from prep tools to storage, including cutting boards, a cutting board rack, tongs, high-heat spatulas, square containers with lids and round containers with lids. Seven colour options are available, and kitchens can choose from eight different starter kit solutions, each including an implementation guide and a poster to help educate workers. All products are commercial dishwasher safe, and the high-heat spatulas are built to resist temperatures up to 500º F. www.rubbermaidcommercial.com

Revent has introduced its ONE Series rack ovens with a round baking chamber design, producing a slimmer yet more powerful commercial oven.

Unifiller launched its iPump at the International Baking Industry Expo (IBIE) in Las Vegas (Oct. 8-11, 2016).

The new Ariva-S-Mini from Mettler Toledo is a standalone scale designed for checkout counters.

TouchBistro, an iPad point-of-sale solution for cafes and restaurants, now offers integration with QuickBooks small business accounting software.

Adam Equipment has added the new Astro scale to its range of portable weighing equipment, offering user-friendly features in a compact, sleek design.

ORBIS Corporation has introduced a 40- x 48-inch top cap and pallet system for the packaged goods and food processing industries. The company’s StakCap top cap covers pallet loads so they maintain uniform weight distribution when being stored or transported, and the top cap also secures pallet loads for more efficient material handling while enhancing the safety and maneuverability of double stacked pallets.

The new Deco-iSpot from Unifiller can be used to easily ices cakes and decorates cupcakes directly from a bowl or pail.

Comax Flavors has introduced natural S’mores and natural S’mores Pancake flavors to recreate the classic campfire treat. The S’mores flavor balances toasted marshmallow with sweet chocolate and a graham cracker finish, while the S’mores Pancake flavor combines the taste of chocolaty marshmallow and graham cracker with pancakes and breakfast syrup.

The WP Kemper Kronos spiral mixer is a new design and a lower-cost version of the company’s President spiral mixer. The Kronos can handle gluten development for a variety of doughs because of its three-zone kneading process.

Mecatherm has launched MECAtoast, its new versatile toast bread production line. The production of toast bread requires dough to go through a series of stages, each open to the potential for mistakes that could disrupt the bread’s chemical process, thus the need for automated production.

Notte’s Bon Ton Bakery will soon mark its 85th year in business in Vancouver, B.C. Since first opening in 1933, it hasn’t always been in the same location, but as the decades have rolled on, it’s retained the same charming character and adherence to pastries, cakes and other desserts made in traditional, time-tested ways.

It was all hands on deck this past February 28 at Blak’s Bakery. The regular staff of about 10 was bumped up to 40 that day, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday.

You can be the most talented baker or pastry chef the world has ever known, but if you don’t have the business sense and skills to back up your abilities in the kitchen, and you aren’t a lifelong learner keen to keep up with rapidly changing trends and tastes, you might never know success.

There are not so many people left who want to become a baker,” says Heiderose “Heidi” Claussing of the German Bakery in Port Annapolis, N.S. Claussing would know: She is a third-generation baker and co-owner of the bakery. Her husband, Dieter Claussing, is a Red Seal certified baker and master baker.

Satin Ice’s Artists of Excellence are elite cake artists from around the world who are all dedicated to their craft. Projecting exceptional talent, inventiveness with each creation and a strong passion for the Satin Ice brand, an Artist of Excellence embodies the true spirit of the cake decorating community and is an inspiration to cake artists all over the world.

As a-ha moments go, the one that conceived Junior’s Handmade Sourdough Pizza in Bowmanville, Ont., was a quiet but significant one. It came when, after years of working in the restaurant industry, Jade Chaput and husband Victor Hanc Jr. planned to get into the pizza business.

Since before the time of confederation in Canada, the brick oven at Culbert’s Bakery in Goderich, Ont., has been turning out tasty treats to its loyal customers: a mix of tourists and seniors who’ve grown up with the bakery.  

In late September, Hamilton, Ont. bakery owners Josie Rudderham and Nicole Miller received news they had won the top $100,000 prize in a nation-wide Small Business Challenge, a competition sponsored by Telus and The Globe and Mail. The Challenge accepted over 3,400 entries and narrowed the field to five semi-finalists, and it was Cake & Loaf Bakery who rose to the top.

Tune into the chatter of bakers on social media and one thing becomes clear; whole-grain baking is hot. In her book Flavor Flours, celebrated baker Alice Medrich is using sorghum and teff, and Dan Lepard is encouraging his weekly Guardian readers to mill their own flour from whole grains. It appears that one of the happy outcomes of the search for wheat substitutes is the discovery of new flavour frontiers in baking.

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.

Thinking back to the early struggles of selling his vision for an industrial artisan bread factory to investors, Michel Saillant fondly remembers encouraging words he received from his mother: “Don’t give up,” she told him, “You’re so right for this project.” And now, over a decade later, his vision has become reality, and Boulart, the Montreal-based bread wholesaler, is achieving annual sales of over $50 million.

This recipe comes to Bakers Journal from Kristin Atwood, a student in Durham College’s advanced baking and pastry arts program (see feature story in Bakers Journal, April 2017).

April 7, 2017 -- Are you looking for a fun Easter activity to do with the kids or a simple yet lovely treat to bring to an Easter celebration? Pansy suckers are a sweet way to celebrate the season!

This earthy take on the traditional French madeleine was part of the Wild Blueberry Festival held at the Evergreen Brick Works farmers’ market in Toronto. The recipe uses heritage einkorn wheat and comes to us courtesy of both Edmund Rek of Evelyn’s Crackers—a regular at the Brick Works—and the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (www.wildblueberries.com).

This recipe comes from Jennifer Palmer, owner/operator of Jennifer’s Cakes in London, United Kingdom.

Packaged in cello a gingerbread cookie puzzle makes a perfect stocking stuffer or gift for friends and family. This recipe comes from Catherine Beddall’s new book, The Magic Of Gingerbread, that includes instructions for baking, constructing and decorating gingerbread creations from scratch.

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.

Apple Pear Caramel Praline PieCombining the best of the fall harvest fruits with pure sweetness and a bit of crunch, this recipe comes to us courtesy of Jenell Parsons of The Pie Hole in Vancouver.

As fall approaches, this hearty spiced cake incorporates vegetable, fruit and nuts for a wholesome offering. This recipe is courtesy the California Walnut Board & Commission. www.walnuts.org

For a light summer treat, tart but sweet, lemon meringue always fits the bill. This recipe comes from 2016 Jake the Baker award winner Joanna Schultz of Pikanik in White Rock, BC.

These recipes for blueberry torta and blueberry oatmeal breakfast bread are courtesy of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and sure to please with fresh, simple flavours. www.blueberrytech.org

Yukiko Sekiya of Yuki Bakery in Montreal shared this strawberry recipe to highlight the use of seasonal fruits on the dessert table (can you hardly wait until June?). Apples can be substituted to make spiced apple cupcakes. 

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, between 2008 and 2012, the gluten-free market had a compound annual growth rate of more than 26 per cent and the global market is expected to hit US$6.2 billion by 2018.

Many consumers welcome ingredients they can see and pronounce on food packages. They value ingredient declarations that do not contain long lists of chemical-sounding words.

With the constant desire for more natural products and cleaner labels, bakers are facing a dilemma. Many are asking, “How do I delay mould growth without the addition of inhibitors?”

Tea has a long history originating from its Chinese and Indian heritage. It’s known as a comforting beverage, but well-publicized research about its health benefits has also helped its popularity.

In the last issue (see Bakers Journal, January/February 2017) I shared the results of a personal experiment I conducted with a sourdough starter (or levain) to determine just how resilient an established starter can be. Leaving two levains in my refrigerator, one for seven months, one for three months, I revived them with no problem over the course of four days.

Feb. 21, 2017, TORONTO -- March 1, 2017, marks the beginning of National Nutrition Month, an over 30 year old campaign designed to focus on bettering food choices and developing improved eating and physical activity habits for Canadians. According to StatCan in 2014, 20.8 per cent of Canadians over 18 are classified as obese, with poor eating choices acting as a major contributor. To help incorporate more nutrient-based items into Canadian diets, Victoria, B.C.-based raw foods chef Heather Pace shares five lesser-known ingredients that pack flavour and function into everyday recipes.

Sweets carry year-round appeal, but customer cravings still have seasonality. A survey of 1,000 consumers found that their chocolate cravings really kick in during winter. And, in fact, the desire to cozy up with all things cocoa only seems to be growing: “Chocolate’s not only the No. 1 flavour on dessert menus, but it’s also risen 7 per cent over the past four years,” says Jana Mann, senior director of menu research at food industry research firm Datassential.

For many years now I have been teaching artisan bread classes to foodies, bread lovers and students. It is interesting that a common theme from students is they don’t like sourdough bread. After a few quick questions, however, I realize they have not had real sourdough bread that’s naturally fermented. Instead they have been eating a “bread product” made with flavour additives like acetic acid, lactic acid and fumeric acid that have been added to a premix or base to replicate the smell and taste of a naturally leavened sourdough bread.

Increased interest in food from mission-based companies, emerging millennial values and a desire to be part of a food tribe are all factors fuelling the growth of vegan foods, reports Elizabeth Carford in a March 2015 Food Navigator USA article entitled, “Vegan is going mainstream, trend data suggest.” Carford cites Eric Pierce, director of strategy and insights with New Hope Natural Media, who says, “The reason for the expansion appears to be the mitigation of the perception of vegan beyond its traditional stereotype of being all about animal welfare.”

Consumers today buy their food following three criteria: taste, health and freshness. If a product fulfills all three criteria, they will have more trust and increase their purchase intention.

In a move to assist food manufacturers with clean label ingredients, Cargill is adding to its line of emulsifiers with the deoiled canola lecithin. The company now offers customers three plant-sourced lecithin options – soy, sunflower and canola – in the U.S. and Canada.

Believe it or not, it’s possible for baker tenants.

When’s the last time you upgraded your oven or mixer? Perhaps it’s been a while.

The 2017 summer season will likely bring more tourists to your city or community since it will include a major birthday for Canada.

Owners of independent bakeries surely have been told how important it is for them, as small businesses, to have an online and social media presence.

The end is nigh for hydrogenated oils in Canada. The writing is on the wall, the chickens are coming home to roost, the clock strikes midnight – you get the picture. Time is almost up.

Mississauga, Ont. – The Restaurants Canada Show, which took place Feb. 26-28 in Toronto, marked Canada’s 150th birthday by celebrating the diversity of Canadian food culture and the unity of the foodservice industry along with its challenges and strengths.

Mark your calendar for HostMilano 2017, one of the world’s top trade shows for companies in the foodservice, food retail, and hotel industries.

The 2017 North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) show took place Feb. 9-11, 2017, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

After nearly a century of serving the bakery business, Dawn Foods’ optimism and dedication to the industry is stronger than ever. Dawn proudly support our customers, helping to make life’s special moments more memorable. Running a bakery is a 24/7 labor of love that requires ongoing care, and Dawn is committed to providing industry-leading products, resources and services.

Does leasing a larger commercial space lead to increased business? Not necessarily! In fact, bakery tenants often find that a larger commercial space results in a bigger problem that they are not profiting. When they come to The Lease Coach stating that they are not making any money because their rent is too high we have often discovered that, more often than not, the baker has simply leased too many square feet.

If you decide to start a bakery where you will be able to showcase your talents, developing a business plan for your new operation is vital.

Students in the professional baking and pastry arts program at Vancouver Island University are training on the most modern, state-of-the-art equipment available, thanks to a generous donation from MONO Equipment, in partnership with RF Bakery Equipment.

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.

April 27, 2015, Ottawa -- Though most Canadians don't like to admit to essential skills deficiencies, a new report from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) suggests that individuals stand to earn more by investing in upgrading skills such as numeracy and problem-solving.

Dec. 11, 2014, Ottawa -- With 91 per cent of educators convinced skilled tradespeople will always be in demand, there is a strong case for connecting students to hands-on activities and accurate employment data, suggests a report released yesterday by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA).

As a chef and instructor for the culinary institute at George Brown College in Toronto, I need to have a down-pat process for developing recipes that will be successes in the classroom. Perhaps you are considering expanding your business by teaching classes.