Editor’s Letter: April 2019

The Las Vegas International Artisan Baking Show in Las Vegas took place between March 4 to March 7, 2019.  Canadian Pizza  Summit champions Giuseppe Cortinovis of Ignite Pizzeria in Vancouver, B.C., and Dean Litster of Armando’s Pizza in Windsor, Ontario showed the Las Vegas Convention Centre what makes Canadian pizzas so special.

The International Artisan Bakery Show explored how more bakers are keen to work with ancient and whole grains, educational session indicated that there are ways to create pastry out of whole grain, despite some initial challenges in texture.

Deborah Ott, the world’s youngest Master Chef to date, and the first woman to be titled the youngest Master Chef at that, is emphatic how customers respond to quality first. “People like novelty, and at the moment, going with whole flours, whole grain is part of that interest. In all people enjoy good quality food.”

Peter Reinhart will be coming out with a new book on pizza in the spring. He speaks emphatically of how people are drawn to family businesses, and what the “taste of home” means to customers. “We’ve gone beyond the trend of Neapolitan pizza baked in a wood-fired oven, and we’re going back towards old-school pan pizzas, like, Detroit-style, Foccaccia, Grandma pies…now there’s even Roman style,” Reinhart says of the movement towards rectangular pies that are sliced into squares or rectangular slices.

The reference of a dish called “Grandma Style” or “Grandmother style” pans signifies a movement towards family. People are eating out with their families, or long for something that speaks of a shared meal with loved ones, if not a connection to their family’s culinary heritage.

In this issue, you’ll read about two couples creating a culinary heritage in Toronto. You will read about Kate and Kyle Wilson, who made a commitment to start a bean-to-bar chocolate shop that focused on ethically sourced cacao.  You will share the dreams of Igor and Talitha Ramades, who had taken culinary courses but never had the courage to leave their lucrative positions to become chocolatiers until their son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

The two couples want to make the world a better place, and they decided to put their money where our mouths are: By making decadent, treats that support a good cause, these two people are making a difference in their communities.

Food creates a community: Every neighbourhood has a cherished pizza parlour, a favourite bakery, a chocolate shop that lights up someone’s face.  The International Artisan Bakery Expo explored what food means to various people, and Bakers Journal was proud to take part in that celebration.