A New Year

I must confess that I am thankful to have closed the door on 2005

I must confess that I am thankful to have closed the door on 2005. Aside from a few bright spots (my brother’s wedding in July was one of them), my family will remember 2005 as a year of loss. First, my grandmother, my mum’s mum, died in June. And then, on Remembrance Day – a day when we remember heroes past and present – I lost a hero: my dad. Although the last few years have seen him in and out of the hospital too many times to count, we all expected this trip to the hospital to be another case of “in and out.”

It was not to be.

I have learned that life continues on. The days begin and end and begin again and suddenly it’s two or three months later.

And nothing appears to have changed, while at the same time, everything has. As strange as it seems, there is nothing to do but continue on. We remember and ache and laugh and cry, but we also trudge forward. And maybe, despite ourselves, the trudging will stop and one day we’ll feel like skipping again. Perhaps 2006 will be the year for that.

As for the magazine, we have a few things in the mixing bowl for 2006 that I want to share with you. First of all, we’ve put together an editorial advisory board: a collection of people with varied expertise from all areas of the Canadian baking industry to whom we will turn for feedback on the magazine, or advice on certain subjects, or to contribute a formula or story idea. The whole idea is to make sure each and every issue of Bakers Journal is exactly what you need and want. We’re here to serve you. And, from time to time, we’ll check in with members of the advisory board to make sure we’re still on track with doing that. We’ll introduce the members of our advisory board to you in a future issue of Bakers Journal.

On page 25, Alan Dumonceaux writes about attending Camp Bread; three days filled to the brim with seminars on anything and everything bread-related (from making sourdough to baking in a woodfired oven to mastering the science of cold fermentation – you name it, it was covered). The event was organized by the Bread Bakers Guild of America and held at the San Francisco Baking Institute (SFBI) last summer. Alan says he dreams about seeing an event similar to this here in Canada. Well, I share the same dream. I attended a two-week course at SFBI in December and came away filled with a renewed respect and passion for bread and breadmaking (stay tuned to a future issue for an article on my two weeks at SFBI). I think a stint at the school for every Canadian baker would do wonders for our industry, but the Bakers Journal budget can’t quite manage that. What we’d like to do is put together some kind of professional development day (or day and a half, or maybe three days) for you. It would be technical and hands-on – the sort of thing that makes you excited to get back to your bakery and test out what you’ve learned. What are your thoughts on the matter? Ultimately, such a seminar is all about you and what you want and need. Is this something you’d like to see happen in your backyard? Who would you like to see instruct such a course? E-mail me, call me, write me, tell me what you think. It can happen, but your feedback and input is crucial!

These are just a few of the projects we’re whipping up for 2006 (and beyond!). How about you? Do you have an irresistible new product you’d like to share with the masses? Perhaps you have a new marketing ploy that has worked wonders for your business. Drop me an e-mail. Ultimately, all of you are members of our editorial advisory board – we want your input.