  Jimmy Alderson Benitez baked in New York and Paris before settling down in San Juan, Puerto Rico and opening Cultura Bread in 2019.   Due to open his retail bakery just before the Covid pandemic, he was forced to re-work his plans and start his bakery on a smaller scale.  In this episode, Mark learns about the current version of Cultura Bread, and gets a glimpse into Jimmy's remarkable life and baking education.  They also dig into Jimmy's new 'slow growth' plan for the bakery that takes the realities of Covid into account. Helpful Links Cultural Bread website @culturabread on Instagram Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin  

Rise Up! #123: Jimmy Alderson Benitez

The Rise Up! Podcast is a celebration of bakers, the bakeries they created and the people they serve.  Join Mark Dyck as he talks with bakers and bakery owners from across North America and around the world.  Hear about their struggles and triumphs and learn about the satisfaction that feeding a community can provide.

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Jessica Rivers is co-owner and connection engine of the amazing bakery Working Culture Bread in Victoria BC.  In the three years since Mark talked to her husband Adam in Episode #128, the bakery has grown and their family has too.  Through it all, Jess and the Working Culture team have built even stronger ties within the community, through fundraising, advocacy and lots of listening. In this episode, Jess and Mark talk about how starting a family helped her baking team grow closer, her faith in food providers to come together to help people and her new project, Club Bop, which helps local small businesses of all stripes support each other. There is also talk about Mark's new project, the Bakery Leadership Circle, which has a new session starting in July. Helpful Links Working Culture Bread @workingculturebread on Instagram Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin  

Rise Up! #201 - Jessica Rivers

Sarah Black sadly passed away on February 15, 2024.  To commemorate this kind and thoughtful baker and teacher, we are re-publishing Mark's chat with Sarah from Episode 153.  Recorded in October, 2021 Sarah's family announced her passing via  Sarah's Instagram page. Helpful Links Support the Podcast Here Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin  

Remembering Sarah Black

The podcast hits a major milestone by going back to the beginning.  In this special 200th episode, Mark is joined by Daisy Chow of Breadboard Bakery in Arlington, Mass. and Nate Houge of Brake Bread in St. Paul, Minnesota for a wide ranging conversation about everything that's changed since they first met back at Wheatstalk in Rhode Island in 2018, when the podcast was an idea but not yet a real thing. Recorded on the Monday before US Thanksgiving, with Nate preparing for a night of baking and Daisy rolling out pie dough on camera, the three friends talk about staffing, about product lineups, and about making the difficult changes to make their bakeries sustainable for the long term.  Helpful Links Learn more about the Bakery Leadership Circle workshop! Daisy on Instagram Nate on Instagram Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin  

Rise Up! #200 - A Conversation with Daisy Chow and Nate Houge

Claudia Fimbres and her husband Brad named their store and restaurant Mamacita after Claudia's mother, but these days, it's Claudia who is mother and aunty to an entire community of Latin food lovers in her new home of Pearl Harbour, Newfoundland. In this episode, Mark catches up with his old friend and learns of her life in cooking, from growing up in Mexico, coming to Canada and deciding to move from Regina, Saskatchewan to 'the Rock.'  They also discuss the unique challenges running a fresh food emporium on the far side of a remote island in the North Atlantic Ocean and the involuntary urge to have the flavours of home even when you live and work in another land. There is also a special announcement of a new workshop Mark is launching in 2024 in collaboration with the Bread Bakers Guild of America, the Bakery Leadership Circle. Helpful Links Mamacita Mexican Kitchen @mamacitanl on Instagram Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin    

Rise Up! #199 - Claudia Fimbres

Working with a coach or consultant can be a leap too far for many small business owners, especially owner-operator independent bakeries.  Lisa Arnold set out to bridge the gap in her town of Springfield, Tennessee, with Small Town Startup, a marketing agency, startup incubator, coaching practice and meeting space. Lisa is bringing the skills and best practices usually reserved for large corporations to small businesses in an accessible, affordable, sustainable way. In this episode, Lisa shares her story of moving to a small town and nurturing the energy and excitement of the entrepreneur community there.  Mark and Lisa discuss how she lowers the barrier to entry for her services by offering small classes and meetups, how being flexible to each business' needs has helped her grow, and how every small town needs a sparkplug to keep the small business community connected and thriving. Helpful Links Small Town Startup @smalltownstartup on Instagram Support the Podcast Here! Rise Up! The Baker Podcast website The Bakers4Bakers Community Mark's Blog, with the Bakernomics series Mark on Instagram Credits: Produced and hosted by Mark Dyck Theme song and music by Robyn Dyck Orange Boot Human logo by Fred Reibin  

Rise Up! #123: Jimmy Alderson Benitez

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