The Baker’s Ed Podcast

It has been several months since I recorded my introductory episode. I’m different, my thinking has evolved, my life has changed! So…it’s time to check-in, realign, and pivot once more. On my mind lately is the ever complex concept of leadership. What is it? What does it look like in a professional kitchen? Who wields it? Do we teach it? Should we teach it? And so many more questions!!!  

My guest Young Soo (University Instructor turned Baker) and I talk about our upbringings and our roundabout paths to choosing careers in the baking profession. Our chat opened my eyes to a potential, contributing factor to the ongoing labour shortage crisis in the baking (and food) industry, that operates on a discrete cultural level! 

My friend and former baking and pastry arts classmate, Christine Monfriese, shares with me her baking success story and how she keeps her business, Monfriese Rum Cakes in Ontario, Canada, alive and thriving no matter what! Our conversation highlights key areas aspiring and established entrepreneurs need more support in, building on the foundation off which I hope we'll be able to mobilize some serious change! 

Talking with Kamar Martin, the visionary and powerhouse baker behind A Cookie Called Quest (ACCQ) -THE coolest premium, vegan cookie business in Mississauga, ON, Canada 😎🍪 - was like talking to a kindred spirit! We touched on topics that feed the soul like nurturing your baker-creativity, dealing with negative self-talk, and the importance of REST as part of productivity! My conversation with Kamar was just as satisfying as the cookies he makes! I’ve tried ACCQ’s newest vegan Lindt Salted Caramel Chocolate flavoured cookie, the vegan Lindt Hazelnut Chocolate flavoured cookie as well as the Mini Cookies & Cream cookies and the Guinness Marble Chocolate cookie (my fav) 🤤 I have to say I am blown away with how flawlessly Kamar has managed to make delicious, soft and chewy, vegan cookies! Genuinely impressed! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️stars all around for a lovely conversation and an amazing product line! GET YOUR ACCQ COOKIES HERE! ACCQ Instagram ACCQ Website

An incredible conversation with Nickey Miller and Josie Rudderham, owners and operators of Cake + Loaf bakery in Hamilton, ON, Canada. We discuss so many awesome topics including the advantages and disadvantages of the baking apprenticeship education stream from an employer's perspective; their commitment to paying their team a living wage; how baking businesses can plan for their employees' career longevity, as well as the journey it was to publish their first cookbook titled, "Cake + Loaf." With years of experience, ups and downs, Nickey and Josie share some invaluable insights! Get the "Cake + Loaf" cookbook Cake + Loaf Website: https://www.cakeandloaf.ca/ Cake + Loaf Instagram

Chanel McBean, owner and operator of Buttercream Beaniie; a baking and pastry arts student at Humber College in Canada; a mother; and former contestant of the Food Network's hit TV show "The Big Bake," chats with me about juggling it all, her opinions on the baking industry - what she loves and what could be improved- as well as her take on her baking and pastry arts college education! Check out her amazing business, Buttercream Beaniie, a buttercream cake and pastries bake shop!!! IG: https://www.instagram.com/buttercream... Website: https://buttercreambeaniie.com/

This week I talk with Sara Hamed; my confidant, fellow thinker, highly creative individual, PhD candidate, educator, mother and yes, one of my older sisters! Recently, Sara started reading “Write No Matter What: Advice for Academics” by Joli Jensen; a book dedicated to helping writers get over their fear of writing and actually do it! BUT the insights Sara shares with me on this episode are highly transferable and ANYONE (including bakers) with a passion project or set of goals they wish to accomplish can benefit from the 3 KEY INTERVENTIONS we talk about in this episode! Since The Baker’s Ed. podcast is my own personal passion project, I thought it would be fitting to share with you the thinking and approach I plan to take when tackling The Baker's Ed. as a project! 🤓 So in the spirit of giving you a thorough introduction to the 🧠 behind Baker’s Ed, listen/watch and (hopefully) enjoy! 🤍 "Write No Matter What" by Joli Jensen: https://www.amazon.ca/Write-No-Matter... (I do not get any commissions from sharing this link, just giving credit where credit is due!).

In this episode, I, Dina Hamed introduce myself and explain why I started the Baker's Ed. Podcast!