Rise Up! The Baker Podcast with Mark Dyck Mark Dyck: Baker and lover of bakeries

Over his long and illustrious baking career, Thom Leonard has helped hundreds of bakers understand the mysteries of grain and flour.  He's owned bakeries in Kansas and Georgia, has been a leader and teacher via the Bread Bakers Guild of America and helped Heartland Mill create flour suited for artisan bakers across the country.


In this episode, Mark sits down with Thom to get a fuller story of the life and career of one of his true baking heroes.

There's something special about farmers markets and when it comes to the Carrboro market in North Carolina, Chicken Bridge Bakery makes that market extra special.

In this episode, Mark talks with Rob and Monica Segovia-Welsh, the husband and wife team behind the bakery, about their journey from Wisconsin to Pittsboro by way of Austin and Costa Rica, the evolution of Chicken Bridge Bakery, thriving during Covid and why farmers markets play a special role in making all people feel part of their community.

Tobi Sovak was a pastry chef in fine dining restaurants on both coasts before opening Noisette eight years ago with her husband Michael.  Now they are serving up all kinds of the good stuff whether you're sitting down or taking out.

In this episode, Mark and Tobi talk about moving from NYC to SF and up to Oregon, adjusting the meet the needs of her community & how wedding season during the year of Covid might have been a blessing in disguise.  Noisette is thriving thanks to great food + friendly people

Arturo Enciso got the baking bug when he discovered the cob oven in the back of the house he was renting.  Slowly and methodically, he slowly grown his craft and his business from a passion project to a full retail bakery, Gusto Bread.

In this episode, Arturo shares his journey from the backyard to the front room and now to a retail shop.  How his bread journey is took him east to New York, Vermont and eventually Spain, and how he is combining the two great staples, wheat and corn, in his bakery.

From a childhood enjoying Montreal Bagels to spending time travelling across America, Adrian Hale has created a strong network of bakers, millers and farmers. And while she shares her love of local grains with home bakers, she is also sharing a story of community and connection.

In this loose and winding chat, Mark follows Adrian's journey across the North American whole grain scene, from Portland to Florida and back again. But they keep coming back around the table, with good food and people you love.

Amy Emberling went south from Cape Breton to college in the USA but found herself attracted to the baking life more than the office life.  Starting as one of the original bakers at Zingerman's Bakehouse in the early 1990's, she is now the managing partner of the business.

In this episode, Mark and Amy discuss the north-south connections along Canada's east coast, how Amy realized baking was her passion, how the Bakehouse has evolved over the years and how things are different for her as managing partner