From Seed to Slice: New York
A Field Trip Through the Hudson Valley
Tuesday, October 7, 10am-4pm ET

A Field Trip through the Hudson Valley 

Across New York State, bakers, millers, and farmers are building stronger local connections that support resilient regional food systems. This day-long field trip explores how these relationships are shortening the grain chain—bringing flour production closer to home and adding more character, flavor, and meaning to every loaf. 

Our day begins at Mel the Bakery, where owner and head baker Nora Allen will lead a tour of her bakery and on-site mill in Hudson, NY. A James Beard Award finalist, Nora is deeply committed to using locally grown grains—including einkorn, rye, and other ancient varieties—to craft breads and pastries that are as innovative as they are flavorful.  

Next, we’ll visit Hudson Valley Hops and Grains, where farmer Stuart Farr cultivates wheat, rye, einkorn, oats, sunflowers, canola, flax, dry beans, buckwheat, and hops on 400 certified organic acres. Stuart will share his family’s farming roots in England and his approach to biological farming—a method that emphasizes soil health and biodiversity and enhances both the flavor and nutritional value of the crops he grows. 

Our final stop is Sparrowbush Bakery, where owner and baker Grayling Bauer will show how his integrated milling and baking operation relies on direct partnerships with local growers. Located in Livingston, NY, Sparrowbush is a wood-fired bakery producing naturally leavened breads and pastries made entirely with fresh, stoneground flour milled on-site from regionally grown grains. The bakery delivers deeply rustic loaves that reflect the character of both the grain and the fire. 

A boxed lunch is included. 

Presented in partnership with Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming and Walden Mutual Bank. 

Based in Concord, NH, Walden Mutual is a mission-driven bank, owned by its depositors (a cooperative model thanks to its mutual structure). Its community of partners – both depositors and borrowers – share the same vision: to enable anyone to make positive and lasting change in our local food ecosystem. Their lending is focused on farms, food businesses, and sustainability-focused organizations that align with the bank’s mission.

Itinerary: 

10:00am – 10:30am 
Meet at Mel the Bakery (324 Warren Street, Hudson NY)  

10:30am – 12:00pm 
Tour of Mel the Bakery with Owner and Head Baker Nora Allen 

12:00pm – 12:30pm 
Travel by bus to Hudson Valley Hops and Grains (2993 Route 82, Ancramdale, NY) 

12:30pm – 2:00pm 
Tour of Hudson Valley Hops and Grains with Farmer Stuart Farr 

2:00pm – 2:20pm 
Travel by bus to Sparrowbush Bakery (5441 NY-9H, Hudson, NY) 

2:20pm – 3:45pm 
Tour of Sparrowbush Bakery with Owner and Baker Grayling Bauer 

3:45pm– 4:00pm 

Bus returns to Mel the Bakery in Hudson 

This field trip is a unique opportunity to connect with fellow bakers, explore the local grain chain firsthand, and deepen your understanding of growing resilient, organic grains in a changing climate. You’ll leave with fresh insights and a renewed appreciation for the bread you bake—from seed to slice. 

Space is limited—register now to reserve your spot! 

About our Guides:

Nora Allen is the founder and owner of Mel the Bakery, a champion of regional grains who has earned numerous accolades including being a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Baker, followed by Mel the Bakery receiving James Beard finalist recognition. A passionate advocate for building community through her craft, Allen believes deeply in the potential for a more equitable and sustainable food system. Through Mel the Bakery, she demonstrates this philosophy by sourcing locally, supporting regional grain producers, and creating a gathering place where exceptional baking serves as a foundation for meaningful connections and positive change in the food landscape

Stuart Farr is the owner of Hudson Valley Hops & Grains, a 400 acre certified organic farm in Columbia county, New York. Brought up on a mixed arable and beef farm in England, Stuart has been farming in the Hudson Valley since 2015. The farm produces human food crops: wheat, barley, rye, einkorn and oats for milling, malting and distilling; sunflower, canola, camelina and flax which are pressed into oil on farm; black beans and buckwheat. We practice biological farming, managing the soil as the living ecosystem that it is. Foundational to this approach is maintaining a soil environment which shelters and feeds soil micro-organisms which in turn make soil minerals available to plants. We feed this underground wildlife with molasses, liquid fish and kelp, as well as cover crops.  

Grayling & Emma Bauer run Sparrowbush Bakery: a wholesale wood-fired bakery making naturally leavened bread with 100% fresh stoneground flour from locally & regionally grown grains. Based in Livingston, NY, the bakery supplies 1500 loaves per week to stores & restaurants between Kingston, NY and Great Barrington, MA. On Saturdays, their breads, pastries and pantry items can be found at the Hudson Farmers Market where they are honored to be an integral part of the local food community. 

Lamination Fundamentals

October 14 / 10am - 4pm CT   

Delgado Community College

New Orleans, LA

The croissant—with its rich flavor, crisp flake, and tender interior—is a hallmark of a skilled bakery. But achieving those perfect buttery layers requires precision and practice.  

Designed for professionals seeking a solid foundation in lamination, this 6-hour intensive workshop will guide you step-by-step through the fundamentals of working with laminated yeast doughs. Chef Leonair Dorsey from Gracious Bakery will demonstrate how to create distinct, even layers through proper folding techniques.  Then you will shape the dough into classic pastries, proof for optimal texture, and bake to a deep golden brown.  

We’ll focus on two iconic laminated breads: croissants and pain au chocolat. Along the way, you’ll gain valuable tips and techniques for troubleshooting common issues and ensuring consistent, professional-quality results every time. 

A boxed lunch will be provided, but you are certainly welcome to bring your own. 

This program is presented in partnership with Delgado Community College. 

Leonair Dorsey, a native of New Orleans, is the proud owner of Monkey Puzzle Eats, a new micro bakery. She is an alumna of Delgado Community College Culinary School, where she specialized in Pastry Arts. With over 15 years of culinary experience, including seven years at Gracious Bakery and Cafe, she serves as Head Pastry Chef and production manager, leading a team that produces hundreds of pastries weekly and thousands of king cakes each Mardi Gras season. Her background in accounting and business has also proved useful in her culinary career. 

Chef Dorsey possesses a deep love for all things pastry, particularly lamination, and consistently challenges herself to learn and incorporate new techniques into her work. Her expertise includes best practices in laminating and making puff pastry. Beyond her work in the bakery, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge, having taught classes with the Bread Bakers Guild and the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute. 

Breaking Bread with Martin Philip

October 21 / 6pm - 7:30pm CT   

A Baking Demonstration at Brightwater in Bentonville, AR 

The Guild is proud to be partnering with Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food for a unique opportunity to learn from one of America’s most esteemed bakers.   

Join Martin Philip — baker, author, teacher and a proud Guild member since 2013, as he returns to his home state of Arkansas to share the skills and stories that have made him one of the most respected voices in the world of bread.  

In this exclusive baking demonstration, Martin will use a single, versatile dough to demonstrate how professional bakers shape, score, and finish a variety of breads — including a pan bread, multi-strand challah, and dinner rolls.* Along the way, he’ll offer insider tips, thoughtful insights, and behind-the-scenes knowledge drawn from years of experience in world-class bakeries and international competition.  

Whether you’re a professional baker, a bread and pastry student, or a passionate home baker, this demonstration offers a front-row seat to the world of professional breadmaking — led by a baker whose work connects tradition, community, and creativity. Bread samples will be served.  

*Menu subject to change.  

About Martin Philip:  
Martin Philip is an award-winning baker, author, and teacher. He recently co-authored the #1 NYT bestseller, The Big Book of Bread, and has a forthcoming book on pizza which will be published in early 2026. His first bread book, Breaking Bread: A Baker's Journey Home in 75 Recipes was a Wall Street Journal bestseller. A former opera singer who left a career in finance to pursue baking, he rose to become Head Bread Baker at King Arthur Baking Company and has represented the United States in international bread competitions. Follow Martin on Instagram and Substack. 

Presented in partnership with Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food and King Arthur Baking Company. 

Variations on a Bread: Maximizing Output with a Single Dough

October 22 / 9am - 3pm CT   

A Hands-on Baking Class at Brightwater in  Bentonville, AR  

The Guild is proud to be partnering with Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food for a unique opportunity to learn from one of America’s most esteemed bakers.   

In a busy bakery, success often depends on balancing creativity with efficiency. In this hands-on workshop, award-winning baker, author, teacher and a proud Guild member since 2013, Martin Philip will show you how a single foundational dough can unlock a bakery’s full creative and production potential.  

Working side by side with Martin, you’lI learn expert shaping, scoring, and finishing techniques that allow bakers to get more from every mix. Using a single enriched dough, you’ll create a lineup of distinctive breads, such as pan bread (including hamburger rolls and hotdog buns), Detroit-style pizza, cheese sticks, chocolate milk bread, and a chocolate-orange babka.* Each variation offers a unique texture, flavor, or visual appeal without the need for a completely separate formula.  

You’ll walk away with practical tools to diversify your menu, improve production flow, and streamline your baking process — all under the guidance of one of America’s most respected artisan bakers.  

This hands-on class is designed for cooks and bakers working in professional or production settings. Ideal for bakery owners and operators looking to expand their offerings and fine-tune production strategy. Participants should be comfortable with mixing, shaping, and working in a hands-on environment.  

Lunch will be provided.

*Menu subject to change.  

About Martin Philip:  
Martin Philip is an award-winning baker, author, and teacher. He recently co-authored the #1 NYT bestseller, The Big Book of Bread, and has a forthcoming book on pizza which will be published in early 2026. His first bread book, Breaking Bread: A Baker's Journey Home in 75 Recipes was a Wall Street Journal bestseller. A former opera singer who left a career in finance to pursue baking, he rose to become Head Bread Baker at King Arthur Baking Company and has represented the United States in international bread competitions. Follow Martin on Instagram and Substack. 

Presented in partnership with Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food and King Arthur Baking Company.