ACE Bakery & Canada’s top culinary names announce 20 artisans to participate in June showcase

Canadian culinary artisans from coast to coast have come out of the kitchen in anticipation of Canada’s first Artisan Incubator. With hundreds expressing interest in participating in the culinary showcase, narrowing down the field was a challenge; but today, ACE Bakery, along with a panel of distinguished Tastemakers, revealed the 20 participating artisans. Showing the rest of the country the best of what British Columbia has to offer will be Bella Gelateria from Vancouver.

“When we looked at Bella Gelateria as a company and tasted their delicious Old Fashioned Chocolate and Akbar Mashti gelato, it was clear this artisan is driven by a true love of their craft and has all the elements required to excel in today’s culinary industry,” said Anita Stewart, Canadian culinary activist and chair of the Tastemaker committee for the ACE Bakery Artisan Incubator. “Our hope is that by participating in the Artisan Incubator, Bella Gelateria will gain national exposure and some business insights that will help them grow as a company and achieve the success they desire.”

The Artisan Incubator will be held in Toronto in June, where 20 artisans will be recognized at a showcase, given national exposure and have the opportunity to share in the industry insights ACE Bakery has gained over the last 20 years. ACE hopes to help them achieve success while also drawing attention to the thousands of hard-working artisans who put their heart and soul into everything they make.

“When my husband and I started the journey of creating ACE Bakery 20 years ago, we were very lucky to have a mentor who owned his own artisan bakery in New York,” explained Linda Haynes, co-founder of ACE Bakery and author of The ACE Bakery Cookbooks. “He believed in what we were trying to do, especially around our community investment, so he went as far as to train some of our bakers, help us find used equipment and he even shared some of his recipes with us. Now it’s ACE’s turn to pay it forward and help other talented Canadian artisans in a similar way.”

During their time in Toronto, James Coleridge from Bella Gelateria will attend a seminar covering topics such as branding, marketing and business planning to help them develop their artisan business. This seminar will feature a variety of industry experts including representatives from BMO Financial Group, lead sponsor of the Artisan Incubator, who will provide insights into small business financing and management. The artisans will also host public workshops, network amongst themselves and other industry members and have the chance to be one of two artisans selected for further business development.

The 20 artisans were selected by ACE Bakery and the Artisan Incubator’s panel of Tastemakers. The Tastemakers will co-host and work directly with the artisans on developing recipes, hosting workshops and providing advice on their business:

· Anita Stewart, Canadian culinary activist, author and University of Guelph Food Laureate

· Pete Luckett, gourmet food store and Luckett Vineyards owner in Nova Scotia

· Chef Anne Desjardins, executive chef, co-founder and co-owner of Hotel-Restaurant-Spa L’eau à la Bouche in Ste Adele, PQ

· Chef Lynn Crawford, host of the Food Network’s Pitchin’ In and owner of Ruby Watchco in Toronto, ON and Chef Lora Kirk, executive chef at Ruby Watchco in Toronto, ON

· Chef Connie DeSousa, finalist on the Food Network’s Top Chef Canada and chef and co-owner of CHARCUT Roast House in Calgary, AB and Chef John Jackson, chef and co-owner of CHARCUT Roast House in Calgary, AB

· Robert McCullough, award-winning lifestyle and food publisher and Random House’s preeminent publisher for its recently created lifestyle imprint: Appetite

· Michele Genest, writer of The Boreal Chef cooking column for Yukon, North of Ordinary Magazine

The Artisan Incubator will run from June 20 – 22, 2013. For more information about the artisans, please visit www.acebakery.com/artisan-incubator/artisans/.

ABOUT ACE BAKERY:
One of North America’s leading artisan bakeries, ACE Bakery opened in 1993 creating hand-made, European-style rustic breads. The gentle shaping of each loaf, long fermentation periods, and a stone deck oven all work to create exceptionally flavourful bread with a pleasing texture and crisp crust. The breads contain no preservatives and are made with the finest ingredients. ACE Bakery’s baguettes and artisan breads are available at hundreds of restaurants, hotels, caterers, grocery and gourmet food shops across Canada, throughout the United States and the Caribbean.

Community involvement is an essential part of ACE’s philosophy. The company donates a percentage of its net profits to charitable organizations in the principle centres where ACE breads are sold. ACE’s focus is on food and nutrition programs that assist low-income members of the community, financing culinary scholarships and supporting organic farming initiatives.