Rise Up and Bake!

The American Society of Baking is hosting their annual baking conference again this year in Chicago from March 4-7th, with the theme “Rise Up: Community, Company, Industry, Self.”

This year there will be a large focus on the breakout sessions, providing participants with more information, learning opportunities and industry subjects than ever before. The sessions topics which range from refresher conversations like managing dough temperature and problem solving to topics like co-packing, sustainability and changing market demographics. The keynote speakers will be David Grossman, founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, a leading authority on internal communications, Paul White, PhD and coauthor of newly released 'The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace', Klaus Tenbergen, PhD, a baker and assistant professor in the department of food science and nutrition at California State University, Fresno, CA. For a full schedule of times, people and topics, check out the special report in Baking Business.

Chairman Jeff Dearduff said he is excited to see the faces of the attendees leaving the sessions, as this conference was designed to bring more energy than ever before to the industry. Registration for the conference is open and the last chance for early registration will be February 3rd. You can register online at http://www.asbe.org, where there is also updates to the schedule.

Halloween is finally here!

I've been waiting. Patiently...to make this cake. I bought the mold the day it came out I think, I happen to be at the craft store, but since I bought it, all I wanted was for Monday to come. Monday, October 31st. I suddenly love Halloween. It's not the dressing up, or passing out candy, although I love the excuse to have candy in the house, it's not even the decorating. It's the baking. Holiday baking, regardless of the holiday, is just more fun! And honestly, more opportunity. For as much as I love to bake, customers love not to. It's another excuse for treats in the house, which most don't have time to make. Enter bakeries, restaurants and coffee shops. Halloween, which is on a Monday this year, thus providing a boost for a typically slow eating out day, is giving not only kids reason to celebrate. Seems a good chunk of people will be putting costumes on display and taking kids out to eat Monday. With school, offices and parties, it's a great day to buy goodies! Check out these fun ideas from some establishments around the country to jazz up their Halloween offerings. Do you have anything ghoulish in store?!