The Traveling Baker
Traveling baker Byron Fry taught himself to bake 3 years ago before apprenticing at the Italian Bakery in Victoria BC. During the summer of 2010 he rode his motorcycle 16 000km around North America, visiting bakeries in Montreal, New York, North Carolina and Portland. In NC he met the baker Richard Miscovich who inspired him to come home to BC, build an oven, and bake bread. The historical name and logo of Fry's Red Wheat Bread was passed down from his great-grandfather whom owned and operated a bakery in Victoria at the turn of the century.
This is his first year farm-based operation in Metchosin. You will find him at the James Bay Community Market Saturdays 9-3 and the Metchosin Farmers Market 11-2 as well as the Oak Bay Night Market, third Wednesday of the month.
Border Guard: “What’s your destination sir?” Me: “The Kneading Conference” Border Guard: “The what conference?” Me: “The Kneading Conference, I’m a baker.” Border Guard “Sir, please step out of the vehicle.”
After a short rummage through my delivery Vanagon the US Border Patrol was convinced that yes, they really do have conferences for bakers. The white powder strewn all over the carpets wasn’t really that suspicious after all.
Also note, that this baker’s conference rocked.
Pictures Below depict some awesome scenes from this last September’s Kneading Conference West held just outside Mt. Vernon, WA.
Just some baker’s talkin’ bout bread.
The man himself, Jeffery Hamelman. His book, Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes taught a generation of bakers about great bread.
Piper Davis giving a workshop on fruit pies in a sweet little mobile brick oven from Portland built by Mark Doxtader of Tastebud.
Roger Jansen teaching dressing mill stones with an air hammer.
I brought this wicked mill home. Built by Roger Jansen of Jansen Mills it’s been a pretty killer purchase, churning through bushels of local grain to make great bread.
