Speakers added for Farmer-Miller-Baker Summit London!

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Meet your artisan farming, milling and baking community

Are you a baker using or interested in using freshly milled local flours in your baking? A farmer milling or cleaning their own grains? A small-scale miller? A baker milling their own grains? The Baking Association of Canada invites you to spend an inspiring day dedicated to elevating your products with the nutrition, texture, and quality today’s customers crave. Discover the unique characteristics and benefits of sustainably sourced, freshly milled, local flours, and master advanced techniques from artisan baking experts. Connect with fellow bakers on the grains-to-table journey, exchanging insights on farming practices, grain processing, artisanal baking and consumer engagement.

Farmer-Miller-Baker Summit at Fanshawe College in London, Ont., will include an interactive bread workshop in the morning led by the college’s baking and pastry arts management program coordinator and instructor Roland Hofner. The workshop will feature a sourdough product, showcasing overnight fermentation, and will engage attendees in hands-on bread baking. Learn how to bake four kinds of bread and receive a detailed recipe booklet from Chef Roland.

Farmer-Miller-Baker Panel:

Angela and Tyson Devitt, Farmers and Co-Owners, Devitt Farms and Stone Bridge Flour, Ripley, Ont.
Dianne Wolters, Co-Founder, Grain Sourcing, Farmer Connection, Everspring Farms Ltd., Seaforth, Ont.
Mary-Katherine Boss, Product Development, Head Baker, Everspring Farms Ltd. and Second Spring Foods, Seaforth, Ont.
Daniel Angus, Owner, Terroir Bakery Inc., Cambridge, Ont.

Storytelling and Baking Scones with Whole Grain Hearth Bakery

Richard Placzek, owner and operator of Whole Grain Hearth Bakery, will present and overview of his own organic, sourced and milled flour. Whole Grain features a large industrial mill inside the bakery. A former Fanshawe College student, Richard works closely with pastry chef and manager Sammy Wardrop to bake sourdough products with flour milled and mixed in house. Sammy will demonstrate baking scones as Richard shares the story of the bakery.

Roland Hofner

Chef Roland has 30 years’ experience and has done just about everything there is to do in the field from working in bakeries, catering companies, on an exclusive cruise ship, at five-star hotels, and opening his European-based Canadian Restaurant Café in Europe, and also owning a locally renowned bakery and pastry shop in London. Hofner joined Fanshawe College part-time in 1997 and, in 2017, created and launched a two-year baking and pastry arts management program.

Thomas Doetkotte, Master Baker, Richemont School, Switzerland

Prof. Thomas Doetkotte will emphasize in his informative presentation, to be delivered virtually from Switzerland. Learn about the Gen seed database, a quick overview of grains research, choosing the right seeds for the right soil and climate, the mixing of grains, the addition of quality enhancers, the characteristics of bleached flour, key quality standards, different milling systems, pre-doughs and fermentation time.

Reid McEachran

Trend to Table: Discover the top food trends driving consumer purchases – Reid McEachran, Associate Marketing Manager, Ardent Mills, will explore industry the top five trends motivating consumer purchases based on the company’s informative Trend to Table™ consumer report.

Angela and Tyson Devitt

Creating a Flour Mill From Scratch – Angela and Tyson Devitt of Stone Bridge Flour in Ripley, Ont., will discuss growing and milling organic and sustainable grains grown on their family farm.

Lauren Hambleton

Great Grains Gathering – Lauren Hambleton, owner of Red Hen Artisanale kitchen studio in Grey County, will share how she organized the Great Lakes Grain Gathering in 2023, a full-day event designed to unite bakers, farmers, millers, brewers and everyone in the world of southern Ontario grain.

This exciting day of workshops and networking happens on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, at Fanshawe College’s School of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts in downtown London.

Join us and make the most of this unique opportunity to connect and learn hosted by the Baking Association of Canada!