article in Edible Boston on Bread Obsession

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varda on 3 Apr 2016 at 13:16

Hi.   I thought that some might be interested in this profile of Bread Obsession in the Spring issue of Edible Boston.   

http://www.edibleboston.com/edible-food-finds-bread-obsession/

You got a really nice write up, and I'm happy for you that things are going well.  Wishing you continued success!

-Brad

Mrs PG and I will be visiting family in Gardner this weekend. I hope the Lexington outlets will have some loaves left when we get there.

Jim

 

Great article, Varda!  I am struck by how much childhood taste memories have inspired your search for great bread!   And who is that sister of yours that got you on a baguette train???  Keep making great bread!

your sis!

Yes.   You pushed me over the edge on the baguette front.   Thanks Leah.

Varda

Congrats on the great write-up Varda.  It's so nice to see your story in print and to hear how well you are doing.

So how does your formula for Altumara compare to Dave's that he posted this week?

Regards,
Ian

to Franko's formula in his original Altamura post a couple years ago and so can't and don't call it Altamura.   But I do call it delicious.   Nice to hear from you Ian.

Varda

From my background advising small start-ups, I know it's a step that quite often brings unexpected issues and/or problems that are more difficult than expected, so I hope you've been able to transition fairly smoothly to your larger facility. 

But we shall prevail.   And frankly, I don't have any particular expectation that things will or should go smoothly.   The trick is to keep cranking out good bread and adding customers despite it all, and so far, so good.   Thanks for commenting.

Varda

There's no universally best one, but in general, my experience has shown that business owners who don't wear rose-colored glasses are better prepared, both business-wise and emotionally, to deal with hurdles and difficulties, which are almost inevitable in some form or another. 

Continued best wishes. 

Hi Varda really pleased to see you have progressed so well in your quest, its great to see the TFL folk doing so well in following their dreams. Both You and Khalid have been so determined to improve and gain as much knowledge as you could and it really pleases me to see you both giving it a real crack.

You should make sure that when your wine outlets are doing a wine tasting that you can also do a bread tasting alongside both would be very popular i'm sure.

I made some 180 litres of wine just recently from Pinot Noir grapes from Frankland in the Great Southern Wine District here in Western Australia

 

 

 

 

  

30 litres actually in my home brew keg at my home.

I am particularly pleased with the result which we  are already drinking.

It's funny I saw your Cadco Oven for sale recently on TFL and was wondering if you had gone bigger or not so this last post was particularly pleasing to see. It is just the beginning of what im sure will be a very rewarding journey! Well done to you and your partner.

kindest regards Derek 

 

Great Picture!

So what's the green stuff?

I have a few grape vines I planted about 12 years ago with the hopes of getting enough grapes to at least look pretty, but most of the time the birds eat the flowers and grapes before anything happens :).  Alas, the Sandman Wine will never come to fruition! 

Regards,

Ian

Hi there Ian  the green stuff is leaves and stalks etc

The harvester picks the white grapes in the cool of the night it straddles the vines and beats the grapes off the stalks and is collected in trays and goes into big bins that hold just over a tonne

I have attached a few more pics that show the process 

 shiraz grapes

 

 

 

pinot grapes 

 

harvester at work

harvester unloading

more unloading

 

 So there you have it grape harvesting  each of those tubs hold about a tonne of  fruit.

even the small amount of pinot that i was stomping gave us 180 litres of wine.

the whites being harvested in the pictures Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc produced 16 tonnes and picking finished at around 2.00AM  The fruit is trucked to the winery that purchases the fruit at a town called Denmark on the coast and will be sold under the Harewood label.

cheers and kindest regards Derek

Thanks for sharing your pictures.  I've been to many wineries on the East End of Long Island, NY but never had a chance to participate in the stomping part.  I keep looking for that red-head Lucy in one of the pictures :).

Derek,

Nice to see you ankle deep.   

I have done a few tastings next to a wine tasting, but much prefer to have the tasting space to myself.   When people are sipping wine they don't always have much attention to pay to the bread.   Too busy talking about nose and legs and hints of allspice and what not...

Yes, I have traded in the Cadco for an ABS three deck gas oven.   Now I can finally get my baguettes to open properly.   Joy oh joy.

Thanks for commenting and happy stomping!

Varda