Kneading Conference 2025

Embark on an excursion with MGA's esteemed Director of Rare & Heritage Seed Restoration. Delve into the heart of East Madison as we explore exemplary organic grain restoration endeavors and engage in insightful discussions with industry leaders at the forefront of this vital field.

Join us in The Space on the River with April, and start your day with a harmonious blend of nature, movement, and mindfulness. Embrace the beauty of the present moment and nurture your well-being from the inside out. Through mindful movement and deep breathing, you can release tension, enhance focus, and restore vitality to both body and mind. Start your day with April for rejuvenation and self-care before the fun of The Kneading Conference!

Mats and blocks will be provided.

Farm-to-Table breakfast featuring pastries and locally sourced yogurt, granola, and fruit.

Dive into the delicate art of lievito madre, the natural sourdough starter behind the elusive, cloud-like Panettone. In this deep-dive session, French baker Romain Dufour will guide you through the craft of cultivating, maintaining, and training this unique stiff starter — the beating heart of one of the world’s most challenging and rewarding pastries.
🔸 Understand the structure and rhythm of lievito madre
🔸 Learn the feeding, tying, and temperature control techniques
Whether you're a seasoned baker or a curious artisan, this is your chance to unlock the secrets of sourdough in its most elegant form.

Join Sara and Marcus Flewelling for a panel discussion on how to run a grain business. This talk will cover selling to grocery stores, marketing grain products, packaging/nutrition label requirements, and more!

When we think of using fresh milled, whole grain flour, we often think of sturdy, wholesome loaves of bread, but these flours can make delicious, airy chiffon and sponge cakes as well. Chef Bronwen Wyatt will demonstrate how to achieve light-as-air textures in baking while using 100% whole grain flour. Participants will learn how to properly whip eggs and fold in the dry ingredients to preserve a light texture, and taste chiffon and sponge cakes made with Maine Grain flours. 

This workshop is all day Thursday and into Friday:

Join Albie Barden, who has been building masonry heaters and ovens for nearly fifty years, along with Michele Barden, as they share their unique approach to oven construction and their passion for preserving heritage corn.
A few years ago, Albie realized that an antique cast iron bathtub, when turned upside down, could make the perfect oven shape. He purchased a five-foot antique tub and had it sandblasted to remove the enamel. Scott Barden's team at Maine Wood Heat then cut out a door opening and a chimney exit with a torch. They welded a rimmed plate for the base to contain the oven and three inches of structural insulation, on top of which Albie templated and cut a floor of all-natural firebrick. He also formed and cast an arched refractory baffle to keep flame and heat inside the oven as long as possible.

On top of the tub, Albie added three inches of reinforced cast refractory concrete and a thick layer of insulation. A metal shell was added over the entire oven, which was mounted on a cart for a total portable weight of 1800 pounds. More recently, Albie and Scott's team have prepared a second five-foot sandblasted tub. This oven will feature hard red mortared bricks as the thermal mass, with about three inches of insulation added. Conestoga ribs and wire mesh will allow for a stuccoed finish or metal skin to be added later.

The original portable tub oven that Albie and Michele use regularly at home will be present at the workshop. They will bring heritage flint corn to shell in an antique Maine-made cabinet corn sheller. They will also make or bring fine ground cornmeal, bake and share Jonny Cakes in the original tub oven, and discuss their project of preserving Maine and New England's heritage flint corns.

This workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn about innovative oven construction techniques and the importance of preserving agricultural heritage.

Running a great bakery or cafe takes more than just good pastries—it takes a confident, knowledgeable front-of-house team that can deliver standout service with every customer interaction. While many bakeries invest in their baker training, consistent training for their customer-facing staff is often overlooked.  
Led by Wai Chu—Education and Events Manager at the Bread Bakers Guild of America— this 90-minute workshop is designed for bakery owners and operators who want to better train and support their counter staff. We’ll cover the foundations of strong front-of-house service, blending practical skills with a hospitality mindset. Topics include: 
 

• Hospitality & Storytelling: Creating a welcoming environment rooted in care and attention and sharing what makes your bakery special 
• Counter Service Essentials: Taking orders, handling payments, managing lines and peak times 
• Describing Food & Upselling: Talking about menu offerings with confidence and intention 
• Handling Difficult Situations: Navigating customer complaints and challenging situations with professionalism and care 

 
You’ll leave with tools, strategies, and sample training activities to bring back to your bakery—ready to boost your team’s confidence and elevate your customer experience. 

Join Heather Kerner, Founder and CEO of The Good Crust, for a panel conversation about the project 'Good Grains on the Go' which is working to get local grains into school food systems. A homestead gardener, professional feltmaker, and pediatric Occupational Therapist of 28 years, Heather launched The Good Crust, a company manufacturing the first pizza dough made from 100% Maine Grains, in Fall 2020. Drawing on her expertise as an occupational therapist, Heather uses dough manufacturing as a platform for workforce development and inclusion. To date, she has created 24 jobs for a diverse workforce including individuals with autism, cerebral palsy, brain injury, and addiction recovery, and mobilizes the rapid growth of The Good Crust to purchase close to 150,000 pounds of local grain annually. A 2024 Maine recipient of a 1.5 million dollar “School Food System Transformation Grant,” Heather leads a project called “Good Grains on the Go” aimed at innovating new breakfast and lunch items for school nutrition made with Maine-grown grains and other local ingredients.

This presentation will include an overview of "Good Grains on the Go" and a panel discussion with project partners Tristan Noyes of the Maine Grain Alliance, Shawn Duffy of The Good Crust, and others. The talk will be followed by an experiential R&D opportunity for participants to use dough and a variety of Maine-only ingredients to innovate their own "new products" for schools. Be ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands in some ingredients!

Sonoko and Fuyuko are sisters based in Los Angeles who bring extensive experience working in the food world. Today, Sonoko and Fuyuko run their own cottage food businesses in Los Angeles to create unique culinary experiences honoring their heritages while celebrating local and seasonal ingredients.   
Join Sonoko and Fuyuko for a hands-on workshop featuring their award-winning wafu miso pie recipe born from cherished childhood memories. As children, they would wake to the irresistible aroma of their mother's apple slab pies in the middle of the night. After their mother passed away, the sisters recreated her recipe with a Japanese twist, adding Sonoko's homemade miso to the filling—a "hidden ingredient" that won second place in the KCRW pie contest.
You'll learn to make a flaky, tender crust using locally grown and milled Maine flour, prepare a seasonal fruit filling enhanced with handcrafted miso, and master the techniques that bring these elements together. Sonoko and Fuyuko will demonstrate how small adjustments in technique and flavor can elevate familiar recipes into something memorable.
Perfect for both professional and home bakers, this class offers insights into cross-cultural baking and the art of subtle flavor enhancement. You'll leave with not only a delicious pie but also a deeper understanding of how traditional Japanese ingredients can transform Western classics.

Take a leisurely stroll to a nearby local business, where you can savor a delicious cup of coffee or bubble tea with friends and fellow attendees. It's the perfect opportunity to network, unwind, and recharge before the next session. Whether you're catching up with colleagues or exploring the charming surroundings, enjoy a refreshing pause in your day filled with camaraderie and relaxation.

This workshop traces the journey of the Dewavrin family as they transitioned their conventional grain farm to one of the first regenerative-organic certified farms in Québec and installed a flour mill directly on their land in order to process their wheat themselves. 

Lunch Options (Thurs.-Fri.):

1. The Maine Meal:
   • Main Course: Pasta dish TBD (vegetarian)
   • Sides: TBD
2. The Bankery:
   • Main Course: - 16oz Sesame Noodle Salad with tofu (vegetarian)
     
   • Sides: An apple and a classic whoopie pie for dessert
3. The Miller's Table at Maine Grains:
   • Main Course: Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
     seasonal greens, shaved cabbage, chicken breast, smoky bacon, red onion, cocktail tomatoes, house basil buttermilk ranch dressing
   • Sides: Sourdough country bread and a chocolate rye brownie for dessert
4. Joe's Flat Iron Café:
   • Main Course: Bagel sandwich with turkey and fresh vegetables
   • Sides: Sides or chips TBD

This is during lunch. Please bring your bagged lunch to Maine Grains with you. You will have about 30 minutes after the tour to eat.

We hope you’ll join us for a free tour of the grist mill, it is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Maine Grains is housed in the historic former Somerset County Jail building, which is also the home of The Miller’s Table café, Crooked Face Creamery, Happyknits yarn shop, WXNZ community radio & the weekly Skowhegan Farmers Market. The mill has been an engine of entrepreneurship and resides in the heart of historic downtown Skowhegan.

During our tours you will learn about our unique history, the process of transforming a jail into a mill, how stone milled flour is made, and what we’re hoping to accomplish in the years to come. We’ll tour the facility from the bottom up, so you can see our team of talented millers at work and our beautiful Austrian stone mills busily humming away, transforming whole grain into beautiful & delicious flour.

Please be aware that your safety is our priority. We are a food producing facility & you’ll be venturing near machinery. Please refrain from wearing dangly earrings and loose clothing, tie back long hair, wear comfy shoes (we’ll be climbing stairs), and feel free to look but please don’t touch the equipment. Hairnets and earplugs will be provided.
***We will be climbing up/down flights of stairs 6+ times during the tour. We understand that not everyone can make this journey! It can be a workout. Please wear comfortable closed-toed shoes.

https://mainegrains.com/tours/

Join Nando Jaramillo, a Colombian corn grower and chef based in Vermont, to make arepas and empanadas made with his own locally-grown zapalote!

Tartary buckwheat was once a staple crop among Maine farmers, prized for its short growing season, hardiness, and flavor. Yet today, this heritage pseudograin is at the center of a much-needed revival.

In this workshop (including a ploye tasting demo!), Father Paul Dumais will explore the cultural and historical significance of Tartary buckwheat in the Northeast, highlighting its role in Acadian traditions and foodways. Alongside this, Janice & Joe Bouchard of Bouchard Family Farms will share their hands-on experience growing, harvesting, and processing Tartary buckwheat at scale –– offering practical insights on crop management, processing, and market development.