After two successful editions, Johnson & Wales University has announced that its International Symposium on Bread, presented with platinum sponsor Puratos, will return for a third year in June of 2019.

This year, the program will be more hands-on workshop intensive, as opposed to the more academic-based programs of the last two years. The goal is to act upon and generate definitive outcomes from some of the major ideas presented during the first two Symposiums

Three distinct tracks will be pursued in this year’s workshop symposium:

  • The Future of Bread Lies in Its Past: New Frontiers in Sourdough Microbiology
  • Local, Ancient, and Heirloom Grains: The Farmer/Miller/Baker Connection in Baking with Landrace, Heirloom, Regionally Specific, and Polycrop Grains
  • Good Bread is Good for You: Wellness and Healthfulness in the Future of Bread

These tracks will be led by internationally-recognized team of bakers, millers, and educators, and will include both lecture material and two days of hands-on baking designed to create products and prototypes that extend the boundaries of possibility within these three subject areas.

Additionally, keynote speaker Dr. E.A. McKenney from North Carolina State University will discuss new discoveries in the world of microbiology and their implications on the future of bread.

Following the opening keynote address on Wednesday, June 12 at 5 p.m. EST, there will be an opening reception hosted by The Big Green Egg. The workshops will then be held on Thursday and Friday until 4 p.m. EST.

Peter Reinhart, a Johnson & Wales baking instructor, multiple-time James Beard Award winner, and lauded bread expert, has once again curated the event. Some of the biggest names in the industry will share their knowledge on the industry. Among those is La Farm Bakery’s Lionel Vatinet; Tom Gumpel, former vice president of culinary and bakery innovation for Panera Bread; Lacaze Gulaine, sourdough research and development director for Puratos, Belgium; and, Richard Miscovich, esteemed author of “From The Wood-Fired Oven.”

On the Rise: The 3rd Annual Johnson & Wales International Symposium on Bread, presented by Puratos will take place June 12-14 at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina.