Founder of Harvest Dozen

I began my journey towards sourdough baking one summer working as a cook aboard the tall ship Fair Jeanne on the St. Lawrence river. It was in that galley that I fell in love with feeding others, and working with my hands. After graduating Queen's University with an undergraduate degree in International Development and Economics, I did a 180 and enrolled in the Diplôme de Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. At pastry school a particular chef took an interest in convincing me that I was made to be a bread baker. She slowly wore me down and convinced me to transfer to the Boulangerie program, here I was first introduced to sourdough bread.

After graduating I moved to Vancouver Island to work for a bakery called True Grain, with a strong focus on using local grain and fostering community around their bakery. One of my coworkers, Antoine, took me under his wing and taught me the wonders of sourdough, whole grains, high hydration doughs and to always strive for a better result than the last. From there I spent some time with the beautiful duo behind LakeHouse foods in Vancouver before setting off on a cross country tour of every good sourdough bakery I could find. I stopped at each and worked a few days, picking up useful tricks, different perspectives and inspiration for my own bakery. Once I arrived back in Ottawa I took a few months to spend time with family, test recipes and saved up some cash for the next adventure.

I spent 2019 learning from some of the best sourdough bakers Melbourne and Australia had to offer. The well established Loafer Bread and the immensely popular Ovens Street Bakery which operated a pick-up window in an industrial area of Melbourne attracting wildly long line-ups Sunday morning. I had the good fortune of traveling around Australia and New Zealand for a short while, seeking out every sourdough bakery on my path. At Grainz (a confrence of bread bakers, grain growers, millers and brewers) I met and listened to some of the leading researchers and bakers in the field speak to the importance of local grain economies, supporting our local food systems and using regenerative agriculture to insure lasting soils and climate.

With each chapter I find my love for bread and passion for climate and social issues meld closer and closer together. Feeding our communities and protecting our planet go hand and hand. This is my mission with Harvest Dozen, to feed my community while doing my part to support regenerative agriculture and reduce our impact on the planet.

Each stop along my journey has taught me a new lesson and prepared me for this next adventure- a bakery of my own. The community of sourdough bread bakers is an extraordinary one; so generous, kind and willing to share. I am forever indebted to this community and all it has taught me.