Chopbiscuit Interview - Meet Tom Gumpel {Panera Bread's Chief Baking Officer}

Editor's note: This is a series of food related interviews with industry professionals, writers, bloggers, executives, farmers and folks who have made a positive impact on the food cosmos.

Tom Gumpel is currently the Vice President of Bakery Development for Panera Bread.  I've worked with Tom for a few years now and for all my time spent in the food industry, Tom is one of the most passionate guys I've ever met. Recently Tom was recognized by Dessert Professional magazine as one of the country’s Top Ten Bread Bakers. Tom is a certified master baker and previously served as associate dean for curriculum and instruction for baking and pastry arts at the CIA. He also received international acclaim when he served as captain of the U.S. Baking Team that captured the grand prize at the prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (World Cup of Baking). His success in the competition was featured in People, USA Today, The New York Times and on ABC’s World News Tonight.  He also was a member of the 1992 Culinary Olympic team that won a bronze medal at the International Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany.

Below are a few questions I asked Tom regarding our industry, food trends and the craft of baking.
  

As a highly visible leader in our industry, what are your thoughts on food trends and the yearly diatribe of articles promoting the next “big thing” in food and bakery, year after year?

This is a great question and my knee jerk answer is that chasing trends serves more of a distraction than it is a solid development model. But thinking through that deeper, I would tell you that trends are often a representation of societal growth and maturity (like a teenager needing to do a lot of crazy, irresponsible stuff in order to grow up into a mature adult). Trends can be defined as” continuations on a theme” and if the next big thing is something within your brand or competency, then have at it.

How difficult is it for someone who has mastered a craft to still be creative, but within constraints. You steward a large baking organization of folks with different skill sets and abilities, but your product is expected to be at consistently high level through out thousands of locations?

Mastering your craft requires discipline, focus and practice. As you may notice, creativity is not a critical component. Where creativity comes into play is in the application of your craft. How you sell yourself and your product takes creativity and passion. Having guidelines is actually more difficult and if you don’t recognize these as very positive challenges, you’re missing the biggest lessons in your career. I see these thousands of bakers as students of baking and eager learners. The goal is presenting them with opportunities to grow and reasons to stay with us. From there, nailing quality becomes more attainable. 

What excites you when you look out in the world of product innovation in our industry today?

Two things get me jazzed; first is observing how other business take a piece of Panera into their world. You can either look at this with disdain or consider the ultimate form of flattery for the brand. Secondly is the industry’s move towards cleaner labels and striving for more wholesome foods. This is a direct reflection on the public’s out cry for health and wellness in the food chain. Aside from that, I get excited about watching the growth of non-meat protein alternatives across the supermarket shelves. The things that are being done with soy are amazing!

Everyone has a food guilty pleasure that they may not like to share, what's yours?

Watermelon Sour Patch Gummies

What does the world of baking and bread look 10-15 years from now?

I think it will follow some of the trends we see in restaurants. Wheat flour that is grown regionally (where possible), organic and/or local fruit the norm, and I could see more mom and pop bakeries getting their foothold again.  Wherever we will see savory foods excelling and taking an area or region by storm, you will always be seeing passionate bakers, pastry chefs and chocolatiers .New technologies are always on the horizon. We will see chocolate companies use technology to deliver their products in ways never before seen. Flavor companies have only scraped the surface of their capabilities. Being able to extract flavors and colors from any plant will make “all natural” a no-brainer.

Saturday Grubbin' {my favorite sandwich}

Very few times do I plan meals. Or, I should say that very few meals are completely thought out until it's meal time, and this holds true more so for lunch than any other meal time. Now, the trick to satisfying your hunger is to leave yourself with plenty of options. If you pay attention to each ingredient, you can't help but create great food. This reminds me of a quote a friend of mine used to say.

"If eating a shit sandwich, don't complain about the bread."

I decided today was sandwich day. Now,  in order to keep your options open make, sure you have plenty of veggies, cheese, spreads and pickles. I love pickles and will be posting my favorite pickles very soon. 

Let's get to today's sandwich. I started with a sourdough made with scallions and walnuts. I picked up some roasted turkey and shaved ham for a weekend of sandwiches because it is a playoff football time!  I lightly toasted the Scallion & Walnut Sourdough in a pan using just a little olive oil. Next, I smeared a cranberry white Stilton cheese on the warm bread, piled the roasted turkey  and added some organic baby spinach. The most important ingredient of this sandwich was the organic Adriatic fig spread.  This stuff is crack. Period. 

The gist is that you need to begin to build a simple arsenal of great condiments and have some fun. Always be creative.

Be Well Eat Well and Live Well

The Hotel Food Quagmire - We can only hope for the better

* A Mark Mcdonough commentary

Usually, when we travel for work we are eatin' pretty well. Generally 80's Rockstarish well. But, then again some nights I'm pretty content to just to hang out in my hotel room eating great food from the local market or eatery.  Last night I decided to pick up a kick-ass Chicken Burger, still warm from the oven, on a sprouted grain roll coupled with Late July organic chips with Virgil's Root Beer. 

Let's just start with the chips. Late July, for me its all about flavor first and Late July is not short on flavor. The multi-grain dude ranch chips I ate had a great grain flavor without over powering  ranch seasoning, which I thought was really flavorful. Great find! They are made by a very giving family owned company that has strong roots and takes their organic products very serious. The company donates 10% of their profits to the American Camp Association to provide summer camp scholarships to kids in need. HOW COOL IS THAT!

Let's move to the chicken burger. My disclaimer is that I really only like beef burgers. Maybe lamb, and some great veggie options, but that's it.  There is something about poultry burgers that that just don't do it for me. But, that changed tonight when I ate the Coleman Natural Chicken burgers made by a subsidy of theirs called The Original Brat Hans. This patty had tons of flavor and I ate the fully cooked Uncured Bacon & Cheddar Burger, which was amazing. I'm glad that I grabbed my son Paden a few packs of these because they are top notch. Coleman claims to have been in the organic humanly raised meat industry since 1875. Guess that makes them one of the oldest of their kind, plus doing the right thing by treating their animals with respect makes it all the better. They really were great.

Now to the beverages. If you are a Root Beer lover and have tried Virgil's you can skip the rest of this paragraph. Virgil's is truly a root beer classic. They take making root beer very seriously. I've known good men that have died not taking their Root Beer seriously.

Last but not least for dessert I ate some of the Berkshire Bark chocolate. Dear Lord of all things sweet! I grabbed the white lightening bar from their product line and all I can say is that the rest of this chocolate will not make it on the drive home. These bars are hand made in the Berkshire Mountains with premium Belgian chocolate roasted cashews, fresh lemon zest and crystallized ginger. I tell you that this was one of the best pieces of cholocate I have ever eaten. Period.

Be Well Eat Well & Live Well

The every man "How to stay creative list"

I often spend time perusing online viewing  how other creative people use their time and what types of ways they organize their lives in an innovative fashion. You can find a lot of lists from folks claiming they know the most efficient ways to stimulate creative thinking. Most lists are always the same, with redundant "live life to the fullest" mombo-jumbo. I've never really been a big "Self Help - Motivation", Tony Robbins type of guy.

I've often noticed that balance and calmness, brings the most out of myself when I'm working on something creative. I'm a relaxed guy by nature, so insanity around me makes me cringe. You often have the Steve Jobs types, who are so insanely focused and obsessive to GET IT RIGHT, that their personal and non-work life are often in shambles. Obviously it's great to have those folks every generation - you wouldn't be able to play Angry Birds during your meetings right? Humor has often been my way of getting things done and dealing with stress. I'm okay with never being as laser focused,credulous and dogmatic as a Steve Jobs was. Could you imagine if you were in a bar full of Steve Jobs types? You'd want to bust a pint glass over every one's head for being such a douchebag.

The good thing about creative work is that you can find your own way to bring the imaginative side inside you. No book, lecture, TED Conference will do that. Find the place where you're able to think at a different level. For some that may be on a run through the country, on the ski slopes or even over a nice glass of wine. Don't depend on other people telling you how to find your creative side, you know where that is - and use it when it's applicable and appropriate.

2012 Food and dining trends #3 {Grow your own}

True Food Kitchen's onsite Herb Garden

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

Can we be done with this list already? It might be 2013 before this is completed.  Coming in at number three on our trend list is the movement towards retailers farming their own food. As you can see in the picture above, True Food Kitchen, a concept based out of Arizona,  maximizes it's real estate.  The interior's open layout, high ceilings, large sliding glass doors, and citrus color scheme bring the outdoors in. An on-site herb garden and smoker lend to farm-fresh feel. The airiness of the place creates a unique sense of openness when we almost walk into the wall-less kitchen. The garden ultimately is what makes this place credible.

Coast to coast, more chefs and restaurant owners are adding pitchforks to their small ware repertoire as they create gardens to feed their culinary zest and their diners. Ambitious and environmentally conscious chefs on the West Coast (and everywhere in between), are growing their own veggies and herbs and bypassing the traditional procurement route.

Let's set the record straight. This isn't a new and novel idea. Restaurants across the country have been doing this for years. But.....the ROI is staring to surface in a unique and opportune way that many mainstream outlets are looking into this culture of cultivating. Whatever the scale of the agricultural endeavor, the benefits are clear, you can pick something during the day and incorporate it into a special that night. It creates a convenience and nimbleness that most restaurants aren't afforded otherwise. The trend has caught on with high-end, Michelin-starred restaurants in California such as The French Laundry in Napa and has trickled down to more casual friendly outlets as well.

Providing boutique vegetables for high-end diners has been proving it's worth as of late. Adding the ability to walk outside your back door and get the same high end quality, could provide a new way of menu engineering from a micro sense. I personally think we are just scratching the surface on this...Stay tuned.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking
#4 - Grains, Grains. Grains and .....more Grains.

Eating Heat Map - I'm a Blue Stater

 

I was monkeying around the other day viewing all my favorite restaurants and where they are located. So, I figured I would graph them on a map to see where most of my favorite Canteens are within North America. Ironically if you were looking at this from a political landscape, you would say I'm an elitist, progressive liberal snob. Well, that's probably true otherwise, outside of being a snobby elitist.

Sadly, most of my favorite restaurants are just where I've spent most of my time living and traveling. I've never been to the Dakota's but I'm sure there's a few joints  that serve some nice petite sirloin? I've yet to visit Utah, but I've heard the Mormon Duck Confit is dripping with flavor. Wisconsin, cheese? I'm actually embarrassed I haven't visited the state of Wisconsin due to my inappropriate relationship with beer. Minnesota has Prince, but not the edible kind.

This map just make me realize that I need to continue to travel around the country finding people and places that serve the "Best of". I'm looking forward to my forthcoming food and beverage adventures and hopefully I will end up sitting at a campfire in Montana under the moonlight, wearing assless chaps and eating some nice Montana Elk. One could only hope.

New Year, Old Ways - Some commentary on Healthy options for the New Year

Editors note: This was an article our comrade Mark wrote for the Panera Bread internal media publication - The Baguette Gazette.

Against the Grain

If you are like millions of us who find ourselves really needing more energy and an overall healthier lifestyle now that the holidays are over, Then check out a few of our favorite recipes from the Bakery Development Team along with some useful tips to gain more energy after a long night or day of baking. Plus if you are looking for a New Year’s Resolution, what could be better that having better energy, better health and a more holistic approach to your life. This begins a new series in the Baguette Gazette to offer healthy eating tips and great recipes to help make it a little easier to balance a demanding career & healthy life style.

There are many options to choose from when it comes to boosting your energy. There are energy bars, energy drinks, soda, candy, and the list goes on. Have you ever thought about what exactly gives you that boost of energy? All of the things listed above contain simple carbohydrates which all equal incredibly easy to digest sugars and in return give you short lived energy which sometimes leaves you even more tired. There are also numerous health issues that can arise from consuming too much of these types of carbohydrates including heart disease, certain cancers & diabetes. And, if you drink a lot of caffeine this just adds the up and down roller coaster.

To start this new healthy series we are going take a holistic approach to life & health with how to gain a more sustained energy by introducing or re-introducing whole grains into your diet.

Whole Grains are complex carbohydrates which take much longer to digest and most importantly the heath benefits include better and a more sustained energy as well as antioxidants to help fight the free radicals in your body, but first a little history of grains and then the most simple ways to get this newly gained energy into your diet.

Grains have been cultivated for our eating pleasure and nourishment for over 10,000 years by humans in various places around the world or if you think like Michael Pollan,  the plants have actually been cultivating us. But either way we humans learned early on about the unique benefits from making a large portion of our diet whole grains. And a big thanks to the Romans who are credited with creating the grain milling industry as we know it today. And to Northern Europe and Russia for creating the porridges and hot breakfast cereals that a lot of us have come to dearly love and enjoy especially when it comes to starting out the day well balanced healthy hot meal.

Whole grains are a high energy food and the simplest way to introduce them into your diet is through breakfast cereals. According to the USDA we should consume at least 48 grams of whole grains a day and since breakfast cereals come in many different types of grains what are you waiting for?

Here is one of my all time favorite breakfast recipes using Red Quinoa, add peanut butter for extra protein, for a little sweetness top with agave syrup and for additional nutritional and protein for energy I sprinkle ground black chia seeds over the top.

Morning Red Quinoa

Yield: 2 portions (on most mornings)

Water -1/2 cup (near boiling)
Organic Red Quinoa - 1 cup (cooked)
All natural Peanut Butter - 1 1/2 tbsp
Ground Chia seeds - 1 tbsp
Agave Nectar - 1 1/2 tbsp

Place the peanut butter into a small bowl and pour in the hot water and stir until smooth. Fold in the cooked quinoa sprinkle the chia over the top and squeeze the desired amount of agave and enjoy.

Those of you not familiar with Quinoa or chia seeds, here is why I chose them for this powerhouse of breakfast cereals. Quinoa was once considered the “gold of the Inca’s” and is one of the few plant based foods that can provide a complete protein and equally important is the fact that it’s loaded with magnesium. Magnesium is super heart healthy and multiple studies have shown that a diet rich in magnesium lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease & Type 2 diabetes. That aside I really like the mild flavor and the fluffiness of quinoa and I love keeping old heirloom grains alive and in return that help me promote a healthy breakfast.

Chia seeds are what some call a superfood and offer you a rich source of vitamins and high Omega-3 acids. They are rich in fiber, protein, calcium, phosphorus and zinc. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Chia is 16 percent protein, 31 percent fat and 44 percent carbohydrate in which 38 percent is fiber. They are also very beneficial in converting carbohydrates into sugars which is important in getting the best bang for your buck or in other words more nutrients per calorie. There is another added benefit that is most impressive to me and that is the appetite suppressant qualities of Chia. This happens mainly due to the fact that they swale 15 times their size and do not have to be ground like flax seeds in order to be absorbed.

The agave is the nectar of the agave plant, and yes the same one that tequila is derived from. But, the agave syrup is used here because of good flavor, very light and sweet but because your body process the sugar differently than cane sugars and most all forms of sweeteners. Agave as a lower glycemic index meaning that it tends not to shoot your blood sugar up which makes it a little more friendly to diabetics.

Please don’t let the unfamiliarity of the Quinoa and Chia change your mind about starting a new holistic approach to your mornings. Just start with grains that you are familiar with to begin your new High Energy breakfast regiment. I change it up all year and soon I will to more of an oatmeal regiment for the winter and usually wrapping up the winter with Bob’s Red Mill 10 grain hot cereal. Just do it! Here’s the big one for any of you reading this and think that the flavor of grains are like eating cardboard, keep eating your grains you will ,like all acquired taste foods and drinks, become more educated and development a sophisticated palette. Plus, the real goal in mind Less Processed Foods more whole foods and grains and this could not be truer than in the breakfast ritual. Here is one more recipe that might be a little more familiar but equally as delicious.

Good Ole Oatmeal

2 cups of cooked oats (not instant, real cooked oats, rolled or steel cut only)
1 cup of warmed milk
1 large apple cut into cubes
½ cup walnuts
2.5 Tablespoons of honey or maple syrup (REAL MAPLE SYRUP)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Equally distribute the oats into 2-4 bowls, them place the apples and walnuts on top of the oatmeal. Give it a little stir. Now pour the hot milk over the oatmeal and sprinkle the cinnamon over each bowl along with the syrup , enjoy.

Be well, eat well & live well

2012 food and dining predictions #4 {Grains, Grains, Grains and....more grains}

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!

With so many past diet trends based on avoiding bread, it’s a wonder that baking and bread cookbooks are still selling off the shelves. America's eating populous always welcomes the newest trend or fad when it comes to quick and rapid weight loss. We've been duped for long enough when it comes to bread and grains, and  we will see a resurgence in 2012 with our society gravitating towards a more traditional approach to these health friendly power punchers.

While people without medical restrictions continue to hop aboard  the bread-free bandwagon as a wishful way to lose weight, education and insight about pound packing processed foods, will continue to grow and resonate with many people. Studies have continued to show that eating whole grains instead of refined grains lowers the risk of many chronic diseases. Sorry Cap'n Crunch - you've scraped and irritated the top of my mouth for long enough.  While benefits are most pronounced for those consuming at least 3 servings daily, some studies show reduced risks from as little as one serving daily. Bam!

The message: every whole grain in your diet helps, significantly.

Restaurants in 2012 will continue their foray into this world of heart healthy grains. As technology and social media continue to crack the code on communicating healthy options to the masses, many restaurants will have to adapt their menus to the oncoming onslaught of inquires and requests for minimally process breads and confections.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking

Recipe Linkage: Hoisin Glazed Sesame Chicken Lolipops

Lil' Wayne would be proud of these lolipops

We're going to start sharing daily recipes for some of our favorite sites out on the "intertubes". I've been told I'm a Hoisin huslter. It's true, I've had some pretty inappropriate one nighties with this Asian lovely. This recipe comes from the fine folks at The Culinary Lens.

 Recipe: 

12 Chicken Drumsticks
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp seasoned rice-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp sesame oil
Black and White Sesame Seeds (Optional To Garnish)

The lollipops are made by cutting of the knuckle of the drumstick and then pushing the meat down to form a ball. You will expose the bone which will act as the stick. The glaze is made by combining all the remaining ingredients. Brush the glaze on to your drumsticks and roast at 350 C till cooked through.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions #4 {Small Batch Items}

Small Batch(ing) for the masses

Welcome to CB.com's 2012 food and dining predictions. I've always loved postulating about where food and food culture is headed. Sometimes I'm spot on, and other times I've failed miserably. We feel that we have a pretty good pulse on this industry and want to look into that crystal ball and lay out some educated guesses on what the food retail industry may look like like in 2012 without any of the Nicholas Cage Mayan calendar nonsense.

Let's continue with our educated guessing!


Coming in at number four on our countdown is the movement towards limited and small batch items. For restaurants and consumers that want to be part of a small, eclectic group that can tout a unique item that isn't available to the larger populous, this is their new outlet. Local craft distilleries are making small batches of bourbon, rye, vodka, gin and bitters. There is a movement towards urban neo-ruralism that has apartment dwellers in cities canning tomatoes, keeping bees, raising chickens and churning butter. Sometimes these folks are selling their products to independent grocers and restaurants, bypassing the standardized procurement cycle.  The small farmers are the new gastronomic superheros, sourced and touted on restaurant menus. The independent butcher shops are opening across the country with unfamiliar and creative cuts like Denver steak and Petite tender. We are continuing to see more small batch specialty meats, too, like bison, goat and rabbit.

With the conservative and sustainable mindset trumping all prior notions, people are not wasting in large amounts. The mentality of a lot of folks are that when they eat these products, they want to make sure they are appropriately respected and paid homage to. The small batch momentum also is a reflection of our recent past of the casual dining push into large and hearty serving sizes that have added inches to may waistlines in this country. We are currently witnessing a culinary manifesto promoting purity, simplicity, freshness and ethics.These principles could never be churned into a mass distribution system and that's what gives it a competitive edge. The inability to replicate at a large level.

If it's an item you put in your mouth, there's a small batch steward out there giving it a unique spin. Go search for it, you might be pleasantly surprised.

2012 Food and Dining Predictions:

#10 - The inconvenience of Food 

#9 - Personal Investment and Ownership

#8 - Minimal is the new black

#7 - The fusion of family style meals and belittlement

#6 - Beer is King, not the King of Beer
#5 - Cloud Eating and Cooking