What does it take to build a better bakery without sacrificing the craftsmanship that makes it special?

In this episode of The Perfect Rise, host Kimberly Houston welcomes Alex Dufaur, Bakery Specialist in Research and Development at Lesaffre, for a conversation about leadership, innovation, and the evolving business of baking.

Alex's journey is anything but conventional. From a background in performing arts and Michelin-starred hospitality in France to leading artisan and large-scale bakery operations in the United States, his career has been shaped by curiosity, mentorship, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Together, Kimberly and Alex explore the challenges facing today's bakery owners, including skilled labor shortages, production inefficiencies, waste management, and maintaining consistent quality. Alex shares how bakeries can apply lessons from larger operations to streamline production, support their teams, and improve profitability while preserving their artisan identity.

The conversation also explores the science behind baking innovation, including how functional ingredients, fermentation techniques, and smarter production systems can help bakeries work more efficiently.

Finally, Alex discusses the importance of continuing education, the mentors who shaped his career, and why preserving industry knowledge is essential for the next generation of baking professionals.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How Alex transitioned from performing arts and fine dining to professional baking and research.
• Why successful bakery leadership is about developing people, not just perfecting products.
• Practical ways independent bakeries can improve production efficiency and reduce waste.
• How baking science and functional ingredients can support consistency and craftsmanship.
• Why mentorship and continuing education are essential to the future of the baking industry.

This episode is sponsored by Lesaffre, a valued supporter of the Retail Bakers of America and the RBA Learning Portal, Powered by Lesaffre.

Explore educational resources, professional development opportunities, and RBA membership at retailbakersofamerica.org.

The Perfect Rise is the official podcast of the Retail Bakers of America, featuring the people, ideas, and conversations shaping the future of the baking industry.

Evergreen mid-roll promoting Retail Bakers of America membership. Highlights RBA’s education, industry resources, and professional community, with a call to learn more at RetailBakersofAmerica.org.

Evergreen closing message for The Perfect Rise. Thanks listeners for tuning in, encourages them to follow and share the podcast, and directs bakery professionals to RetailBakersofAmerica.org to learn more about RBA membership and resources.

An exceptional product is only the beginning. What does it take to manufacture it, get it to customers, and build a business that makes money?

Recorded live at PastryCon, this episode of The Perfect Rise features Chef En-Ming Hsu, world champion pastry chef and founder of Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate. She joins host Chef Kimberly Houston for a candid conversation about moving from acclaimed pastry kitchens and a successful consulting career into the realities of owning a packaged food business.

En-Ming shares how a pandemic pivot became a business now driven largely by wholesale, and why that growth brings decisions about manufacturing minimums, inventory, packaging, freight, and where to focus her time. She also discusses protecting her product standards, developing multiple uses for a seasonal offering, and balancing customer requests with what the business can realistically support.

For bakery owners considering wholesale, packaged products, or another revenue stream, this conversation offers an honest look at the work behind expansion and the importance of asking for help along the way.

In this episode:
• Moving from e-commerce into wholesale and food service
• Working with co-manufacturers and managing production minimums
• Balancing ingredient standards, costs, and customer expectations
• Using pre-orders to support inventory planning
• Accounting for freight and distribution when expanding
• Finding business support through mentors and small business resources
• Deciding what to stop doing so a growing business gets the attention it needs

Explore Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate:
https://sipextraordinary.com

Learn more about Retail Bakers of America:
https://retailbakersofamerica.org

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

SCORE business mentoring SCORE

U.S. Small Business Administration resources and local assistance sba.gov

SAM.gov entity registration

Evergreen mid-roll promoting Retail Bakers of America membership. Highlights RBA’s education, industry resources, and professional community, with a call to learn more at RetailBakersofAmerica.org.

Evergreen closing message for The Perfect Rise. Thanks listeners for tuning in, encourages them to follow and share the podcast, and directs bakery professionals to RetailBakersofAmerica.org to learn more about RBA membership and resources.

What does it take to transform baking skill into a business that can grow, endure, and eventually operate beyond its founder?

Matt D’Agostino is a Certified Master Baker, former president of the Retail Bakers of America, and former owner of La Bonbonniere Bake Shoppes, now Labon Bake Shoppes, in central New Jersey. During more than 45 years in retail baking, Matt worked his way from dishwasher and apprentice to baker, decorator, general manager, CEO, and board chairman. At its height, the family business operated 10 locations and employed approximately 130 people.

In this episode of The Perfect Rise, Matt shares how his family’s baking legacy began, what opening a second location taught him about systems and leadership, and why centralized production became essential to maintaining quality across multiple stores. He also explains how middle management gave him room to lead strategically, why protecting company culture led him to reduce the number of locations, and how reviewing a five-year plan annually kept the bakery moving forward.

The conversation also explores the development of RBA’s Certified Master Baker program, Matt’s early attempt to bring the baking industry into the virtual world, the professional value of industry service, and the role SkillsUSA plays in preparing the next generation. Matt closes with a vital lesson for bakery owners: building a sustainable company requires understanding financial performance, developing capable people, and creating a business that does not depend entirely on the owner’s hands.

Whether you are building your first bakery, expanding to multiple locations, preparing the next generation, or considering your eventual exit, this episode offers hard-earned wisdom about profitability, leadership, succession, and legacy.

Evergreen mid-roll promoting Retail Bakers of America membership. Highlights RBA’s education, industry resources, and professional community, with a call to learn more at RetailBakersofAmerica.org.

Evergreen closing message for The Perfect Rise. Thanks listeners for tuning in, encourages them to follow and share the podcast, and directs bakery professionals to RetailBakersofAmerica.org to learn more about RBA membership and resources.