Before Michael Kalanty served as Director of Education for the California Culinary Academy (“CCA”) in San Francisco from 1996 to 2000, he’d already built and sold a successful catering business and pastry shop in his native Philadelphia.
While developing the artisan bread course for the Baking & Pastry Program at the CCA, he fell under the spell of yeast. He returned to the kitchen and has been teaching, writing, and baking bread ever since. He wrote his first book, How To Bake Bread: The Five Families of Bread®, in 2009 “because there wasn’t a detailed book for culinary students that was written in a student-friendly style.” The book went on to win the Gourmand Award for Best Bread Book in the World at the Paris Cookbook Fair the following year.
It’s been adapted by hundreds of culinary schools across the country, most notably the Art Institute which has 42 campuses nationwide. It’s been translated into Brazilian Portuguese and is the standard text for professional culinary schools in Brazil.
Michael’s track record in bakery innovation dates back to when the field was merely called product development. Many of his formulas for breads, crackers, and cookies can be found on grocery store shelves for clients like Pepperidge Farm and General Mills.
He works with Clean Label initiatives to create healthy food choices that maximize flavor. Google Campus serves one of his gluten-free cookies. Michael is a certified master taster and licensed sensory panel moderator. He helps food innovation teams work effectively with consumer research to develop flavor and texture profiles that define food brands. As a teaching tool for his clients, he developed the “Aroma & Flavor Wheel for Bread”, for which he holds the copyright.
Founder: Bread With Benefits Project
Mar 2015 – Present; Location: San Francisco
Breads made in the Wild Yeast Fermentation process have probiotics and higher nutritional value. Breads made from locally grown grains have better Aroma, Flavor, Texture & Shelf life.
Breads With Benefits Project helps Farmers, Millers, Fermenters & Craft Bread Bakers collaborate to bring nutritious and great-tasting loaves to your market. Join in!
Bakery Product Commercialization
- Start-ups: HealthTrak, LLC; KNOW Foods; Kiwicha® Bars; Treasure 8 Brands
- Equipment Manufacturers: Woodstone Pizza Ovens; Fire Within Mobile Pizza Ovens
- Campus Foodservice: Google; Stanford University Dept. of Nutrition
- CPG: Pepperidge Farm, Kellogg’s, Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut, General Mills, Beanfields, PuratosThe Edible Schoolyard Project
The mission of The Edible Schoolyard Project is to teach essential life skills and support academic learning through hands-on classes in a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom. At the core of the mission is a free, sustainable, and delicious lunch for every child.
The Edible Schoolyard curriculum is fully integrated into the school day and teaches students how their choices about food affect their health, the environment, and their communities. Using a local sustainable criteria for purchasing food, the organization supports not only the students but also the farmers and ranchers, who are taking care of the land for future generations. The Edible Schoolyard network now includes 4,800 schools and programs in all 50 states and 57 countries.
