Rose Lawrence of Red Bread

CHEF, BAKER,Teacher, MASTER FOOD PRESERVER, and FOOD JUSTICE Advocate

photograph by Bernadett Vanek @born.under.the.sun on Instagram

On this episode, Rose Lawrence, baker, chef, and owner of Red Bread, joins me from her home in Los Angeles. Rose reflects on her beginnings as a Cottage Food baker in Venice, California and how the artisan bread movement has changed since the passage of the California Homemade Food Act (a law which she played an active role in bringing about). She gives advice and resources for home bakers looking to take the leap to becoming a cottage food operator and shares her fermentation mantra for anyone out there feeling a little overwhelmed on their sourdough journey.

“I’m very interested in building a strong voice for [female bakers] in the industry... it’s wonderful the camaraderie and different ideas. I think some people can get scared about sharing things, but the more we all operate from a sense of abundance, the more abundance there will be. ”

— Rosie

Rosie’s “Fermenation Mantra”

So often when people are overwhelmed with sourdough or fermentation, I try to step back away from the specifics, and go back into magic and just remind them…

“it’s all the same cultures, they’re just in different populations, depending on what you are feeding them, and they WANT to be alive, you’re just sort of helping, and its the same rules - because it’s the same planet.”

…And it’s almost become - that short little speech - has almost become a mantra I give to every class. And I just watch these shoulders lower, and I hear this gentle breath come out, and that was fully my intention…