ABE to help bakeries redefine themselves

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The changing composition of retail baking will be the theme of the upcoming American Bakery Expo (ABE), to be held Sept. 21-23 in Atlantic City, N.J. The show is sponsored by the Retail Bakers of America (RBA), the New York State Association of Manufacturing Retail Bakers Inc., the New Jersey Bakers Board of Trade Inc. and Sigep USA. Paul Sapienza, owner of Sapienza Pastry Inc., Elmont, N.Y., and ABE committee chairman for the New York association, says this year's show will focus more on education than it has in years past.

The sessions will address major industry trends, such as single-serving ideas, adding gift-basket business, pricing for profit despite unstable ingredient costs, and the latest safety regulations. A general session with Phil Lempert, author, syndicated columnist, radio talk show host and food trends editor for NBC's Today Show, also will address important trends for bakers.

“What seems exciting to me is, even though everyone's hurting and everyone's looking for answers, hidden in these educational programs are solutions that might work for bakeries,” Sapienza says. “Maybe we can get out of this economic rut that the industry is in and find new ways to be profitable, even if we need to redefine who we are. I think we will find in Atlantic City that there is a good way to redefine ourselves.”

For the first time, ABE will be held in conjunction with Sigep USA, formerly known as the Frozen Desserts Expo. Frozen dessserts, particularly gelato, have many potential applications for the retail baker who is looking to create new revenue streams. As Sigep's first foray into the American market, Sapienza says there are opportunities for cross pollination between retail baking and frozen desserts.

“I am excited to be working with Sigep, and think that its presence will be important in times when bakeries are trying to redefine themselves,” he says. “Of course gelato isn't for everybody; bakeries have to determine their own best route dependant on neighborhood or area. For some people, maybe it will be more of a bakery cafe route or foodservice model. But the ideas will be here.”

The expo also features a demonstration to help bakers compete in the growing Hispanic market sector. The session will be held in Spanish, but a translator will be on hand.

“This is driven by the nature of the customer base. In the Hispanic population, the bakery is still a very important. This was once generally true in America, but things changed. The lifestyles changed, and now we rely on convenience; bakery doesn't fit into people's new lifestyles easily,” Sapienza says. “Hispanic populations, though, tend to fit the mould of what our clients used to be. So the section gets bakers to ask themselves, ‘How do we market to them? How do we get them to come in to our store?’”

Practical decorating and baking demonstrations will take place each afternoon, and will allow bakers to learn hands-on tips and techniques. For the first time, the four-hour, hands-on sessions will require $150 tickets for attendance. Sapienza was initially unsure how the added expense would be received, but was pleasantly surprised with the response. Five of the sessions already have sold out, with limited availability on several others.

Other bakers are showcasing their skills in some of the ABE's three baking competitions. Sapienza sees the contests as another opportunity for attendees to garner new ideas and inspiration that they can bring back to their bakeries and help to reinvent their image.

Learn how to tap Mexican market

A collaboration between the RBA and CANAINPA, the National Chamber of the Bread Industry of Mexico, precipitated a special instructional session in both Spanish and English. To be held Sunday, Sept. 21, the session will allow CANAINPA to assist RBA members with ways to reach the Mexican clientele in their communities. Maestro Victor Gomar Aguilera, the teaching and training instructor for CANAINPA, will demonstrate traditional Mexican baked products. The session will be broken into three segments.

Event Schedule

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the exhibit hall opens at 11 a.m. everyday.