By Zachary Sieloff
Cooking and baking have always been a fun experience for me. Since I was young, I
would spend weekends helping my family cook many entrees and desserts like Pierogi, Gnocchi
and Banana Cake.
Coming to college and being away from my family, there were few opportunities to
prepare fresh food and disconnect from my studies.
I wanted to take on something to expand my knowledge of baking while creating a
different environment for mindfulness.
With the generous support of the BLI grant, I was able to attend six half-day baking
classes covering baguettes, croissants, fruit tarts, savory pies, Italian breads, scones and logos. I
had the chance to learn about Zingerman’s as a business, understand different cultures and
their foods, implement what I learned in the classroom in my own kitchen and improve my
overall wellness.
Throughout each class, I learned lessons that are important, but these teachings are
relevant to more than just baking, they can be applied in our daily life outside the kitchen.
I learned that time is an ingredient in anything you bake, it is even more important than
flour, sugar or salt. Time is the difference between fifty types of bread, between cookies being
burnt or not cooked enough, between the flakiness or denseness of a croissant. This was a
great aspect to understand for baking, but time is also an important ingredient in life. Too
often we overlook and do not realize the possibilities when we are not patient and don’t wait for
good things to come into effect. I have reflected on how good things can come quickly, but great
things may take more time.
“If what you are creating does not turn out as expected the first time, try the same exact
recipe two more times before changing it. Each time you will improve and be closer to success.”
This is what the instructors would tell us about cooking and baking. After attending the
baguette class, I attempted the recipe at home, just the way the class taught me. I was following
the instructions, and everything seemed to be going well until it was time to bake. Unfortunately,
my baguettes did not rise and instead came out dense. I was impatient and I did not let the
yeast chemically react for enough time before baking. Afterwards, I did not stop baking bread
but continued to improve and learn from my past mistakes. This experience underlined the
importance of not giving up and focusing on learning and improving from your mistakes.
The Zingerman’s classes and me putting into practice the techniques at home have not
only yielded amazing fresh foods for my improved well-being but have also provided me with
additional opportunities for mindfulness.
As in baking and in life we must cherish the power of time and always persevere.
