Alma Talks: Pečivo

There is something almost magical about pastries. Flour, water, butter, time... and suddenly a crispy crust, a delicate crumb, a perfectly layered croissant. What seems simple is the result of patience, precision and knowledge passed down through the generations.

Pastry is both a daily ritual and a craft. It carries memories of children's kitchens, neighborhood bakeries and regional traditions, and at the same time it is constantly changing. It is shaped by hands, fermentation, heat and intuition, but also by new technologies, operational reality and the changing expectations of guests.

Each loaf is the result of specific decisions: where the grain comes from, how the flour was ground, how much time the dough is given and how demanding production is in today's economic and working conditions. Baking is thus not only a question of taste, but also of origin, process and availability.

The fourth part of Alma Talks invites bakers, farmers, millers and personalities from the field of gastronomy to an open debate about what quality means in baking today. How are craftsmanship, technology and responsibility related? And can pastry in particular help rethink the relationship between gastronomy, landscape, city and community?

Topics:

• Flour as a decision: Local varieties, stone grinding and natural variability, or standardized production? How does flour affect the taste, character and consistency of bread production in daily operation? Where does terroir end and the need for stability begin?
• Regenerative grain: can demand change the landscape? Do bakers and restaurants have a real influence on the way grain is grown? Is regenerative flour a systemic change or just a premium segment for now?
• Bakery as urban infrastructure: Neighborhood bakeries are coming back as a natural part of smaller cities and districts of large metropolises. What role does a bakery play for the local community today and what does it actually mean to open and maintain such a bakery in the long term?
• Baking and health The demand for higher fiber content and "gut-friendly" products is growing. Does this really change the quality and direction of baking, or just the way we talk about it?
• The price of quality: What does good bread really cost today? What role do raw materials, energy, labor and time play? Is it possible to bake well and affordably at the same time? And how can craft production be scaled sustainably?
• Technology as a co-author: Controlled fermentation, climate boxes, digital monitoring and new types of ovens are fundamentally changing the daily operation of bakeries. Is technology helping to maintain quality amid growth and labor shortages, or is it changing the very essence of the craft?

You can look forward to:

• Alejandro Luna – Alejandro is the former pastry chef of Australia's Sonoma Baking Co. and a consultant with a global career in leading kitchens in the US, Asia and Australia. He combines classical techniques with an emphasis on production efficiency and is known for his work with rye sourdough, panettone and dough lamination - building systems, developing teams and ensuring consistent, high quality confectionery at scale.

• Giovanni Marabese - Giovanni is an Italian food anthropologist researching ingredients, processes and culinary traditions on the brink of extinction. In 2021, he founded Tone Bread Lab., a contemporary bakery that uses bread as a medium to explore, reinterpret and preserve food cultures from remote corners of the world. His work stands at the intersection of gastronomic sciences and ethnobotany, connecting field research with everyday practice in the bakery.

• Laura Lazzaroni - Laura is an author and former editor-in-chief specializing in ancient varieties and evolutionary populations of wheat. With an academic background in biology and editorial experience at Food&Wine Italia, D di Repubblica and L'Uomo Vogue, she connects agriculture, craft and culture. She is known for her collaborations with restaurants, bakeries and farms throughout Italy and the world, advises on ancient grain baking programs and is completing a new bread book for Phaidon Publishing (2027).

• Marek Borský – Marek is an entrepreneur, consultant, trainer and founder of Supernova Bakehouse. He has been working in the industry for almost 10 years, for the last 4 years he has been building his own concept focused on artisan pastries, croissant dough and selected coffee. In addition to his own business, he is engaged in consulting and education, where he helps new projects to be created on a rational basis. His approach connects product quality, a strong concept and a sustainable business.

• Martina Kornfeilová – Martina is the CEO and co-owner of the Kornfeil family business, which manufactures and develops professional bakery technologies with exports to more than 50 countries around the world. He has been at the head of the company since 2022, continuing his father's legacy and the brand with respect for tradition, but he is pushing his ambition to be the world's best further. She is a mother of three, speaks openly about the balance between family and business management, and repeatedly appears in the list of the Most Influential Women in the Czech Republic according to Forbes.