Amber Lambke, 39, is a speech pathologist by training, but her life changed in 2007 when she joined forces with Albie Barden, a friend and local mason, to form the Maine Grain Alliance and gather Maine bakers together for “The Kneading Conference.” The project started out as a way to revitalize Skowhegan but has grown into an annual event that attracts bakers from all over the country and has seeded interest in growing heritage grains in Maine, spun off related local businesses (a grist mill, a café) and forged strong connections between Skowhegan residents and local farmers. This year’s conference will be held Friday and Saturday and is followed by an artisan bread fair the next day.
SUCCESS STORY: The conference now draws 250 people a year, including professional and home bakers, chefs, oven builders, millers, farmers experimenting with growing local grains, and people with an interest in sustainable agriculture. The day after, as many as 3,000 people swarm the artisan bread fair, which is open to the public. “When we planned the first one, we weren’t certain that it could be an annual event. In fact, we had people cautioning us against making it an annual event, that maybe there wasn’t that much interest,” Lambke said. But interest is “growing and growing.”
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