Saint Paul Bread Club
We knead to bake!
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Questions about SPBC Meetings
In some respects, the core of the SPBC is in its meetings. This is where most SPBC members meet with each other.
When does the SPBC meet?
Originally, the SPBC met quarterly. In 2003, we met quarterly in the community room of the Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op at Selby and Dale in Saint Paul.
Starting in 2004, we met quarterly at Saint Agnes Baking Company
In 2005, we started having monthly meetings, first in the Highland neighborhood. In 2006 we had monthly in Highland, Eden Prairie, Brooklyn Park, and downtown Saint Paul. As people have come and gone, we are now down to monthly meetings in Merriam Park (instead of Highland), Eden Prairie, and downtown Saint Paul.
We could add other monthly meetings if people would volunteer to find a place to hold them and act as conveners. (I would like there to be a monthly meeting near every concentration of members. That’s why we try to collect at least people’s ZIP codes so we know approximately where people are.)
Quarterly Meetings.
When are the Quarterly Meetings?
The SPBC meets approximately quarterly. We try for the months January, April, July, and October. If the desired dates are not available, we might meet earlier or later.
(In 2008, we are scheduled for February, April, June, and October.)
What time are the Quarterly Meetings?
We used to meet at 3 p.m., and then at noon, and now we meet from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Where are the Quarterly Meetings?
We meet at the St. Agnes Baking Company, where we can actually make and bake bread. St. Agnes is at 644 Olive Street, in Saint Paul, just east of the Pennsylvania exit from I-35E, between Pennsylvania and University.
What do you do at Quarterly Meetings?
Traditionally, April meetings have been when we have our annual bake-off.
The other months vary quite a bit; we might do some hands-on work, have a community oven (where people bring their own doughs to bake in the ovens at St. Agnes), there might be a theme (bread and soup, rye bread and cheese), or there might be stations where there are different people demonstrating different techniques for breadmaking.
There will almost always be breads to sample and lots of conversations about bread.
How many people show up at Quarterly Meetings?
We have had as few as 25 and as many as 100. Usually it depends on the time of year. You can expect between 30 and 60.
Monthly Meetings
The SPBC also meets monthly in (as of July, 2008) three different places around the Twin Cities. (These group meetings are called slices. There are no “hands on” activities, but people are encouraged to bring samples of what they have been baking lately.)
- Black Dog Slice
- Trotter’s Slice
- Eden Prairie Slice
What do you do at Monthly Meetings?
Monthly meetings are an opportunity to chat with other SPBC members, show off what you have been baking lately, and talk over bread related news, bread cookbooks, bread tourism, or any other topic of mutual interest.
Different people show up at different monthly meetings, although some meetings have their own “regulars.”
Black Dog Slice
We meet at the The Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar located at 308 Prince Street, at the corner of Prince (4th Street) and Broadway in Lowertown, Saint Paul.
Meetings are usually on the first Wednesday of the month, starting at 7 p.m. and usually finishing at 8:30 p.m.
Trotter’s Slice
We meet at the Trotter’s Cafe and Bakery located at 232 N. Cleveland Avenue, near the corner of Cleveland and Marshall in Merriam Park, Saint Paul.
Meetings are usually on the fourth Monday of the month, starting at 6:30 p.m. and usually finishing at 8 p.m.
Eden Prairie Slice
We meet at the food court in the upper level of Eden Prairie Center 8251 Flying Cloud Drive, Eden Prairie.
Meetings are usually on the second Monday of the month, starting at noon and usually finishing by 1 p.m.
How are meetings publicized?
The SPBC has gotten big enough that most meetings a publicized via e-mail to members. We organize an ad hoc phone tree to call members that don’t have e-mail.
We are not against putting up flyers and putting notices in the newspaper, and posting to internet news groups about meetings, but it doesn’t seem necessary any more. (We don’t have a publicist volunteer right now.)