STIR THE POTS: Kathy McClean

Kathy McClean

I met Kathy McClean on Dan Lepard's forum, where she asked me for information regarding equipment for her bakery in Northern Ireland. Kathy's queries, several e-mails, and some wonderful bread mixes were a starting point for me to find out more about how a woman who baked at Steve Sullivan's famous Berkeley bakery Acme Bread, then picked up stakes and moved to Northern Ireland. Because that's exactly what Kathy McClean had the courage to do, despite the natural difficulties in introducing a food product to a land that suffered enormous civil strife, where change comes in small steps, and deep persistence is cost-of-entry to a modicum of success. After seven years, she's not just surviving but thriving.

In Northern Ireland, bread isn't yet held to the same esteem or quality as it is in some parts of the world, like here or other parts of Europe. Kathy is a ground breaking pioneer amongst a few artisan bakers across in the Republic of Ireland, trying to educate the palates from soda bread to yeasted wheat loaves. Weather, provisions, as well as labor and location play a role. Still Kathy thinks there is a good opportunity for interested bakers to make a mark there. As a matter of fact if you're interested in moving there give her a ring, and tell her I sent you!