About this project

LIVE TO BAKE - BAKE TO LIVE - BAKE FOR LIFE

This experimental documentary will explore the craft of baking and its history. Bread is a staple that has accompanied the development of human society throughout the ages. As a part of the current U.S. Baking Team, local craftsman baker, Mike aka [the bejkr] journeys to the Coupe Du Monde De La Boulangerie to compete for the world title of bread making. This bakers tale will be told through the use of innovative film technique and the documentation of the burgeoning localized food movement in Northern California.  The film culminates in the grand finale at the World Cup in Paris 2012 where the winner is yet to be crowned.  This film will not be a conventional documentary, but rather a modern presentation of the art of baking. 

Our goal:

Is to provide a glimpse into what it takes to become a world class baker.  To follow the ingredients in a loaf of bread and observe the routines of everyday local farmers.  

Mike Zakowski - Owner, The Bejkr

Mike Zakowski is a graduate of the Culinary Arts program at Kendall College in Chicago, Illinois.  When he owned Kraftsmen Baking in Houston, Texas, he was named Best Baker in Houston and won the Best Bread award for his pain biologique during the bakery’s first year of operation. He was the Operations Manager at Artisan Bakers in Sonoma, California for 5 years and currently owns his own bakery, The Bejkr, and markets his creations at local farmers markets in Sonoma County, CA..  Mike is a member of Bread Bakers Guild Team USA and competed at the 2010 Louis Lesaffre Cup and soon in the 2012 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in the Baguette & Specialty Breads category. 

YOUR INVESTMENT

We are seeking funding to accomplish the following goals:

1. Gather current interviews from leading bakers and farmers, and document them in their environments.

2. Pay for a soundtrack, graphics, editing, post-production and distribution. 

3. Travel costs: Airline and train tickets, lodging and food.

4. Equipment rentals.

5. Kickstarter Incentives.

CAN WE EXCEED OUR GOAL?

Although $25,000 seems like a lot of money, it will barely cover our preliminary production costs.  The production team will be donating most of their time and effort, but film production can be surprisingly expensive.  Travel, legal and copyright expenses, insurance, post-production, music, distribution, and marketing add up very quickly. Most documentaries of this scope can easily exceed $200,000 in total production costs. But by calling on favors and self-distributing, we can substantially reduce our costs and finish the film on time.  If we exceed our goal, we will be able to license archival footage, music, and pay all of the creative people who have donated their time so willingly.  Simply put, the more money we raise, the better this film will be.

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