Grains are the heart of many well-loved dishes, but the popular food has caused controversy in recent years. Growing rates of wheat intolerance, combined with the urgent need for environmentally-friendly farming practices, put a spotlight on the grain industry.
Modern milling practices often strip wheat of vital nutrients in order to increase shelf life and affordability. The Green Revolution of the 1960s led agronomists to develop new wheat cultivars in order to increase yield. While these efforts may have been in good faith, they’ve critically compromised the integrity of the modern grain.
Marion-based baker Sarah Black uses her passion for baking to educate locals of the benefits of nutritious, non-hybridized grains, particularly Red Fife. Working with Columbus-based miller Joe Bozzi, the pair are taking on the essential task of helping locals access nutritious, regenerative wheat.
Author of the cookbook One Dough, Ten Breads, Sarah has over 30 years of professional baking experience. She’s spent most of her baking career as a bread consultant, baker and instructor in New York City but moved back to Central Ohio in recent years. After returning to the Columbus area, Black served as bread program director at Flowers & Bread and teaches baking classes around the city.
During the pandemic, Black was unable to offer classes, but in the depths of quarantine she saw an opportunity.
“During Covid I stopped teaching but also began packaging heirloom grains with the goal of teaching people how to make bread at home all while introducing these beautiful, nutritious grains” Black said.
Black crafted Bread Box, a bread making kit featuring heirloom grains like Red Fife, Turkey Red and Spelt flour. Stocked by local Columbus businesses like Yellowbird Foodshed and Weiland’s Market, these boxes source independently-grown and milled grains. The ingredients are grown and milled with the wheat germ and brand intact, ensuring a nourishing loaf with rich flavor.
Black recently hosted a presentation at The Mix at Columbus State, a community center for cooking classes and more. Partnering with Bozzi, who is CEO of Local Millers, the pair imparted knowledge about the heritage grain Red Fife, from growing to milling to baking.
Bozzi founded Local Millers in 2021 out of the desire to mill the types of grains that will provide people with the necessary nutrition to lead healthy lives.
“Wheat has way less nutritional value than they used to have” Bozzi says. “That’s why I created Local Millers. People should be able to access whole, nutritious grains.”
Sourcing grains from local farms like Brandt, Dresbach and McConnel, Local Millers stone mill the wheat, preserving its quality and nutrition. Bozzi makes an effort to partner with local restaurants like Subourbon Southern Kitchen and Alqueria Farmhouse Kitchen, providing healthy grains to add to their menus.
One of Bozzi’s largest contributors is David Brandt of Brandt Farms in Carroll, Ohio. Referred to as the “father of regenerative farming,” Brandt is known around the county for his longtime regenerative efforts like cover cropping, which prioritizes soil health. Not to be confused with sustainable farming, regenerative farming not only reduces harm to the environment, but makes it healthier, slowing erosion and improving water availability.
When asking Bozzi why his grains aren’t on shelves, he says the answer is complicated.
“Stone milling keeps grains’ nutrients, [reducing] their shelf life,” he says. “This makes it more difficult to keep in stores because it doesn’t last long and will result in great financial loss. That’s why we aim to offer made-to-order flour to the community.”
In addition to providing grains to go, Local Millers provides food products such as pizza, pastas and biscottis, all using fully traceable flour. With all of their products, they prioritize listing the source of all their ingredients, back to the grain hub farms. This extra step offers full transparency and accountability for the quality of their wheat.
When asked about her relationship with Bozzi, Black calls it a miracle. While she used to source her grains out of state, she’ll now be able to source locally, which was a big goal of hers.
“By supporting Joe’s venture we also support regenerative farming, and all of these components lend themselves to the profile of potent nutrients from these grains,” she says.
For more information, visit localmillers.com and follow @sarahsbread on Instagram.