Organic, whole-grain bread and chewy cookies.

Brian Hernon's Lancaster, PA, home business is a unique venture which allows him to do two things he loves - baking and spending time with his family.  He was inspired to make his own nutritious, artisan breads when he couldn't find a loaf of bread that he and his family liked to eat.  His breads are made from organic ingredients and have no preservatives or genetically modified ingredients.  All Slow Rise products are made by hand and follow artisan standards for high quality ingredients, sanitation and accurate labeling. 

Slow Rise had its first full year in 2004, although the idea to start a bakery originated years ago.  Brian attended culinary school at The Restaurant School, and then spent 10 years cooking in leading Philadelphia and Lancaster County restaurants.  Around the time when he and his wife made the decision to spend more time together as a family, they luckily moved into a house with a basement large enough for a bakery.  Now Brian can be home with his children in the mornings, when they get home from school, and as they go to bed, which he wasn't able to do when working at cooking jobs in the evenings and weekends.  Now he can be more a part of their lives, and they of his.  For example, the logo for his business comes from a drawing in a wake-up note that his daughter made to help him keep those early baking hours.  Brian's arrangement allows him to meet several goals: to balance work with home life, to make honest products that have value for the money, and to make things that his family feels good about eating. 

Slow Rise breads use whole grain flour that contains a high percentage of fiber, providing a fiber/carbohydrate ratio that is healthier than commercial bread.  They also do not contain oils or fats, which many bakeries use to mask their lack of flavor and keeping qualities.  Slow Rise's breads keep without preservatives through the use of sourdough or natural leavening with long, slow fermentation.  The result is a crusty European style that provides a welcome alternative to today's chemically raised breads.  The process of making these sourdoughs is something that Brian finds to be the most enjoyable and most challenging aspect of his work.  His advice to customers, "Eat bread."  But he's also eager to hear back from you, since, besides creating quality, nutritious breads, another goal of Slow Rise is to strive to listen to what his customers say.  This ability to give feedback is just one more benefit of buying from small, local businesses.