BagelUp Industry Pro Tour and Class

June 9 / 10am - 4pm ET

Join us in New York City for an immersive journey into the craft, culture, and business of bagels. This unique program connects professionals and passionate enthusiasts with the people and places that define the city’s bagel scene—and reveal its exciting career and profit potential. 

Guided by Sam Silverman, founder of BagelUp and NYC’s “Bagel Ambassador,” who will provide expert insights into the city’s dynamic bagel scene. You’ll visit two iconic bagel shops in Brooklyn and hear directly from shop owners and operators, about the history, cultural significance, and lasting appeal of bagels, and what it takes to thrive in today’s market. 

The day concludes with a hands-on class at Bagel Market, led by award-winning baker Reva Castillenti. Learn to refine your bagel-making skills by comparing dough formulas, mastering the rope-and-loop shaping method, and picking up pro tips to take your bagel game to the next level.  

The Bagel Lineup (locations subject to change): 

1. Russ & Daughters (Brooklyn Navy Yard) 

2. Apollo Bagels (Williamsburg) 

3. Bagel Market (Midtown Manhattan) 

Presented in partnership with the King Arthur Baking Company

Getting There and Back: The tour will meet at Russ & Daughters, located inside Building 77 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Please allow extra travel time both to reach the Navy Yard and to locate the meeting point. The tour will end in Midtown Manhattan. If you need to return to Brooklyn afterward, plan to take public transportation, a taxi, or a rideshare. 

Speakers:

Sam Silverman, known as New York’s “Bagel Ambassador,” is the Founder & CEO of BagelUp, the company behind NYC Bagel Tours, the New York BagelFest, and a growing portfolio of bagel-centric experiences. 

 
Sam is dedicated to celebrating and elevating bagel culture through immersive classes, guided tastings, and large-scale events, most notably, the annual New York BagelFest at Citi Field, which now draws over 2,000 attendees and dozens of vendors from around the world. In 2023, he was named one of Brooklyn Magazine’s “50 Most Fascinating People” for building a national platform around this iconic food. 
 
Before founding BagelUp, Sam held roles in business operations at Bridgewater Associates and Walmart, where he led complex projects and helped scale strategic initiatives, experience that shaped his unique ability to blend hospitality, storytelling, logistics, and community building.

Reva Castillenti is an award winning baker and service industry professional with over 12 years experience working in New York City kitchens. 

Reva started her career as a sculptor, but eventually found her true passion in the art of bread-baking. Castillenti cut her teeth at bakeries such as Bakeri and Meyers Bageri, before opening her own micro-bakery Bread & Roses. Bread & Roses received accolades from US Bread Awards in 2018 and 2019 placing in the top 10 for all categories entered, and top 2 for Bagels both years. She has been featured in Time Out New York “New York pastry chefs are creating underground dessert pop-ups” in 2020 and Eater (Portland, Or) “A New Underground Bakery in Portland Teaches You How to Make New York-Style Bagels”.  

Reva discovered her passion for teaching while leading bread-making workshops at The Brooklyn Kitchen and has since taught thousands of students how to bake their own bread. She is the owner and operator of Small Good Bakery, a consulting firm that helps new and established businesses with recipe development, equipment sourcing, staff training, and operational systems.

Guildhall Gathering at Brooklyn Granary & Mill (New York City)

Monday, June 22

5pm - 7pm 

Lamination Production Fundamentals 
In-Person Class at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) 

Monday, July 27 | 12:00pm–5:00pm MST 
Tuesday, July 28 | 9:00am–5:00pm MST 
Wednesday, July 29 | 9:00am–4:00pm MST 

In this intensive three-day, hands-on workshop, renowned baker and educator Alan Dumonceaux will help you strengthen your lamination skills and apply proven techniques to produce consistent, high-quality laminated products in your bakery. 

Designed for working professional bakers and aspiring professionals seeking a strong technical foundation in lamination, this workshop will focus on the principles and processes that drive successful lamination in a production setting, including: 

• Ingredient selection and dough formulation  

• Balancing sugar, butter, hydration, and salt in the détrempe  

• Use of preferments to enhance flavor, fermentation control, and dough rheology  

• Techniques for forming the beurrage  

• Temperature management throughout the lamination process  

• Folding techniques and their effect on layering and crumb structure  

You will produce a range of laminated products, including classic and filled croissants, while also exploring techniques commonly used in more advanced production, such as bi-colored laminated products and cross laminated products. 

By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with practical skills you can immediately apply in your own bakery—along with a deeper understanding of the techniques and processes needed to create visually appealing, production-ready laminated products. 

A light breakfast and lunch will be provided on Tuesday and Wednesday, but you can also bring your own. 

This program is presented in partnership with Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) 

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: 

Alan Dumonceaux has been in the baking community for the past 40 years, for the last 24 years he has been an instructor and the Academic Chair of Baking and Pastry Arts at NAIT.  

He has competed for Baking Team Canada in Viennoiserie, in two Louis Lesaffre Cups, Las Vegas USA 2010, Buenos Aires Argentina 2015, then the Coupe de Monde de la Boulangerie in 2016 and competed in 2018 in the World Bakery Master’s Competition in Viennoiserie. 

He also served as coach for Baking Team Canada for the 2026 Coupe de Monde de la Boulangerie. 

He has been a great supporter to Skills Canada for our young bakers for the last 24 years. Is the World Skills Expert for Canada since 2015, and is the Chief Expert for World Skills in Shanghai China in 2026. 

BagelUp Industry Pro Tour and Class

September 8 / 10am - 4pm ET

Join us in New York City for an immersive journey into the craft, culture, and business of bagels. This unique program connects professionals and passionate enthusiasts with the people and places that define the city’s bagel scene—and reveal its exciting career and profit potential. 

Guided by Sam Silverman, founder of BagelUp and NYC’s “Bagel Ambassador,” who will provide expert insights into the city’s dynamic bagel scene. You’ll visit two iconic bagel shops in Brooklyn and hear directly from shop owners and operators, about the history, cultural significance, and lasting appeal of bagels, and what it takes to thrive in today’s market. 

The day concludes with a hands-on class at Bagel Market, led by award-winning baker Reva Castillenti. Learn to refine your bagel-making skills by comparing dough formulas, mastering the rope-and-loop shaping method, and picking up pro tips to take your bagel game to the next level.  

The Bagel Lineup (locations subject to change): 

1. Russ & Daughters (Brooklyn Navy Yard) 

2. Apollo Bagels (Williamsburg) 

3. Bagel Market (Midtown Manhattan) 

Presented in partnership with the King Arthur Baking Company

Getting There and Back: The tour will meet at Russ & Daughters, located inside Building 77 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Please allow extra travel time both to reach the Navy Yard and to locate the meeting point. The tour will end in Midtown Manhattan. If you need to return to Brooklyn afterward, plan to take public transportation, a taxi, or a rideshare. 

Speakers:

Sam Silverman, known as New York’s “Bagel Ambassador,” is the Founder & CEO of BagelUp, the company behind NYC Bagel Tours, the New York BagelFest, and a growing portfolio of bagel-centric experiences. 

 
Sam is dedicated to celebrating and elevating bagel culture through immersive classes, guided tastings, and large-scale events, most notably, the annual New York BagelFest at Citi Field, which now draws over 2,000 attendees and dozens of vendors from around the world. In 2023, he was named one of Brooklyn Magazine’s “50 Most Fascinating People” for building a national platform around this iconic food. 
 
Before founding BagelUp, Sam held roles in business operations at Bridgewater Associates and Walmart, where he led complex projects and helped scale strategic initiatives, experience that shaped his unique ability to blend hospitality, storytelling, logistics, and community building.

Reva Castillenti is an award winning baker and service industry professional with over 12 years experience working in New York City kitchens. 

Reva started her career as a sculptor, but eventually found her true passion in the art of bread-baking. Castillenti cut her teeth at bakeries such as Bakeri and Meyers Bageri, before opening her own micro-bakery Bread & Roses. Bread & Roses received accolades from US Bread Awards in 2018 and 2019 placing in the top 10 for all categories entered, and top 2 for Bagels both years. She has been featured in Time Out New York “New York pastry chefs are creating underground dessert pop-ups” in 2020 and Eater (Portland, Or) “A New Underground Bakery in Portland Teaches You How to Make New York-Style Bagels”.  

Reva discovered her passion for teaching while leading bread-making workshops at The Brooklyn Kitchen and has since taught thousands of students how to bake their own bread. She is the owner and operator of Small Good Bakery. a consulting firm that helps new and established businesses with recipe development, equipment sourcing, staff training, and operational systems.

From Seed to Slice: Virginia Field Trip

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | 9:45am–5:45pm ET 

This From Seed to Slice field trip takes us to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley at the start of the winter wheat season. We’ll explore a regional grain economy in action and meet a new generation of growers, millers, and bakers who are redefining what it means to work with local grains.  

We begin at Mill Song Bakery, a one-of-a-kind home bakery run by Nico Melas in the Harrisonburg area. Nico’s work is a true expression of full-cycle baking: he farms, mills, and bakes, producing naturally leavened breads using flour he stone-mills on-site. His grains are sourced exclusively from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, an inspiring example of hyper-local grain sourcing and craftsmanship.  

From there, we head into the field with Gary Knicely, an organic farmer with more than two decades of experience in regenerative agriculture. Gary’s work focuses on building resilient systems through practices like cover cropping, interseeding, and soil health management. His approach to farming offers insight into how grain can be grown in ways that support both the land and long-term farm viability.  

Finally, we travel to Lowesville, VA, home to the historic Woodson’s Mill. Originally built in the 1790s, this mill stands as a remarkable link to America’s grain milling past. Here we visit Deep Roots Milling, where millers Aaron Grigsby and Ian Gamble and their team continue to operate the mill using traditional methods while supporting a modern, values-driven grain economy. Deep Roots Milling sources 100% of its grain from family farms across the Mid-Atlantic, producing high-quality flours from wheat, corn, rye, and other grains.  

By the end of the day, you’ll see how grain moves through a region—from soil to mill to bakery—and the people who make that possible. Whether you’re a baker, miller, farmer, or simply passionate about good bread, this trip offers a closer look at the relationships and practices shaping the future of regional grain. 

A boxed lunch is included. 

Presented in partnership with Common Grain Alliance and Walden Mutual Bank

   

Our Guides:

Nico Melas 

Nico is the baker, miller, and farmer behind Mill Song Bakery in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. At Mill Song, Nico produces naturally leavened breads using local grains sourced from organic and biological farms within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Flour is stone-milled on-site a few days before each bake, and doughs are naturally-leavened, hand-mixed, and hearth-baked to create breads that are flavorful, nutritious, and deeply connected to the region. Nico trained in traditional wood-fired and fresh-milled baking in France before continuing his grain-focused baking education at Seylou Bakery & Mill. 

Gary Knicely 

Gary is an organic farmer with over 20 years of experience focused on regenerative agriculture. At Hilltop Farm in Dayton, VA, he experiments with cover crops, interseeding, soil micorbiology, and nutrition management to buildresilient cropping systems and solve practical field challenges. 

Aaron Grigsby

Ian Gamble 

Aaron and Ian are the millers behind Deep Roots Milling at the historic Woodson’s Mill in Lowesville, VA. Aaron started his journey in traditional foodways working on small vegetable farms in southwest Virginia, the vineyards and cellars of Tuscany, and Sri Lankan communes. While apprenticing at a bakery in Floyd, he developed an affinity for small grains, natural leaven, and wood-fired cookery, experiences that eventually led him to become a miller and help establish a lynchpin for the regional grainshed at Woodson’s Mill.  

Ian, a longtime friend and collaborator of Aaron’s, came to milling through his interests in good food, diverse economy, and sensible work. Upon visiting the mill you will find him greasing, packing, hauling sacks, milling, cleaning, and, of course, joking around with David Woodson.When not at the mill Ian pursues his crafts as a potter and oven-maker in rural North Carolina. 

Itinerary (subject to change): 

9:45am – 10:00am 
Meet at Mill Song Bakery at 1130 Lincolnshire Dr, Rockingham, VA 22802 

10:00am – 11:30am 
Tour of Mill Song Bakery with Nico Melas 

11:30am – 11:40am 
Travel by bus to Hilltop Farm at 6675 Horeb Church Road, Dayton, VA 22821 

11:40am – 1:00pm 

Tour of Hilltop Farm with Gary Knicely 

1:00pm – 1:45pm 
Lunch in Harrisonburg 

1:45pm – 3:00pm 
Travel by bus to Deep Roots Milling at 3211 Lowesville Rd, Lowesville, VA 22967 

3:00pm – 4:30pm 
Tour of Deep Roots Milling with Aaron Grigsby 

4:30pm – 5:45pm 
Bus returns to Mill Song Bakery 

Space is limited—register now to reserve your spot!

BagelUp Industry Pro Tour and Class

December 8 / 10am - 4pm ET

Join us in New York City for an immersive journey into the craft, culture, and business of bagels. This unique program connects professionals and passionate enthusiasts with the people and places that define the city’s bagel scene—and reveal its exciting career and profit potential. 

Guided by Sam Silverman, founder of BagelUp and NYC’s “Bagel Ambassador,” who will provide expert insights into the city’s dynamic bagel scene. You’ll visit two iconic bagel shops in Brooklyn and hear directly from shop owners and operators, about the history, cultural significance, and lasting appeal of bagels, and what it takes to thrive in today’s market. 

The day concludes with a hands-on class at Bagel Market, led by award-winning baker Reva Castillenti. Learn to refine your bagel-making skills by comparing dough formulas, mastering the rope-and-loop shaping method, and picking up pro tips to take your bagel game to the next level.  

The Bagel Lineup (locations subject to change): 

1. Russ & Daughters (Brooklyn Navy Yard) 

2. Apollo Bagels (Williamsburg) 

3. Bagel Market (Midtown Manhattan) 

Presented in partnership with the King Arthur Baking Company

Getting There and Back: The tour will meet at Russ & Daughters, located inside Building 77 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Please allow extra travel time both to reach the Navy Yard and to locate the meeting point. The tour will end in Midtown Manhattan. If you need to return to Brooklyn afterward, plan to take public transportation, a taxi, or a rideshare. 

Speakers:

Sam Silverman, known as New York’s “Bagel Ambassador,” is the Founder & CEO of BagelUp, the company behind NYC Bagel Tours, the New York BagelFest, and a growing portfolio of bagel-centric experiences. 

 
Sam is dedicated to celebrating and elevating bagel culture through immersive classes, guided tastings, and large-scale events, most notably, the annual New York BagelFest at Citi Field, which now draws over 2,000 attendees and dozens of vendors from around the world. In 2023, he was named one of Brooklyn Magazine’s “50 Most Fascinating People” for building a national platform around this iconic food. 
 
Before founding BagelUp, Sam held roles in business operations at Bridgewater Associates and Walmart, where he led complex projects and helped scale strategic initiatives, experience that shaped his unique ability to blend hospitality, storytelling, logistics, and community building.

Reva Castillenti is an award winning baker and service industry professional with over 12 years experience working in New York City kitchens. 

Reva started her career as a sculptor, but eventually found her true passion in the art of bread-baking. Castillenti cut her teeth at bakeries such as Bakeri and Meyers Bageri, before opening her own micro-bakery Bread & Roses. Bread & Roses received accolades from US Bread Awards in 2018 and 2019 placing in the top 10 for all categories entered, and top 2 for Bagels both years. She has been featured in Time Out New York “New York pastry chefs are creating underground dessert pop-ups” in 2020 and Eater (Portland, Or) “A New Underground Bakery in Portland Teaches You How to Make New York-Style Bagels”.  

Reva discovered her passion for teaching while leading bread-making workshops at The Brooklyn Kitchen and has since taught thousands of students how to bake their own bread. She is the owner and operator of Small Good Bakery, a consulting firm that helps new and established businesses with recipe development, equipment sourcing, staff training, and operational systems.