Daniel Leader is the owner and baker of the Bread Alone Bakery in New York's Catskill Mountains. Dan's food career began when, nine months short of his undergraduate philosophy degree from the University of Wisconsin, he realized his need to work with his hands as well as his mind. He enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, graduated at the top of his class, and, worked as a chef for some of New York City's hottest restaurants, La Grenouille and the Water Club. Then, after eight years of cooking food "too fancy to eat," he became obsessed with the idea of creating something wholesome, timeless, and beautiful. Great bread and Bread Alone were born. Dan lives in… Boiceville, New York, with his wife, Sharon, and four children, Liv, Nels, Octavia, and Noah.
Lauren Chattman is a cookbook author and former professional pastry chef who has written 10 books, including most recently "Dessert Express". She collaborated with former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier on" Dessert University" and with Daniel Leader on "Local Breads", which won an IACP award. She has appeared on "The Today Show" and has sold over 50,000 books on QVC. She can be seen demonstrating baking techniques for Pillsbury on www.howdini.com.