Kneading Conference 2026

This presentation explores the work of the Grain Gang (a student club at The Culinary Institute of America) and their efforts to grow wheat using regenerative farming methods, with a focus on the research and development emerging from that work. It highlights how sustainable agricultural practices can serve as a foundation for deeper inquiry into grain quality, nutrition, and food systems innovation.

The Grain Gang also connects this work to an ongoing flour fractionation project, including examples of different levels of rise and what those variations reveal in baking and grain performance. In partnership with UC Davis, this research investigates the nutritional effects of flour that is fractionated versus whole or non-fractionated, helping to better understand how processing impacts the final product.

In addition, the presentation examines the role of ancient grains in this research and how they are being integrated across campus programs and curriculum. It also considers broader efforts to expand the use of ancient grains into communities throughout Northern California and beyond, strengthening connections between regenerative agriculture, education, nutrition, and community engagement.