Dining@Large: Death of an inspiration - Elizabeth Large blogs about memorable meals, dining trends, comings and goings on the restaurant scene and more.

Recently I got an e-mail from a reader:

I'm an aspiring bread baker trying to work up the courage to leave my office job and begin baking full time. The Sun article on [Dale] Dugan from a few months back is taped on my wall as motivation; I will definitely apply for the position if he is still there.

The article in question was an excellent column by Rob Kasper, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be online anymore, so I can't link to it.

[Update: Community Coordinator Carla has come up with a link to the story.]

Today I got the sad news that Dugan died this morning after a short battle with kidney cancer. He was 48. ...

I'll link to the obituary when there is one.

Dugan was the baker for the Charleston Restaurant Group, the most prestigious baking job in the city.

As Rob wrote:

Dugan, 48, is by his own description an old-school bread baker. He and his assistant, Carrie Goltra, bake between 200 and 600 loaves a day at Pazo restaurant on Aliceanna Street. The loaves are then distributed to the other Charleston group sites. He bakes in an oven fueled both by gas and chunks of wood that he splits with an ax.

"I spend a lot of time with my head and arms in the oven," he said. He forms the loaves by hand.

"I don't knock the guys that use machines to shape their breads, but I don't think that is really artisanal. When the Sistine Chapel was painted, he [Michelangelo] wasn't using a blow gun."

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Comments

Such an enormous loss to this city and his craft. Dale was an amazing, inspiring person who did what he loved and it showed in his bread every day. He will be greatly missed by those of us who knew him and the many who will not have the chance.

Posted by: Charleston groupie | November 19, 2009 1:50 PM

Thoughts and prayers to his family

Posted by: Kenneth | November 19, 2009 2:04 PM

Cancer sucks.

Sympathies to his friends and family.

Posted by: etucker | November 19, 2009 4:53 PM

Oh wow. I worked with Dale ages ago when he was the baker for The Tomato Palace and Clyde's. He was an awesome guy.

Posted by: AC-M | November 19, 2009 5:55 PM

i had no idea this news had been made public yet- It was my understanding all inthe company had not been informed yet.

He was amazing- knew more about flour than the fols at king arthur- he is missed already.

Posted by: annon | November 19, 2009 7:57 PM

etucker,