Penticton baker diagnosed with ALS in search of a passionate future bread maker

Benjamin Manea and his wife Sharon Wiener were on a roll.

The bread Ben carefully honed over the last 12 years as owner of Walla Artisan Bakery & Café in Penticton was getting attention.

Celiacs and those with gluten sensitivities can eat it, making the unique Jewish rye bread a game-changer.

A Vancouver distribution company eager to partner up, customers traveling from far and wide — it seems the bakery was really taking off.

That is, until  was diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative disease with no cure.

“You can’t be angry with reality,” Ben said. “We always lose when we fight with reality. You have to accept it and go forward. It is what it is.”

When the couple were told Ben would only have about three years to live, they made the decision to close down the bakery.

But, with the strong community feedback and so much to lose by closing shop, Ben and Sharon are instead looking for a baker to mentor and train to eventually take over the business.

“Someone who just loves to work and enjoys creating something unique,” Ben said. “Eventually that person will be a partner, get some shares. But it’s a commitment.”

The special bread that Ben has mastered is finicky and time-consuming. The fermentation process takes seven days, which allows the gluten to break down enough to be easily digested by everyone who has tried it.

Dr. Dietrich Wittel is a Penticton M.D. specializing in nutrition and has been recommending Ben’s bread to his patients. He also personally suffers from gluten intolerances.

“Gluten sensitivity is rampant and it’s nice to have a bread that is largely free of gluten, easily tolerated and tastes good,” Dr. Wittel said. “I don’t like gluten because, in my medical career, I’ve learned that a lot of people that are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s later in life are actually getting this disease because of a gluten sensitivity that is undiagnosed.”

At the very least, Ben and Sharon are hoping to hire a few bakers and pastry makers. The wish, however, is to find someone with a similar curiosity, passion and commitment as Ben.

It will take the right type of individual, one with patience and a strong work ethic, to be able to rise to the occasion.

Those interested in the job can contact Ben and Sharon through the Walla Artisan Bakery & Café website.