SFBI Faculty and Staff

Our talented faculty and staff are dedicated to providing a comprehensive learning experience that provides rigorous hands-on training while fostering creativity. We deliberately maintain small class sizes to provide our students with the benefits of collaborative learning as well as individualized instruction.

Michel Suas
President and Founder
Michel leads both the San Francisco Baking Institute (SFBI) and TMB Baking. He is internationally recognized as an industry expert and thought leader, and is a strong advocate of using education to advance the appreciation and craft of artisan baking. Michel is the author of the critically-acclaimed Advanced Bread and Pastry. The Bread Bakers’ Guild of America awarded Michel their Golden Baguette in recognition of his enormous contributions to the Guild and the artisan baking industry. The Bread Project named Michel an honorary life member in recognition of his guidance and support.

A native of France, Michel started baking when he was fourteen. In France, Michel trained under several renowned chefs and won two silver medals as a Certified Pastry Chef and Certified Culinary Chef in the national CAP Exam.

After moving to the United States, Michel founded both the San Francisco Baking Institute and TMB Baking. SFBI is a world-renowned leader in bread and pastry education. TMB Baking is a top national bakery design consultancy and equipment distributor. Together, SFBI and TMB Baking provide the baking industry with the highest level of education, consulting, and equipment. These services have helped many of the world’s best-known bakeries develop operational efficiency and quality production.

Erin Bailey
Director of Business Initiatives and Communications
Erin’s primary role is to help SFBI continue to advance the appreciation and craft of artisan baking. She manages marketing, strategy, and new program development.

Erin studied briefly with Jeffrey Hamelman and apprenticed with Jory Downer (2005 Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie winner). She is also a member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America. Through the Guild, Erin and Michel Suas were introduced to each other, and soon after, Erin was invited to join SFBI. Erin will be attending SFBI’s Bread and Pastry Professional Training Programin 2008.

Before joining SFBI, Erin consulted to colleges and universities to help them select, develop, and implement revenue enhancement programs that strategically fit their institutions. Erin was in the Education field for several years prior to her consulting work. Her positions included Director of Summer Sessions and Special Projects at Lewis & Clark College, Educator-in-Residence at the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford University, and Research Associate for Post-Graduate Program Development at Teachers College at Columbia University. Before attending Columbia University, Erin was a Fulbright Fellow in India and Director of Academic Awards and Grants at Lewis & Clark College.

Brian Wood
Baking and Pastry Instructor
On the cusp of his graduation from The Evergreen State College with a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology, Brian realized that his true passion lay in the world of baking. During college, Brian enjoyed working with breads and pastries in restaurants. But, in his determination to earn his Bachelor's, he had not considered that the trade he loved so much could be his life's work.

Immediately after graduating from Evergreen, Brian began his study of baking in earnest. While working as a Pastry Chef at Café Ambrosia, Brian completed the Pastry and Specialty Baking Program at South Seattle Community College. He also worked in the pastry department at The Essential Baking Company in Seattle, where he helped develop and launch a line of organic chocolates.

During a six month internship with the San Francisco Baking Institute, Brian taught pastry classes, conducted product demonstrations, assisted instructors and completed an intensive study in artisan breads and vienoisserie. Brian received additional training in chocolate work at the Barry Callebaut Institute and classic and contemporary French Pastry and regional French specialty breads at the Institut National De La Boulangerie-Patisserie. Most recently Brian trained at the Atelier Pierre Herme at the Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française in Paris.

Brian is now in his fifth year as a consultant and instructor at SFBI. Most recently he finished a project of writing for and coordinating the SFBI book Advanced Bread and Pastry: A Professional Approach.

Miyuki Togi
Assistant Baking and Pastry Instructor
Miyuki Togi graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island with a Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and an Associate degree in Baking and Pastry Arts. For completion of her Bachelor’s degree, she took an intensive culinary art course at DCT Swiss Hotel Management School in Switzerland. Throughout her school years, Miyuki staged at restaurants in Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. During this time, her interest slowly shifted from cooking to baking, and she decided to pursue the baking profession upon completion of her study.

Miyuki came to the San Francisco Baking Institute to gain further understanding of artisan baking, starting an internship in 2006. During the six month internship, she assisted instructors, and contributed to demonstrations and special events held at SFBI. She also developed pastry formulas for consultation, taught pastry classes and private lessons on vienoisserie, and accommodated students from Japan by interpreting during artisan bread classes.