In the greater Rochester area, “The Bread Man” is becoming a legend akin to Johnny Appleseed. He is Chet Fery, a town of Sweden resident who has traveled widely for 13 years, giving away free loaves of bread, and planting seeds of human kindness in his inspirational presentations.
He bakes loaves of bread at home to give away to his audiences and to friends and strangers. For Chet, making bread and handing out loaves is a simple act of kindness. Along with the sharing of bread at events come the “bread time stories” which tell about people engaged in kindness toward others. In Chet’s affable style he demonstrates bread making while talking, engaging his audience to share their stories of making bread, now or in their family history, and of acts of kindness they have experienced. They leave with a new awareness of the powerful impact of kindness toward others. They also leave with a recipe for making two loaves of bread; one to keep and one to give away. Chet’s ultimate goal for his bread project is “changing our lives and creating a world community that is caring, supportive and secure.”
Chet’s appealing wisdom is in such demand that he is booked up through February, with four or more events per week, at groups like senior centers, scouts, churches, historical societies, community centers, college campuses, weddings, and similar events. In 2012 he presented at 180 events, gave away 5,600 loaves and traveled approximately 9,000 miles.
Finding new ways
to deliver his message
Producing thousands of loaves and driving thousands of miles in a year does not faze Chet Fery. He works at a leisurely pace in his home kitchen where he has two standard ovens. He told his own story there recently for Westside News, as he did three years ago (Suburban News, Hamlin-Clarkson Herald, July 25, 2010). Chet’s words mingled with the aroma of baking bread.
He shared how his bread project has evolved since the interview three years ago. He has started bread making in his presentations. “I found the visual of the hands on and watching dough rise intrigues us, especially our generation,” Chet said. He is also doing bread making classes in a more formal way, recently at Tops Markets cooking school in Greece. He has begun singing songs – one he learned first from his father, and a Gospel song “Thank You Lord” he heard at an AME Church.
For a different mode of storytelling, Chet has taken a college course in one-act play writing, with a goal of acting out a story about Millie and her broom. He had heard 80-year-old Millie’s stories of sweeping for 73 years. “I thought, wow, that straw broom and sweeping was an important part of our lives, too,” Chet said. “The broom represents family, commitment, and keeping order. And, when you swept, you could think, grieve, or be joyful. The idea has captivated me.”
A major change in Chet’s bread project is an increase in staff development presentations.
Staff Development
The Bread Man recently spoke to 900 teachers and staff in the Fairport School District for their opening day. He did the same motivational presentation for the Brockport School District last year. “People in public service must take care of their own needs first to keep themselves strong, focused and balanced, taking time to like themselves,” he said. His check list to accomplish this starts with Take Care of Yourself. “Without a basic self-love, other people are less likely to see the goodness in us,” Chet advises, with encouragement to indulge in self-affirming treats and activity. Take Care of Others is next. “We all do a good job at that,” he said, but advises finding a brief time for a closer one-to-one to make a person feel special. “Really committing time to a person gives it a punch.” Third is to Put Order in Our Lives. Citing clutter on a desk or a mess in the garage, “It manages you rather than you managing the chaos,” Chet said. “You never get caught up.” Fourth is to Find Companionship. “Spend time with someone who gives you unconditional support,” Chet said, such as a coffee buddy or family member with whom to chat or share deeper experiences. Finally, Find a Happy Place. For Chet, “making bread is my happy place.” He urges everyone to have their special activity and space “that guarantees happiness, like walking, or reading, or working with your hands.” He tells his audiences, “If you do those five things every day, you are going to lead a fulfilled and enriched life.”
Chet likes to remind teachers, “When we create a special moment with a young person, we are planting something in their heart that will stay with them their whole lives.” A retired educator himself, he said, “Kids will remember the teacher in their classroom who made them feel good in a critical time in their lives.” He was reminded of this when presenting at a high school reunion. From the elderly alumni came very touching stories of teachers or staff who influenced them in school decades ago.
Chet’s staff development message also has been delivered to pre-school teachers, food service workers, Strong Hospital emergency personnel, and others. He says the message of kindness to others can “change the whole workplace, the whole school, the whole company.”
Practicing what he teaches
With his busy schedule serving others, does Chet obey his rule to “Take Care of Yourself”? He said he will sometimes ask his wife Marina, “Is there something we have not done that we need to do?” They do make special moments, he said. There are weekends away to visit family, a wedding in St. Louis recently, and a concert at Silver Lake that night. Trips have been limited to three or four days during their married life, but for their 36th wedding anniversary in October a cruise is planned.
Besides his bread making, Chet has found “A Happy Place” in an African drumming circle. “It keeps me balanced,” he said about playing the djembe drum with about 100 people. “Tension moves away and you get in rhythm with others. My goal in working with a group (in his presentations) is making a connection with people, helping us feel one. Drumming does this.”
In keeping with his value of kindness freely given, he will not sell his bread or accept donations from people who offer. If an organization has a speaker’s budget, he accepts a fee; if they don’t, his program is free. “The message is more important than the money,” he said. “I find I usually get my materials almost paid for in the course of a year.”
Fundamental for Chet’s balanced life is a day hitting the road. “A perfect day is to bake 20 loaves of bread, put them in my bread bag and head somewhere, like Macedon or Webster. It’s the best afternoon for me, reconnecting with people, meeting new people, and giving away the bread. It fills me up.” His road trips may be a healthy escape from his busy schedule of group appearances. Yet, the message, the medium, and the reward are same. “It’s invigorating. You can create an atmosphere of goodness and kindness by stopping in a shop or a mall and giving someone – an old friend or a stranger — a loaf of bread.”
“A perfect day is to bake 20 loaves of bread, put them in my bread bag and head somewhere, like Macedon or Webster. It’s the best afternoon for me, reconnecting with people, meeting new people, and giving away the bread. It fills me up.”
Chet Fery, The Bread Man
9/15/13
