(Courtesy Aviv Fried)

Through rain, sleet, snow and chinooks, Aviv Fried would bike through downtown Calgary every Monday and deliver his homemade organic loaves of bread to anyone on his 700-strong mailing list who put in an order that week.

He sold about 70 loaves every week with all proceeds going to a charity that builds schools and libraries in Africa. A few independent stores also started carrying Fried's delicious cheese bread, or whole wheat sourdough.

But Calgarians are temporarily saying goodbye to Fried, 36, as he and his girlfriend pack up to move to a Buddhist monastery in Nepal, at the foot of Mount Everest. For the next year, they'll be running the bakery there and setting up an organic garden to protect the area's medicinal plants and spices.

Fried's girlfriend/filmmaker will be documenting their experience in a film they intend to call The Bakery at the Bottom of the Top of the World.

I was curious how a man with an undergraduate physics and math degree and a master's degree in biomedical engineering turned down a finance job on Toronto's Bay Street after falling in love with a part-time job at Janice Beaton Fine Cheese in Calgary.

Fried answered a few of my questions before heading to Nepal this week:

How did you get into baking?

I did grow up eating fresh bread everyday and good, rustic bread is not very easy to find in Calgary, so I started baking. The first bread I baked was a baguette and it looked terrible, like it was dug in an archaeological excavation.

I was challenged and kept trying and quickly realized that I love the process. It is hard, meticulous and to me, the fact that you take three basic ingredients and can produce one of the most comforting, heartwarming foods, is magic. While it wasn't an easy decision, I called TD and declined the job offer. Instead, I started teaching myself how to bake.

(Courtesy Aviv Fried)

What do you love about it?

I love the long process of bread baking and that it requires patient and planning. I love the process of kneading dough, which involves hard labour from one hand and gentle shaping from the other.

I love the reaction people have when they get a fresh loaf of bread and how it's linked in their minds to personal memories. I love the fact that a loaf of bread is meant for sharing; it is too large to eat on your own and has to be eaten fresh.

How did you get the idea to turn it into a fundraiser?

After few months of baking at home I wanted to get a bit more serious and to try and get feedback from my friends so I decided to commit to baking 10 loaves every Monday and selling them. CODE was an organization I raised money for while in grad school. It seemed appropriate to support an organization that is dedicated to building libraries and schools [in Africa].

This way, while my bread was improving, people didn't pay for it directly but supported a good cause.

What was the reaction from friends/family when you decided to peddle bread for charity? Did they think you were crazy?

Some sure did. My family and friends were supportive though. I was raised to be happy and find a job that is fulfilling. They were a bit miffed about seven years of education that I will not use, but got over it quickly. My friends were enthusiastic.

What do you hope to achieve in Nepal?

Working there will be challenging since it is at 4,000 meters [above sea level] and things behave differently. I hope I will be able to have a better understanding of the baking processes because of it.

Of course I am excited to work with the monks and getting to know their culture better. I am also looking for some perspective and time to decide where I wanted to take the business I started.

What has baking brought you?

Mostly joy. I enjoy what I am doing and I love sharing it with others. Every loaf of bread I am baking I always think that someone will have it as food and I am trying to make the best loaf I can. I also like the creativity that is associated with making food. I bake different breads and I also make pastries and scones that are constantly changing.

I love delivering my bread on Monday and at the end of the day go home and think about all the people that are eating it for supper and how in this small and maybe insignificant way I brought them joy too.