About ACE

Founders of ACE Bakery

Linda Haynes

Linda , a former TV producer, has been active on the boards of various arts and child-centred agencies. She is a past chair of Variety Village, North America’s largest centre for physically and mentally challenged children. Linda is the author of The ACE Bakery Cookbook – Recipes for and with Bread, published in October 2003, More from ACE Bakery cookbook, published in October 2006, and co-author of Two Dishes.

Linda’s honours and awards include: The Order of Canada for Philanthropy (2006), International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Humanitarian Award (2006), CESO Award for International Development (1997), Chief Barker Award (Variety Club) (1996), Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young, Canadian Business magazine) (1995) and Canadian Women Who Make a Difference (Business Category) (1994).

Martin Connell

Martin is the past chair of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Community Foundation, a registered public charitable foundation that builds and manages individual funds that support local charitable organizations and whose mission is to connect philanthropy to community needs and opportunities. Martin is also the past chair of Profund Internacional, S.A., former President of Africap Microventures Ltd., two regional investment funds with interests in local financial institutions providing credit and financial services to low-income self-employed people in Latin America and Africa.

Martin holds honorary doctorate degrees from five Canadian universities. His other honours and awards include: International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Humanitarian Award (2006), CESO Award for International Development (1997), Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award (1995), the Order of Ontario (1994), The Pearson Peace Medal from the United Nations Association in Canada (1994) and Officer of the Order of Canada (1998).

Together, Martin and Linda co-founded Calmeadow, an organization that supports the provision of credit and financial services to micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries who are unable to access traditional sources. When ACE began in 1993, ACE gave a portion of its profits to Calmeadow. Calmeadow has attained self-sufficiency and ACE now focuses on donating to food and nutrition programs that assist low-income members of the community, financing culinary scholarships and supporting organic farming initiatives.

See also:

Join the ACE Recipe Club
A short history of ACE
Read more about ACE in the community