Process

 If you never tried Challah bread, well...
...There is almost nothing like it.
I have to admit that since my surgery, I have not eaten much Challah. Maybe a sliver here or there but, wow, how I miss it.

Just the flavor and taste on its own is quite fantastic but my kids taught me that you can also enjoy a piece of Challah bread with some hummus, onion dip or babaganush spread over the slice.

(Read the Blog about aspects of my health and surgery at:


The process of making Challah is time consuming. But the results are just fantastic. For those that want to try and make their own, here is the recipe that my wife uses...
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. yeast
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1 cup warm tap water
- 2 eggs for dough (plus 1 egg to be used to baste the top of the bread before putting it into the oven)
- 1/2 cup of canola oil
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4 cups of flour
- sesame seeds or almond shavings or other toppings 

Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until bubbles appear
- Mix in the 2 eggs and oil
- Mix in the salt and gradually mix in the flour
- Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding just enough flour so the dough is slightly sticky to the touch
- Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size. (For a lighter texture, punch dough down and let it rise again.)
- Divide the dough and braid
- Cover with towels and let rise until doubled in size
- Beat the third egg and brush on the dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (or any topping of your choice. For example: almond shavings, poppy seeds, etc.)
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until golden brown

As I noted above, making Challah is a lengthy process.
> The yeast has to bubble
> Dough is kneaded and punched
> Dough has to rise again and again

Even if one of these steps are overlooked, the end result could turn the Challah bread into a very tasteless lump of dough.

This is very similar to the preparation process for Customs compliance issues.
Who oversees the compliance functions?
What procedures are in place to verify data?
How is communication initiated between the various departments within an organization?

Let's get back to that in a moment.
What I would like to do now is take you down a road about the process I took to prepare for the life changing decision I made when I decided to have Bariatric surgery.

- I needed to understand the relationship I had with food.
- It was important to begin a systematic way of losing weight prior to the surgery to lower the general risk of surgery.
- Stopping to eat specific foods was imperative for me to get on the right track even before the surgery date was set.

All these items to prepare for the surgery was a process that I needed to take to increase the chances of success.

Going back to Customs compliance, it is much the same. A compliance program does not just appear and is not just implemented on its own at the snap of ones fingers.
Much preparation goes in to building a compliance program. 
- Resources
- Knowledge
- PARTNERSHIPS
All these processes lead to a well balances program that mitigates exposure to non-compliance.

There are going to be times when a process needs to be implemented quickly. However, taking small steps and building a compliance process will probably result in a stronger more effective process to mitigate future risks to non-compliance.

Once you taste Challah bread, you probably will want more and more.
Once you build a compliance process, you will probably continue to take proactive measures with respect to the arising Customs compliance issues that your corporation will face.


Thank you to my wife Mindy for sharing the recipe that she received from a close TJJ friend.


Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

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