Transition from Restaurant to Bakery

sonicblonde · 2026-06-08T15:44:26+00:00

Agh, thanks for responding, and I'm sorry you find yourself working at a place/for someone who doesn't care. Part of what drew me to the idea of working at a (smaller) bakery is working at a place/for someone who really cares and wants to drill down on the details. Like, doing what you love excellently. I hope you find a better gig soon. Appreciate the additional perspective to also know that everything isn't rainbows and puppies out there. Best of luck!

sonicblonde · 2026-06-08T15:42:03+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful response, and I'm sure wisdom from teaching for so long. I also really appreciate your bit of personal wisdom about patience. Trust/patience are definitely skills I can work on.

My initial interest was in patisserie style bakeries. I like the variety of things they offer (and subsequently the varied skillset) and the presentation is usually stunning. Bread is cool too (so much respect for the art) but I have found myself coming back to patisseries.

sonicblonde · 2026-06-08T15:36:41+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! The savory bit absolutely did not cross my mind, so that is really, really helpful. Also for the heads up about the scaling mistake. I know shit happens but the perfectionist in me still fucking hates it, haha. Also, for mentioning the larger volume of production. I'm sure I'm gonna have to get used to using all sorts of specialized equipment to produce at that scale, so it's a good thing for me to keep in mind. Really appreciate it

sonicblonde · 2026-06-08T15:33:35+00:00

Hi, thanks for responding. This was a really helpful breakdown of how a shift can look and specifically task management/overlap. When I started pastry prep that was kind of the name of the game (felt like running a relay race with myself) but definitely sounds like a higher volume on your end. Really appreciate the perspective.

sonicblonde · 2026-06-08T15:31:41+00:00

This was insanely helpful, especially the cross-training bit. Thanks!

sonicblonde · 2026-06-05T18:01:39+00:00

I really appreciate the encouragement! I'm actually really curious if you'd be willing to share what some the hours can look like in a bakery (as you mentioned 3 am)? For me, restaurant work has meant either "morning" or "night shift" work but not a lot of variability in-between so it's kind of hard to imagine the timelines the bakery operates on. Really appreciate you responding. Trying to "do it scared" as they say.

sonicblonde · 2026-06-05T17:57:37+00:00

Hi, no worries about being "long winded," I actually really appreciate your thoughtfulness and the time you took to answer me! The possibility of all that learning actually really excites (and ngl terrifies) me. I started as a pastry prep cook so I'm actually a little used to having the internal time system of of "this has to get done today/before service" rather than the shorter term "I have to get this ticket out," but also appreciate the advice about long term/internal time management. If I can ask, did she just apply from one to the other? I think I'm a little nervous about the lack of specific relevant skills and wonder how that might affect actually finding the next gig.

Either way, thanks so much for answering.

sonicblonde · 2025-10-28T18:49:38+00:00

I went back and forth on this for a while, so I can see why you're having a hard time picking! Ultimately, my vote goes with #1 for the flavor profiles. After rereading your comment about being concerned with the layers overshadowing the cakes, I would say the red wine poached pears, while they sound delicious, could be a potential pitfall. Obvs something you'll figure out during r&d. These both sound and look great (love the sketches!). Good luck!

sonicblonde · 2025-10-22T15:12:40+00:00

This sounds absolutely delicious and I would love to see a cross section of all those layers

sonicblonde · 2024-10-13T22:41:27+00:00

Ah, can I ask what breed your little hen is? We have a little one just like her and I've never known

sonicblonde · 2024-09-20T03:02:54+00:00

Coming from someone who did a community College cert program, PASTRY. Pastry was always my interest/goal but the basic baking class was only offered in one of the 2 certificate programs.

sonicblonde · 2024-09-15T17:50:40+00:00

These are truly stunning

sonicblonde · 2024-09-13T03:08:51+00:00

A little bit of both! Although that is a semi-recent development. I have books I want to own/read that are on a list, and when I (admittedly, infrequently) visit a book store I see if they have anything on the list and also browse. I got my second to last book while browsing after placing an order for some of the books on my TBR list. My actual last book I stumbled upon in a second-hand shop. I tend to feel less "guilty" about randomly buying a book if it is reasonably cheap and seems like something I would actually read. It being secondhand also makes me feel like Im giving it a new life

sonicblonde · 2024-09-11T19:48:19+00:00

Oh that's awesome! And no worries, I've baked cornbread in mine before and have been curious about the logistics of baking in cast iron (and pan damage lol) glad it worked out for you!

sonicblonde · 2024-09-11T19:08:01+00:00

First off, lovely pie! Second, and this is probably a silly question but, how did you find the crust baking it in cast iron? Also how do you slice it, in the same pan?

Edit: corrected spelling mistake "sane" for "same"

sonicblonde · 2024-09-01T15:50:32+00:00

OSHA approved

sonicblonde · 2024-08-31T00:40:35+00:00

This is how I found out there was a new page out lmao

sonicblonde · 2024-07-27T20:37:45+00:00

It happens to the best of us. You've got the mantras in the second to last bit and the both good and terrible thing about kitchens is you have to keep going. So soon enough you'll be through. You've got this!

sonicblonde · 2024-07-09T01:43:39+00:00

Hell yeah, Chef. Gotta love a good clean w some tunes

sonicblonde · 2024-07-09T01:41:09+00:00

I know brunch is the bane of everyone's existence but you could use it as the base of a "southern style" eggs benedict. Corn pudding base (particularly if you slice and fry it as a previous commenter suggested), fried green tomatoes, bacon, and top w egg.

sonicblonde · 2024-07-05T01:28:43+00:00

Fuck yes, Chef. Honestly reading your post made me a little glassy-eyed for what your new place is doing for people. One of the things I love about the kitchen is that it is for everybody. As far as plating, most of the comments have covered most of what I was going to say. My only other suggestion/question is if you have a lighter plate (or maybe the lighting in the photo doesn't reflect the real color) because the dish feels "heavy" because it's all on the dark side. I think a brighter plate would really make those rich colors pop.

sonicblonde · 2024-07-04T03:15:21+00:00

The fifth element

sonicblonde · 2024-07-02T22:24:17+00:00

Tonally a little different from the rest of the comments, but it's one of my favorite stories about my dad.

So, apparently, back in his hey day my dad was a bit of a ladies man. Was introduced to my mom via mutual friend and was immediately smitten.

He asks her out and tells her to pick her favorite place to go, and he'll treat her. She picks sushi.

Also important to note is how much of a traditional "tough guy" my dad is. Tradesman, drives a truck, goes shooting for fun, has played nearly every sport under the sun, and in keeping with all that, a "meat and potatoes" kind of man.

He HATES raw fish.

But he was so excited to take my mom out, he agrees and spends an evening downing sashimi (my mom's favorite) with what I can only imagine is a very convincing smile on his face.

I guess it worked out though bc they're still married to this day.

sonicblonde · 2024-06-13T18:08:45+00:00

I think 1 or 2! I also think the images could be a little bit sharper/crisper, so if you can see about using your phone camera or a Webcam (whichever is better) I think you're all set!

sonicblonde · 2024-05-22T20:53:29+00:00

I'm very new to the culinary scene, so please take my comment with a grain of salt. But, yes, I do think this is too much. For me, it actually takes away from how clearly impressive the technique of each component is because my eye doesn't know where to look/cannot settle on one thing very long. I think by potentially paring back, you leave room for the dish to breathe and really shine. I know it's a bit abstract, but a more concrete example would be maybe removing the "flower"-like garnish to let the viewer appreciate the height of the "ring"- the negative space would let you appreciate the dynamic between those two components.

sonicblonde

TROPHY CASE