tablespoon.bakery

Through the ramblings of the past 25 entries, I have been hoping to convey a few messages to you. It’s my hope that first and foremost you get something out of these for yourself. Maybe it’s determination, maybe it’s clarity, or maybe it is just knowing what not to do as you make your own paths in life. But, it should be a learning. I also hope that you are mildly entertained by my odd jokes here and there and at least end with a smile.. I will highlight today in bullet points ... it’s been quite a day 1. They came and painted crosswalk lines last night so now we should be able to get tables on the balcony. What a surprise!!! I am so happy and proud to say the mayor of Inca is a man of his word and when he takes action, things get done fast... I look forward to shaking his hand and thanking him personally! 2. Around 4pm a couple came in from Germany after driving by and seeing the word vegan in the window. We wound up having a really long conversation and it turns out i was already Fac...

Through the ramblings of the past 25 entries, I have been hoping to convey a few messages to you. It’s my hope that first and foremost you get something out of these for yourself. Maybe it’s determination, maybe it’s clarity, or maybe it is just knowing what not to do as you make your own paths in life. But, it should be a learning. I also hope that you are mildly entertained by my odd jokes here and there and at least end with a smile.. I will highlight today in bullet points ... it’s been quite a day 1. They came and painted crosswalk lines last night so now we should be able to get tables on the balcony. What a surprise!!! I am so happy and proud to say the mayor of Inca is a man of his word and when he takes action, things get done fast... I look forward to shaking his hand and thanking him personally! 2. Around 4pm a couple came in from Germany after driving by and seeing the word vegan in the window. We wound up having a really long conversation and it turns out i was already Fac...

Something has been on my mind for quite some time, long before I opened the bakery, how do people survive in business when they say they are working without a salary unless they are rich?   But first, today was a great day at the bakery for many reasons. First, Paola and Alberto came and worked with us and it was incredible. They really saved us as it was our busiest day to date, and even with the three of them working, it was a bit crazy...but in a good way......   I do not know why but I was a zombie getting up this morning and I slept a long time (well, I was in bed a long time - NOTE TO SELF, do not eat a bucket load of watermelon before bed, you may need to get up two or three or eight times to use the bathroom)...   Once I got to work, I was a machine, I made white breads, then integral breads and then pan payas... oops... I made them after making a discovery which made me very sad. In the centeno (rye) flour, there were moths.. I literally had to dump the flour in the trash (may...

Something has been on my mind for quite some time, long before I opened the bakery, how do people survive in business when they say they are working without a salary unless they are rich?   But first, today was a great day at the bakery for many reasons. First, Paola and Alberto came and worked with us and it was incredible. They really saved us as it was our busiest day to date, and even with the three of them working, it was a bit crazy...but in a good way......   I do not know why but I was a zombie getting up this morning and I slept a long time (well, I was in bed a long time - NOTE TO SELF, do not eat a bucket load of watermelon before bed, you may need to get up two or three or eight times to use the bathroom)...   Once I got to work, I was a machine, I made white breads, then integral breads and then pan payas... oops... I made them after making a discovery which made me very sad. In the centeno (rye) flour, there were moths.. I literally had to dump the flour in the trash (may...

Ok, that is a true statement and not so true. It’s not true because business is bad on Wednesday’s, in fact, we only reached 50% of our month one daily goal. That is very stressful I will tell you. All the comments people make to us say that September will be better but I know there are no guarantees in life and at the same time, I will not focus on the negative and continue to believe we are doing great. The good news to Wednesd ay’s is that I really didn’t work today. Well, I did but I didn’t do any baking other than one tray of croissants. I will explain why in a moment ... I did go food shopping in three stores for the bakery and I came home and cooked vegetables for two types of empanadas for tomorrow: one with onions, peas (because I had some extra) peppers, and mushrooms, and the other is potatoes, mushrooms and peas. I will try to bake 6-8 of each with the hope they sell. I also worked behind the counter for about 1 hour. Why? Well... I tell you the Dave version (which means th...

Ok, that is a true statement and not so true. It’s not true because business is bad on Wednesday’s, in fact, we only reached 50% of our month one daily goal. That is very stressful I will tell you. All the comments people make to us say that September will be better but I know there are no guarantees in life and at the same time, I will not focus on the negative and continue to believe we are doing great. The good news to Wednesd ay’s is that I really didn’t work today. Well, I did but I didn’t do any baking other than one tray of croissants. I will explain why in a moment ... I did go food shopping in three stores for the bakery and I came home and cooked vegetables for two types of empanadas for tomorrow: one with onions, peas (because I had some extra) peppers, and mushrooms, and the other is potatoes, mushrooms and peas. I will try to bake 6-8 of each with the hope they sell. I also worked behind the counter for about 1 hour. Why? Well... I tell you the Dave version (which means th...

This morning I woke up late and was rushed to be at the bakery by 6, which is already late ... 1 I took the croissants out and put on a try to prove and put on my shelf ... then another tray crashes on that tray, it flipped and went to the floor... luckily only two croissants actually hit the floor but they took quite a beating ... 2 I forget the third thing for a moment but I will get back to that I was sad about the croissants but I had a total of 24 more so I baked them and put them out for sale ... and at exactly 11:02 am, the 24th one was sold... that is three days in a row when I sold out completely of the croissants ... The first customer, Freddie, came in and got three fresh from the oven, and his daughter came in an hour later to thank me for the amazing croissants and then post the most perfect message - I will edit and add to today’s photos what she said ... that was awesome So I decided to make a double batch of croissants - I have to find a more efficient way to do this as...

This morning I woke up late and was rushed to be at the bakery by 6, which is already late ... 1 I took the croissants out and put on a try to prove and put on my shelf ... then another tray crashes on that tray, it flipped and went to the floor... luckily only two croissants actually hit the floor but they took quite a beating ... 2 I forget the third thing for a moment but I will get back to that I was sad about the croissants but I had a total of 24 more so I baked them and put them out for sale ... and at exactly 11:02 am, the 24th one was sold... that is three days in a row when I sold out completely of the croissants ... The first customer, Freddie, came in and got three fresh from the oven, and his daughter came in an hour later to thank me for the amazing croissants and then post the most perfect message - I will edit and add to today’s photos what she said ... that was awesome So I decided to make a double batch of croissants - I have to find a more efficient way to do this as...

Well kinda sorta!! Sandy made that funny sign that you saw yesterday about the croissants being the best in Mallorca... funny enough, it brought in customers this morning and by 10:40 am, we were sold out of croissants so I had to quickly bring the sign in to not cause a c.roit.ssant attack... Then the boss ordered me in the kitchen to make more - ok, that part may not be true, but it adds to the drama, don't you agree? So, I made 33 more croissants, some with chocolate, and some plain.. Only baked 10 more and the rest are for tomorrow ... I also made some funky thing, I used the standard "sweet dave" as the title but I am not so sure they turned out super great. I used the old pastry from the previous croissants. I rolled them up and froze the dough so I could cut it better. I then baked them with a fruit... boring, I know.. but, they are super cheap in the bakery (.95 cents) so I think you will get your money's worth. If not.. well, I can always eat them.. 😂 In oth...

Well kinda sorta!! Sandy made that funny sign that you saw yesterday about the croissants being the best in Mallorca... funny enough, it brought in customers this morning and by 10:40 am, we were sold out of croissants so I had to quickly bring the sign in to not cause a c.roit.ssant attack... Then the boss ordered me in the kitchen to make more - ok, that part may not be true, but it adds to the drama, don't you agree? So, I made 33 more croissants, some with chocolate, and some plain.. Only baked 10 more and the rest are for tomorrow ... I also made some funky thing, I used the standard "sweet dave" as the title but I am not so sure they turned out super great. I used the old pastry from the previous croissants. I rolled them up and froze the dough so I could cut it better. I then baked them with a fruit... boring, I know.. but, they are super cheap in the bakery (.95 cents) so I think you will get your money's worth. If not.. well, I can always eat them.. 😂 In oth...

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. .... The ending to the third week was unexpected. This morning I was at the bakery a bit late, a little after six. I knew that we would not sell a lot of bread, but because I had two bread orders, on top of the croissant order, I needed t...

Generally speaking, when we talk about dreams we are referring to two different types of dreams, those we have when our eyes are closed and asleep, and those that have aspirations, like I dream of becoming and astronaut who teaches meditation on the moon to elephants.. don’t laugh, it could happen... Today I want to talk about the sleepy ones, you already know my other dream has come true and continues daily. Two nights ago I had an amazing dream. It was strange, but amazing. It was in the evening and I was walking down a long road while the sun was setting, talking with my stepfather Eddie (no one else calls him Eddie btw). There were wheat fields to the left and right and shadows casting from a few trees in the distant. The sky was golden with pinkish streaks and the weather just perfect. While we were walking I was calculating how much it would cost for him to drive from his home to my home in north jersey in his Prius (he doesn’t own a Prius). And in the next moment I was in bakers...

Today I have been feeling extra sick. As I am writing this I am wet from perspiration, and weak. I knew this morning when I got up that I had to think smartly about the work I did today. I also knew, that I needed to focus my energy in a perfect way so that I do not weaken myself more. As with each morning, I start out with making white bread, 5kg of flour, 3500 of water, 100g salt, 120+g fresh starter, and 750g of masa madre (starter, sour dough starter)... while this is mixing I already have the croissants out of the refrigerator getting to room temperature and starting to rise and the oven is on. Funny thing about the croissants... two days in a row I forgot to glaze them before I started baking them. This is making me crazy that I keep forgetting this. I also had a small problem with the dough last night, the butter came through the dough two times. I really must find a way to focus more. Eugeni told me to get my dough to 5mm... wow.. i need a perfect temperature for this to happen...

Today I have been feeling extra sick. As I am writing this I am wet from perspiration, and weak. I knew this morning when I got up that I had to think smartly about the work I did today. I also knew, that I needed to focus my energy in a perfect way so that I do not weaken myself more. As with each morning, I start out with making white bread, 5kg of flour, 3500 of water, 100g salt, 120+g fresh starter, and 750g of masa madre (starter, sour dough starter)... while this is mixing I already have the croissants out of the refrigerator getting to room temperature and starting to rise and the oven is on. Funny thing about the croissants... two days in a row I forgot to glaze them before I started baking them. This is making me crazy that I keep forgetting this. I also had a small problem with the dough last night, the butter came through the dough two times. I really must find a way to focus more. Eugeni told me to get my dough to 5mm... wow.. i need a perfect temperature for this to happen...

Thursday (market day) is the busy day so I was in the bakery just around 5. I woke at 4 after sleeping a solid 6-7 hours with a few wake ups in the middle. - I was really happy to see how much bread sold today. A woman we met two days ago said that the locals will generally wait to hear about the bakery before they go. It’s kinda cute and kinda funny... but I love that way of living and can only hope my breads are what they will  love .. Last night I made some different kind of pastries and this morning I put another cream on them with some fruit reductions ... I do not get much feedback directly from customers unless I am out of the kitchen but I did ask one guy and he like his a lot. I was surprised to see not many donuts sold. I suppose it could be the day, or the options, or maybe no one wanted any - I do not take things like this badly, instead I am happy to be learning what works and doesn’t work. I should also say that I do not give up on something after one day but I will try i...

Nothing tells the truth more than or bodies. Today, I am not feeling well. I felt it a bit two days ago and later on yesterday I was sure it was coming to this. That’s the bad news. The good news is I really only worked about 4 hours in total today (including shopping). I made donuts this morning after a failed dough last night and then I went shopping and I was done. I even managed to watch two episodes of Ray Donavan while soaking in the bath tub. A nd yes i slept some too. Tomorrow I must be at the bakery early because it is that day of the week. We have croissants, donuts, pastries, blueberry muffins, and of course, chocolate chip & walnut cookies. Once I am done making the breads I will make more muffins. But, I also took the leftover croissant dough and made pastry shells so I will make another vanilla cream and get some nice fresh berries from the market to top them with. The last three days have been really slow. Yesterday we were short some money of our goal and today not ...

Today was not a bad day. I was quite the zombie this morning but I got on with the breads nicely making white, integral, and gluten free.. then I got on to other things ... the croissants today didn’t turn out so lovely but I do not complain about this And move forward as it’s a learning. We have not had a lot of customers today but before we opened a man asked if he could have coffee so I made him cafe con leche and he ate two of my  cream pastries and a muffin and then another coffee and a bottle of water .. then a man and his son came in and I took care of them too, all the while baking. As mentioned, this was well before we opened so sandy was not here yet. The man told me the coffee was excellent .. woohoo davie is an expert !! This afternoon I also went home and took a rest and even slept for 45 minutes, ohhh how I want that to be three hours hehehehe ... tonight I close so sandy can rest and tomorrow I will sleep until 7 or so and come in at 8. I am making donuts but I do not th...

We start where I began... I was awake at 4 and struggled to sleep until 5... at 5:20 I was on my way to the bakery which means I was there at 5:23 or so. I was reading a post from a vegan baker in Miami who is doing extraordinary things ... she wrote about how difficult it is to get up and get to the bakery but then a light goes on and it changes .. I too am not a morning person and yet, I too enjoy the new office. But today did not go well and after I finished the bread and croissants I was exhausted , I mean really shut down mentally and physically. So, I taught Sandra one of my recipes and she did a great job. I think this is something she can help with more from time to time if she wants. So, I went home to try and rest but some things came up and I was back at the bakery. I used that time to make two different types of pastries and I made more croissants for tomorrow and Wednesday. And now, I am home... this time to shower and go to sleep  ❤️ For a moment today I did not have a go...

Week one i managed to work 96 hours which included the short Sunday of 8 hours. When was the last time I saw 8 hours as a short day!?!? ... today, I stopped working just before 1pm. My plan was to go back later on to prep for tomorrow but I decided to take the rest of the day off. That leaves me with 88 hours for this week. It is actually strange to be at home and not in the bakery. But I am sure a few hours away will do me well. Today was quiet in the bakery but it was enjoyable. I baked the croissants (I will try to have them daily) and another pastry. I also made baguettes and cookies. Plus I made extra cookie dough to make it faster tomorrow to bake more. They go very fast. Today was the first time I tried one in a week and my newest recipe is really good. But I believe it has a lot to do with the vegan butter I use. It’s called mimetic by a company called puratos. Today our amazing friends came for croissants and coffee and before they left they gave us a beautiful sign which read...