Skip to main content

Bakery Day 7: well, we lasted one full week

No automatic alt text available.

I have received many messages about me taking a day off, or not working so much. This could be true on both accounts. But, the reality is the bakery is very small and there is a lot to do if we want people to keep coming back. Since I take no salary, nor does Sandy, we have to be careful in all aspects. Maybe in 6 or 9 months if things are picking up and really steady, I can hire someone part time to train for baking to give me an ounce of breathing room. Anyway, rest assured I hear you and I am thankful you care enough to remind me.


Expectations ... really, I expected to see one or two people a day for the first days ... it’s true. But I have been really pleasantly surprised by the number of people who have come and gave us money and left with a smile (minus the one person I spoke about - I will update you in a few minutes ). I will not tell you the number amount, but I had a goal per day for the first month. I originally counted Sunday as a full day but forgot we were only open for four hours. I also forgot to account for Wednesday being extremely quiet. With that said, I look at those days as more or less 50% days. And based on that, we came up 13€ short for the week of my goal. But, that is not really true because for a four week expectation of what I wanted, we are ahead by 86€.

Now, I am a smart guy (well it’s what I tell myself)... I know that is not a lot of money, nor is my monthly goal enough to cover my bills, but, it’s a starting point. This makes me very happy. Very happy.

I think tomorrow could be slow since I will not be there for fresh breads so I will account for that too.

Also, I want to say that Sandra has done an amazing job with the bookkeeping, she has us down to the cent for the week, ok, not true, we have a surplus of 14 cents... I don’t argue with extra cash heheh

And the woman from the other day... at the end of her lovely feedback I asked for her address. Today I made her a sticky bun (it’s small and she will complain about that) without cinnamon because she doesn’t like that, and Fabri will deliver it to her house in the afternoon. No, this is not my plan for all complaints so PLEASE do not get any ideas if you live on the island. It’s more to make a point.

So, the week is done. I spend tomorrow in a master class for croissants in Barcelona and have an expectation that they will be amaze g by the end of the week in the bakery.

Thank you all sincerely for riding along with me and really being engaged enough to read this buffoonery. Mi gusta mucho!!

Image may contain: table, food and indoor

Image may contain: food and indoor

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Closing in on ten months

And what a journey it has become!!! I don’t know what to say or where to direct my energy in this blog entry. Some of the content is a repeat of what I’ve said many times and some maybe different. The bakery continues to struggle to meet the ends and while there are more customers it does not seem to change many of the outcomes. I spend time looking at the costs versus the income and I see little in terms of gaps that can be tightened. Really... I want to give up! I want to close the doors and never look back. We were closed last week for multiple reasons, including the installation of an air conditioner. I felt it was absolutely necessary to have colder air when it starts getting hot outside. We were also supposed to do a festival on Sunday, but when I found out it was more about marketing than making money I decided against it. Yes, marketing would help, but I would have had to buy a table and then invest in the foods with my fingers crossed that I would sell everything. So, such is...

Bakery Day 19: Working smarter, not easier

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...

Bakery Day 69: lots of baking

I was up early this morning so I went to the bakery just after five. Let me premise this by saying, when I get to the bakery I wash my hands and immediately start the first bread in the mixer. When I opened the refrigerator to gather the needed things (masa madre, fresh yeast, and cold water) I was treated to a surprise of a pitcher of soya milk and a few other things falling out. The milk went all over me and made a mess of the floor. Not my favorite start to the day! Once I got the mess in order, I moved on to baking: i made white breads, raisin breads, integral breads, a double order of brioche cinnamon rolls with icing. I made croissants, and the focaccia. By this time the cinnamon rolls sold out so I needed to make another bath of them.  After some cleaning I then started on the tapas for this evening. First I baked crostini’s and then I made a puff pastry. After this I did some cooking to prepare. I made a garlic and spinach, a walnut pate to be served on the crostini with olives...