tablespoon.bakery

I did not work today so there is no bakery news to report and tomorrow the bakery is closed for the first time since opening on August 6th... so I leave you with a photo of Suki Umi ❤️ #doeverythingwithlove  

Not much to talk about today ... tapas was a repeat of yesterday but I was not there during service. made donuts too #doeverythingwithlove

Three things to chat about today but first ... I met a well trained vegan chef from Italy tonight who came to the bakery for tapas. He and his wife are lovely and really know food well. I always feel dumb when i hear how much knowledge others have on the subject, but, I also know I will learn more and more and then be able to speak the same language fluently, and I do not mean Spanish 😂 Tapas tonight was a big hit. In fact we sold out and I made more and we sold that too. We don’t make a lot because historically we have not had many customers but tonight we sure made up for that. I left poor sandy alone because I worked from early this morning and of course i need to go back, but I know she is ok. I am very proud of her for the food she is making is fantastic and everyone loved all of the six items. ❤️❤️ Tonight, for the first time we had three tables on the plaza. I see we need light or something so people understand but at least we now have them out there. Baby steps bob, baby steps...

I preface today by saying that good is not always measured in money. In fact, today was our lowest Thursday since opening. I was up early and at the balery sometime around 5:25... I did not go in earlier because I had already completed the base of the donuts and we had croissants done, plus cookies ready go. This morning I got to focus on making a lot of breads and icing the donuts, as well as making empanadas (they were filled with mushrooms, potatoes, peas, peppers, and sundries tomatoes - tasted really good I think too). For the breads I made white, integral, gluten free, and pan payas. I did rest a bit today in the afternoon and then I returned solo to the bakery so Sandy could rest. I met some guy from Sweden and he turned out to be so nice we had a long chat and then tonight he stopped back and we chatted some more. One of my favorite parts of the  bakery is making connections with other people and building relationships (however those are defined: customer, friends, etc). For me...

I wasn’t feeling so well today and since it is Wednesday I used this time to stay in bed a bit longer (got up at 7:45) ... I had to run many errands and then came home and slept another hour before heading to the bakery. I am coming to see that Wednesday’s are not such easy days after all. Sure, I am not stressed at 5:30 in the morning but i was at the balery until 8pm tonight prepping for tomorrow. I made croissants, cocas de potatas, and donuts. The first one came out nicely though they might be slightly under baked. The second taste nice but I think they needed more time to ferment, and the donuts, something just isn’t right with them as well. They definitely fermented too long which I am not pleased about but due to my poor time management this evening everything was off a bit. I also did not glad the donuts but I will do that tomorrow morning while the breads are baking. We are supposed to put tables on the plaza but they are not put together yet so I do not see that happening whi...

Sometimes things come slow and it takes time to get what others already have seen. Even when we submit to these conclusions we still hold our own reservations. i did not do a whole lot in the bakery today. I made some bread and I made cupcakes. Later on I put icing on them. I also made focaccia, which like every other time I have made it, it didn’t sell. We sold one out of eight. The irony is people ask me about it maybe 2 times a week and want it. Tomorow I will not go to the bakery until the afternoon. My plan is to prepare for Thursday by making a lot of different things (croissants, empanadas, donuts,, muffins, maybe more focaccia, puff pastry, etc) so that Thursday morning I can focus on breads and then helping out. Alberto and Ale will be helping us so i think we will have a fun and and a relatively smooth day. i mention all of this because I feel a bit burnt out. Too many days of very long hours and very hard work have taken a toll. I realize it is part of what it means to own a...

Have you ever promised something and forgot to do it? Today I had to deliver 25 empanadas to a customer at 8:30 in the morning. I made them in the evening yesterday and sure enough I delivered them on time. This morning I baked bread, white and integral. I also made croissants, muffins, and cookies.  I told sandy I wanted to go home and rest and not think more about work so I could relax. Then at 11:30 Sandy sent me a message, “Las cocas de patatas?” ... UFFFF... I forgot to make an order of six cocas de potatas for a customer. She came and was angry and I suppose she said she would never come back. Via sandy I apologized three times as it was an honest mistake, I simply forgot. But, sometimes an apology is not enough. This I understand!! We had  lot of customers today so we decided instead of closing on Mondays, we will only be open for five hours. I will go in early and bake and then leave for the day. Sandy will stay and work until closing time. It doesn’t help me get a full day of ...

Today was a normal day at the bakery. Not so many customers, not so much bread made, but a nice pleasant day for sure.  Once the bakery was closed I made 25 empanadas for a customer who will pick them up around 8-8:30 tomorrow morning, and of course, I made some extra for the bakery.   I hope they hold up ok and are tasty. I found the filling to be a bit salty, but maybe with the bread around them they will be ok... Lets see. We have been talking about closing for one day or finding a way to get a rest for some time. While I feel like it is a money out of the pocket idea to be closed, I also realize it is important to find 24 hours of rest, or at least not doing bakery stuff. I am never in my apartment anymore other than sleeping and showering, and I miss just relaxing and doing nothing, with no thought of what I need to get done for the afternoon crowd.  I also believe this is a normal transition with businesses, where at first they are open every day and then looking for that day whe...

This week we have gotten a few orders for pickup which I like even though it is hard to fulfill. Today I was asked if I could make 12 donuts for the very sweet friend who has helped us so much. Without even thinking I said yes. Now she has them and is very happy, which makes me even happier. The recipe i came up with is amazing . They are fluffy and light and just a delight to eat for sure .. I could not be happier ... well, my toppings and presentation need work but the donuts themselves are fantastic ❤️ For Monday morning I need to make 25 empanadas tomorrow. Maybe I mentioned this yesterday. Also for Monday I need to make 6 coca seeds potato... I probably mentioned this too :)... Tonight Sandy once again designs the tapas and they are beautiful. The couple that came last night is enjoying them right now... yippee!!!! The woman of the couple came in at 11 am and asked me to make her a cake for 12:30 but I told her it wasn’t possible but I could make her raspberry muffins. So she got ...

Today was tapas day (well night) at the bakery. We had a record breaking four customers which is a 100% improvement from last week. The best part is Sandy made the tapas and they were amazing. One was my hummus and one was a guacamole which were normal, but the rest were all special. I am so proud of her. Every day she surprises me with a new hidden talent she has. My day was not so bad other than one customer. She asked me a few days ago for two sheets of coca and cupcakes. To be clear, the bakery uses ecological ingredients when possible but we are not 100% otherwise we would be certified. Part of the reason is sourcing, it’s extremely difficult to find certain ingredients in bulk and buying small versions is far too costly. So, the coca was ready and I was working on the cupcakes when she stopped in to check on the progress. Everything was fine until she asked about the sugar in the cupcakes and I told her it was white sugar and she was not happy. So, I explained she doesn’t have to...

Today was (well still is) my birthday.. I was at the bakery at 5:25 this morning since it is Thursday and wanted to make sure everything was perfect. I did my best. My friend Ale came and worked and it was a true delight. He worked so hard and did everything perfectly. That was really really great!  I went home around 2 and sandy was home by 3. This is important because... ... we have taken in another cat that was stranded ... no way can we take anymore (3 is a lot). We can’t hold that as she or he is still frightened so we have the cat isolated and well supplied. So that was the first thing that happened. The second thing that happened was ... well first, sandy was so sweet, she told me to take the night off and relax. It is my birthday and we are not usually busy, etc.  so, I used this time to make some shelves for the cats on the wall. Then, around 7pm sandy called me panicked. I could hear a lot of noise in the background and she said she was really busy and please come. So I quick...

It’s hard to believe that 45 days  the bakery is now complete. We work so hard that many days are truly a blur and I have no idea what day it is... but that is a good thing yes? Now, following up on an observation from a few weeks ago.. do you recall me talking about having time off is more than likely worse than never having a day off? Well, I am starting to think this is true. Wednesday’s are the day we have picked to only be open a short day and to not bake bread. What this means is I get to sleep. It is hard for Sandy because she has to be at work early and work alone, and explain to every customer that wants bread that we don’t have any, but it is ok.  I have thought of the idea of baking Tuesday evening some bread so she has some for the morning and maybe starting next week I will do that. I try not to make so much bread at night because f he machinery and the time it takes with fermentation, etc. But I can start around three and be done by 7 or 8, depending on the breads. Speaki...

A bit more than a week ago I got an order from someone who works at a restaurant in Santa Catalina. He wanted to try my donuts and croissants.  I said sure, how about next week? Only problem was my croissants were not coming out nice and my donuts were horrible. As you know by now, the croissant problem is mostly fixed.  But my donuts were another issue. A good friend gave me his recipe for donuts and I tried to make them today and they failed. To the point where I tossed the masa.  I then decided to look on the internet as everyone has a donut recipe. I found one I liked but it needed some changes and I found another one but it wasn’t the direction I wanted to go for making my own. So, I took the knowledge from what I read and then came up with another version. In the process I found a great way to replicate egg whites for that added fluffiness. It worked incredibly well. Under a time stress to complete them this new batch was my last hope before reverting to a version I made months a...

A bit more than a week ago I got an order from someone who works at a restaurant in Santa Catalina. He wanted to try my donuts and croissants.  I said sure, how about next week? Only problem was my croissants were not coming out nice and my donuts were horrible. As you know by now, the croissant problem is mostly fixed.  But my donuts were another issue. A good friend gave me his recipe for donuts and I tried to make them today and they failed. To the point where I tossed the masa.  I then decided to look on the internet as everyone has a donut recipe. I found one I liked but it needed some changes and I found another one but it wasn’t the direction I wanted to go for making my own. So, I took the knowledge from what I read and then came up with another version. In the process I found a great way to replicate egg whites for that added fluffiness. It worked incredibly well. Under a time stress to complete them this new batch was my last hope before reverting to a version I made months a...

Anyone who knows me can say I am a sensitive person. I will get emotional over things that happen that move me, and I am not above a tear. Today is no exception.  Sometime in the morning around 10:30 there was a delivery. It was a big beautiful plant.  It turned out that six of my friends from Basel decided to send me a beautiful plant and a card just because ...  (I cropped out their names...) How incredibly sweet, loving, and thoughtful was this? For me, it does not get any better and now the beautiful plant is for everyone to see in the bakery. What I said earlier was we do not always know how we impact others until something like this happens. For me, it is incredible and I wish I could give a hug to all six of these friends right now! ❤️❤️ ... I am not so sure today was a great day for money, but it certainly was a gratifying day. We get many compliments on my cookies (not sharing that recipe just yet) and so many people compliment the other foods too, especially the croissants. I...

Anyone who knows me can say I am a sensitive person. I will get emotional over things that happen that move me, and I am not above a tear. Today is no exception.  Sometime in the morning around 10:30 there was a delivery. It was a big beautiful plant.  It turned out that six of my friends from Basel decided to send me a beautiful plant and a card just because ...  (I cropped out their names...) How incredibly sweet, loving, and thoughtful was this? For me, it does not get any better and now the beautiful plant is for everyone to see in the bakery. What I said earlier was we do not always know how we impact others until something like this happens. For me, it is incredible and I wish I could give a hug to all six of these friends right now! ❤️❤️ ... I am not so sure today was a great day for money, but it certainly was a gratifying day. We get many compliments on my cookies (not sharing that recipe just yet) and so many people compliment the other foods too, especially the croissants. I...

Ok, maybe the title is not exactly true but it sure felt like it today. Work was nice and short!! I got to work around 5:30 this morning. I immediately started on croissants. As I was working on them I started to make a few other things: focaccia, white breads,  pan payes (a different flour), brioche, and more cookies.  I made about 35 croissants and they were going fast. Also, for a first time, all of the focaccia was sold (6)... that makes me endlessly happy. And... we made more money this week than any other week since opening. Still not nearly enough to break even, but we almost doubled the amount of money we made from week one. That is great and I hope it keeps in this direction. ... This week I am going to start focusing on more pastries, both sweet and savory. One of the ideas I have is to make a deconstructed empanada. It may or may not sell but it is a good thing to try. I am so thankful for all of the customers we have who continue to come back and the new ones who come and g...

Ok, maybe the title is not exactly true but it sure felt like it today. Work was nice and short!! I got to work around 5:30 this morning. I immediately started on croissants. As I was working on them I started to make a few other things: focaccia, white breads,  pan payes (a different flour), brioche, and more cookies.  I made about 35 croissants and they were going fast. Also, for a first time, all of the focaccia was sold (6)... that makes me endlessly happy. And... we made more money this week than any other week since opening. Still not nearly enough to break even, but we almost doubled the amount of money we made from week one. That is great and I hope it keeps in this direction. ... This week I am going to start focusing on more pastries, both sweet and savory. One of the ideas I have is to make a deconstructed empanada. It may or may not sell but it is a good thing to try. I am so thankful for all of the customers we have who continue to come back and the new ones who come and g...

Today was a good day at the bakery despite the rain that came off an on throughout the day.  I am always surprised when the unexpected happens, like today with so many customers. We sold I think 36 croissants in total too. That is awesome!! i had an order from someone coming from Germany. He wanted six round loaves with olives and roasted peppers. I am sorry I didn’t make seven so I could have one as they turned out great. He also took six baguettes and ten croissants. While here he also took three beers, four mini empanadas and 20 cookies. That was the single best order to date. Oh how I would like four of them a day, seven days a week. The problem as I am learning is that it is hard to fulfill the orders. Because I need conditions at a certain state to make croissants I cannot bake for one to two hour shift before. My work table is also small (60cm x 200cm) which means it is hard to roll out the croissants. When I do is work it into the folds and then before I am ready to cut out the...

Today was a good day at the bakery despite the rain that came off an on throughout the day.  I am always surprised when the unexpected happens, like today with so many customers. We sold I think 36 croissants in total too. That is awesome!! i had an order from someone coming from Germany. He wanted six round loaves with olives and roasted peppers. I am sorry I didn’t make seven so I could have one as they turned out great. He also took six baguettes and ten croissants. While here he also took three beers, four mini empanadas and 20 cookies. That was the single best order to date. Oh how I would like four of them a day, seven days a week. The problem as I am learning is that it is hard to fulfill the orders. Because I need conditions at a certain state to make croissants I cannot bake for one to two hour shift before. My work table is also small (60cm x 200cm) which means it is hard to roll out the croissants. When I do is work it into the folds and then before I am ready to cut out the...

The past forty days have passed in a moment. Some great memories and not so great memories. I learned a lot about what it takes to run a bakery and yet, I know nothing.  I realize that this journey is much harder and much longer than any one definition. Maybe it is forty days for some and maybe it’s forty years for others. I suppose I am somewhere in between the two. ... These last two days have been 15,5 hours long each. Yesterday I was exhausted and today, I am beyond tired and do not even know I am tired. Tomorrow I have an order for six loaves of bread, 6 baguettes and ten croissants. That is on top of my daily baking.  I need sleep and it is now 20 before ten so I will try to sleep soon. I have to wait for the laundry to complete so I can hang it. But I do want to say I am proud of myself. I was alone the entire day. I never sat down once and I even let customers in while I was in between open hours and working on croissant dough and the tapas. Which reminds me.. so far the tapas ...

The past forty days have passed in a moment. Some great memories and not so great memories. I learned a lot about what it takes to run a bakery and yet, I know nothing.  I realize that this journey is much harder and much longer than any one definition. Maybe it is forty days for some and maybe it’s forty years for others. I suppose I am somewhere in between the two. ... These last two days have been 15,5 hours long each. Yesterday I was exhausted and today, I am beyond tired and do not even know I am tired. Tomorrow I have an order for six loaves of bread, 6 baguettes and ten croissants. That is on top of my daily baking.  I need sleep and it is now 20 before ten so I will try to sleep soon. I have to wait for the laundry to complete so I can hang it. But I do want to say I am proud of myself. I was alone the entire day. I never sat down once and I even let customers in while I was in between open hours and working on croissant dough and the tapas. Which reminds me.. so far the tapas ...

Today was a good day for the bakery for a few reasons. Even though it started out problematic and was raining, things turned out super. A lesson and then some details. When someone would come in and make a special order, get a bunch of croissants as an example, I have been trying to exclude this from how I see the day to day business and instead look at them as one-off opportunities. While that is true, as they are special sales, I see these happen now every week and I think will start to grow more.  So the lesson for me is to look at these special sales as a beginning to more of them instead of seeing them as just a one time moment. ... Today was the very first time we sold out completely of bread, down to the last baguette. Technically we isn’t sell one half of a baguette but that is because I made a customer a sandwich with halfback of a baguette and I ate the other half. I am very happy about this for many reasons, including it means zero waste.  We also sold about 20 or more crois...