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2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/ck/ - Food & Cooking

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5316411 No.5316411[DELETED]  [Reply] [Original]

I want to work in a bakery. How can I achieve this? Every posting says minimum 1 year experience required. I have never seen a "we will train you" type deal. I keep applying to Costco and Safeway bakeries but have no luck. Do I really need to go through a 2 year community college program to get a baking certificate?

>> No.5316421

Sadly, even basic trades are getting harder to break into.

Do you know anyone who can help weasel you in? Unfortunately knowing people is worth more than having skills or doing a good job.

>> No.5316443

>>5316421
No, I know literally nobody in the industry. I bake all the time at home but nobody cares about that because it's not at the professional level, so I can't include it. I got one interview once, but they said without better experience they couldn't hire me.

>> No.5316444

I know that feel OP. I enjoy baking at home, kinda wish it were my career. I think one day I'll do some courses or classes to get an AA or certificate of some sort. Might help since I really wanna open a french bakery. Cream puffs are my schtick, don't see why they aren't more popular. Excuse me for projecting.

>> No.5316445

apply to something else at the supermarket and then transfer laterally into it.

>> No.5316457

>>5316444
That is kind of my dream too. I'd like to open my own but god, that's way too expensive. I have no idea how to run my own business, but at this point it's still looking easier than getting hired in someone else's.

>> No.5316458

>>5316445
This right here. My mother started working in the liquor store and transferred into pharmacy after a month or two. Not that being a pill-counter is a GREAT job, but it offers decent pay and upward movement compared to selling beer and carding people.

>> No.5316461

>>5316457
My sentiments exactly.

>> No.5316472

How are your dead lifts?

>> No.5316525

>>5316411
This is how I became a cook with zero experience. I researched for the best places around me, found one that owuld take me, and volunteered for about 3 months and "externed". I showed up early, stayed late, always wrote things down, and was always eager to learn. I showed I was dedicated and eventually they gave me a job at the end of the three months as a prep cook. I was still in school for unrelated shit, so I was only part time, a few days a week, but in the time frame of a few more months, I was a line cook at one of the best restaurants in my city.

No place is going to reject free labor as long as it's obvious you're not trying to get disability or something, and externships are actually really common in the food industry, so it's not out of the ordinary so ask a nice place for this sort of deal. Plus, you will learn a million times more and faster in a nice place(super fucking high standards) versus a junky safeway or costco. Learn these good habits early on, and you'll know nothing but how to be the best. I bet you'll learn more in a month of working than you will with some shitty community college degree that YOU have to pay for versus learning for free or getting paid.

>> No.5316557

I got lucky because my whole family is in the food industry and I became a chef because of that, but from an employer standpoint hiring someone who has zero experience and to teach them that way it really a ton of extra work. Like, I feel like you should be paying me for that, I'm giving you free education AND paying you at the same time. "I enjoy baking at home it's my passion" really does not sell it for me.

I guess you could try working somewhere else in the mean time to get industry experience, like a dishwasher or something. Aren't there any apprenticeship programs where you're from? Like that's popular if you want to learn the craft from professionals.

>> No.5316571

just start working there and express interest in working in the bakery, they upgrade people from grunts to a bunch of stuff whether it be cashier, baker, pharmacy assistant, etc. The bakers are NOT formally trained so that is not required, you just have to get them to like you enough for them to reposition you there.

>> No.5316599

I worked at a Safeway bakery for a year before I went off to college. I'd avoid it if I were you. All you do is fixed ratios over and over again, usually by yourself, although being able to say you make a half ton of bread every day never gets old. (Writing legible messages on cakes is a pain in the ass.) Also I guess they force you to join a union, or at least they did it to me.

If you want to actually learn to bake bread I'd find out who does the baked goods supply for area restaurants / stores and apply there with all the persistence you can muster.

>> No.5317071

how do I make cookies like OP's pic. Or even the cookies you can get in subway.

>> No.5317082

>Every posting says minimum 1 year experience required.

that's to weed out unmotivated idiots.
you're supposed to go "I don't have experience but I'm eager and willing to learn!"

>> No.5317099

Bagel baker here. The place I work had a posting online with "no experience necessary." Basically, they were going to hire any idiot that was willing to show up to work at 4:30 in the morning.

Of course, you could train a monkey to do my job. It requires some decision-making (telling if bagels are proofed or boiled enough, etc) but really it only took me like a week to get the hang of it. I imagine a legit bakery wants someone with formal training because it takes a long time to learn how to make 50 different breads.

>> No.5317106

>>5316421
I think that you're wrong, business folk, owners don't want schmucks working for them if they're incapable of pulling their own weight. Running a company is about making a profit, especially if you have shareholders to explain yourself to.

>> No.5317116

>>5317106
>shareholders
>the corner bakery

I think you need more real world experience and less time reading Milton Friedman and tipping your fedora at "tumblr whores" on the internet. That guy's advice is a basic truth especially for the kinds of jobs where the skills can be picked up quickly, like baking.

>> No.5317136

>>5317106
Are you really trying to say that "It's not what you know, but who you know" isn't true? That's been accepted fact for decades.

>> No.5317138

>>5317116
No, I've worked for companies large and small and they all have shareholders, even if it's one or two indiviuals or tens of thousands.

Clearly you need to get out into the real world and stop being a hipster sack of cunt.

>> No.5317143

>>5317136
That is what I'm saying from experience working in New York. Do you have real world experience are you as most people on /ck talking out of your asshole?

>> No.5317150

>>5317138

At a large company, someone hiring for an entry level job is about 10 or 15 degrees of separation from anyone in a position to think about "the shareholders". At a small company, there are no shareholders.

When I was your age I too would role play as an adult on the precursors to today's internet forums. I was quite the annoying little shit sometimes. I hope you are enjoying yourself.

>> No.5317152

>>5317116
>less time reading Milton Friedman and tipping your fedora at "tumblr whores" on the internet
>>5317138
>stop being a hipster sack of cunt

Both of you anons are moronic children. Your posts are pretty much the quintessential "internet argument between two retards."

>> No.5317153

>>5317143
You lived in New York, huh? That sure is fascinating, Britta.

>> No.5317161

>>5317153

Pretty sure it's the same guy who says that any time he's feeling defensive on /ck/. He works near little italy and the civic center, he's got a Real Important Job, yadda yadda. How it's relevant here, I'm not sure. Generally it comes up in a context where it at least has some bearing on the topic of discussion.

>> No.5317168

>>5317150
You're incorrect.
At a large company it's a lot more than 15. at a small one it really depends on who you report to. Every owner is a shareholder.

I don't have to roleplay or pretend or be a socialist as you do, I get paid for my work and sort it out contractually.

It doesn't matter whether you believe that or not, I get paid and you're a jealous minimum wage shift worker socialist.

So be it.
I'm not saying that because I'm being mean, but it is true.

>> No.5317177
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5317177

>>5317168
>socialist

8/10 really thought you might have lived in New York

>> No.5317183

Now I want a cookie

>> No.5317184

>>5317177
But I do and grew up in NYC.

>> No.5317187

>>5317184
Tell us about the baggels.

>> No.5317189

>>5317187
They're the best and the best places to get them are some places on 2nd and 3rd avenues. Fuck all the names, I just know the locations because that's all that really matters.

Awesome smoked salmon as well, from Scotland, then some nice schmear of cream cheese and scallions.

We know how to do that properly in NY.

>> No.5317193

>>5317168

You're now using an extremely loose definition of shareholder that conflicts with your earlier argument about "obligations to shareholders" (implying obligations to some separate stakeholder with separate interests).

Your understanding of degrees separation is also a bit confused. 15 degrees is very generous. People are more connected than you think. I'm 5 degrees from the President of the United States. Have you ever played around with LinkedIn? You're supposedly experienced in all aspects of modern corporate culture, so you no doubt understand how popular that website is. Unless of course you are a teenager role playing on the internet.

>> No.5317194

>>5317189

Russ & Daughters, and Ess a Bagel. You live on Long Island, don't you.

>> No.5317198

I worked as a bakery clerk at King Soopers. It wasn't as fun as I thought it would be (I just packaged products, iced donuts, baked pre-frozen french bread at 4, 5, and 6 pm)... But, it did perk my interest in baking.

Apply at a local bakery (find one through yelp) and KEEP FOLLOWING UP!

>> No.5317206

>>5317193
I'm using the term in reality. For instance if you're an intern v chairman of the board of a large corporation, that's probably about 100 levels of reporting difference at best and that's not considering differences in ownership of companies that own other companies.

You're using the term like some hollywood faget and hollywood fagets don't matter.

You're simply talking out of your asshole and have no experiece dealing with real companies, or big companies which are really the most fun because you get left alone to do your job instead of some asshole micromanager type always hanging about.

Manager types can be the worst, that's why it's best to not report to them, report to directors or higher level.

>> No.5317210

>>5317206
Oh, you're the "fuck hollywood" guy, too? You're probably the worst poster on this board. Keep whining about how the socialist hollywood faggots are taking your money, douchebag.

>> No.5317213

>>5317210
What exactly is good about hollywood?

>> No.5317221

>>5317206
>I'm using the term in reality
>real companies

Ok, good. So then, going back to my earlier point: someone hiring for an entry level job is - let's ignore the exact numbers because we obviously agree that they are quite far removed from someone making decisions about "the shareholders".

Unless you are going to claim that the schmuck in charge of sorting through intern applications is "thinking of the shareholders".

>hollywood faget

I've never set foot in hollywood, I work about 20 blocks from you.

>> No.5317223

>>5317194
No, upstate right now. I served my time on Manhattan for over 30 years, been there done that, it's much nicer upstate.

One of the main nice things is that people are cool and the air doesn't smell like sewage. When I go back to NYC I can smell the stench from 50 miles out.
YUK!

I don't miss piss smelling subways either.

>> No.5317224

>>5317213
They're no more or less evil than every other corporate culture, except they make things I like.

>> No.5317226

>>5317224
Honestly I fucking hate Hollywood, but their neighbouring valley, I can't recall the name but they make most of the porn there.
Much more enjoyable.
They make a few really good movies a year though, have you seen Nebraska?

>> No.5317229

>>5317226
They also produce a lot of excellent television at the moment, which is much more exciting and groundbreaking than film is at the moment. People like to hate on Hollywood because of jealousy and antisemitism, mostly.

>> No.5317233

>>5317210
I never said that hollywood fucks are taking my money, I'm from New York, I don't deal with hollywood fagets. I have no reason to do so.

How about just admitting that you're you're a little presumtuous faget and get over yourself.

>> No.5317237

>>5317233
You keep spelling faggot like you're a 14 year old COD player, probably because you are. We all see through you.

>> No.5317238

>>5317233
>I'm from New York, I don't deal with hollywood fagets. I have no reason to do so.

Maybe upstate. Here in the city, people are most definitely celebrity obsessed. All the shitty diners have grainy pictures of every last no-name celebrity who ordered coffee there once. The sidewalks are crawling with them too.

At least in California they stay in their cars so you don't have to see them all the time.

>> No.5317239

>>5317229
Well the Jewish producers and other soulless money grubbing whores have turned the films shit.
I forgot about the TV, American productions have really come along since about 2005.

>> No.5317246
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5317246

from bakeries to the jewish conspiracy in 2 hours flat

way to go, /pol/

>> No.5317247

>>5317239
Let's not act like the Jews have a monopoly on greediness. They learned everything they know from watching WASPs.
Also, Hollywood still manages to produce good films every year, and the big studios are taking a lot more interest in independent filmmakers than they ever have. Sure, summer produces its share of horrible action sequels, but those are for children.

>> No.5317258

>>5317247
wasps didn't exist thousands of years ago when jews were still sterotypically greedy

>> No.5317260

>>5317246
I'm not a /pol/ack but it's not really a conspiracy that they own a ton of major companies from private banks to jewellers to film production. I don't hate them but it is true that they have a disproportionate level of influence and wealth considering their population.

>> No.5317261

>>5317258
They were called greedy because dumbasses would take out loans and go into debt, and they would owe the money to Jews, because the Catholic church didn't allow people to charge interest, leaving the entire industry open to only non-Catholics.

>> No.5317262

>>5317229
>People like to hate on Hollywood because of jealousy and antisemitism, mostly.
Yeah, that must be it.

>> No.5317268

>>5317258
Also, that goes back MAYBE 1000 years.

>> No.5317269

>>5316457
given how many restaurants fail, this sounds like a bad idea.

>> No.5317271

>>5317261
And fast forward to now, when debt is literally a commodity and entire countries live beyond their means, just pushing the cost to future generations.

The church ban against usury is probably the only rational thing they ever did.

>> No.5317273

>>5316525
I actually know someone who did something similar to this: she ended up the head pastry chef at a four-star restaurant.

>> No.5317280

>>5317271
Don't act like the Jews invented moneylending, because they didn't. Catholics would have been doing all of the banking had the church allowed it, but making money apparently isn't worth being killed for heresy.

>> No.5317283

>>5317273
>head pastry chef
>restaurant
So it was a real, properly run place?
How many in the brigade?

>> No.5317284
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5317284

>>5317271
>The church ban against usury is probably the only rational thing they ever did.
>what is an eruv
>what is islamic finance
>what is a shabbos elevator

People will always find clever technicalities to get around anything, religious or not.

>> No.5317387

>>5317106
Actually, social networks are one of the most effective ways to find hires, provided you're honest with yourself and don't hire a lazy friend just because they're your friend.

>> No.5317404

>>5317138
shareholders != public shareholders

>> No.5317414

You need some kind of training, and some kind of local ordinance/health department certificate. You aren't born knowing the law, nor can you prove you know it properly without some piece of paper. If you don't have the paper, why would any employer's legal department want you? You could not only get them shut down temporarily, but sued. You need to be hepatitis free. You need to know not to cough up TB phlegm balls into food, and not just how to wear a hair net, or wash your hands immediately after leaving the bathroom or touching a doorknob or lightswitch. You have to prove you were taught inspected and passed the test.

I do, however, think Panera and those kinds of companies do hire in order to train you. Anyone with serious skills isn't going that direction, but with better bakers. If you can get into a Costco or Publix kind of situation, too, you can end up in a good corporate atmosphere with internal promotion, good 401ks and competitive salary, not to mention ability to take time off for family life and vacations.

Now google around for the local tech school, community college or wherever else is set up, before contacting actual cooking schools. It could be you get a cheaper route of certificate. If you strike out, start asking to speak to store managers at these places, for what their bosses request in new hires. Don't talk to bakery people, who worry about their jobs, but to their bosses.

>> No.5317442

>>5316411
they have that requirement because just because you can cook/bake well at home doesn't mean that will translate well to a commercial setting

>> No.5317465

Unfortunately, in 2014 America, the only reliable way to break into a career is to get a degree in the relevant field, then do an internship or an externship and either use it as a road to future employment within that organization or as experience on your resume.

That, or go into show business.

>> No.5318137

>>5316525
I've never heard of a restaurant accepting volunteers. Is this really that common?

>> No.5318177

does america have an apprenticeship system? here in australia you can claim youth allowance while you get paid $9 an hour as an apprentice, so you make about as much as if you were getting paid about $15 an hour.

you should think about yr decision tho, baking hours are really anti-social. I spent the last year working at a sourdough bakery, I guess the hours was only one of the reasons i quit lol : >

people do get hired while unqualified down here, i guess because bakers are quite rare at the moment and bakeries can't afford to be too choosy.

>> No.5318190

>>5318177
also if you want to work with bread, i'm not sure if i would recommend just going to technical school

i worked with someone who had gone through a certification course at the local technical school but he was pretty much at day1 when he came in

>> No.5318215

>>5316557
I should be paying YOU for the privilege of working for you? Wow the ego on this one.

As the owner of a business you have to accept you will have to train your new employees to suit your standards. A lot of places won't even hire people with previous experience now. They WANT blank slates that they can mold into learning it THEIR way. That way there's less confusion and resistance in adapting to the new format. Pay you? Christ, in another 10 years this is probably going to become a thing. We already got guys in this thread saying to go take a job with no pay, so it's the next logical step. No wonder unemployment in this country is through the roof. People are getting sick of all these games employers play.

>> No.5318219

You could try and apply to a tea house or cafe or something that sells their own baked goods. Explain your situation and tell them you want to be just a baker.

I may be working at a tea house soon and they sell their own baked goods. I will probably end up working that every so often because I told them I enjoy cooking and baking as a hobby. I'm pretty excited to do things I enjoy doing (brewing/drinking tea, baking, etc) as a job.

>> No.5319821

>>5318137
Top tier restaurants? Yes. In fact, kitchens on the level of say Alinea or EMP(and MANY MANY others around the country) accept internships the same way as any large corporation would, although, expectedly, their "internships" are for, very often, highly experienced and skilled cooks or top culinary school grads. That being said, you don't need to work in a world class restaurant to get your experience/training. Even the next tier below will allow you entry into a very high quality kitchen with which to hone your skills. I personally did this at what I think is a top 3-5 restaurant in Boston.

Understand, though, YOU'RE the one breaking into the industry. It's up to you to prove yourself, to teach yourself, to dedicate yourself JUST to be employable. You have the advantage, though, because, as an underdog, if you keep that attitude, you'll only improve faster over your peers.