The first week is completed and it was great. There's so much to talk about but here are some random impressions... I'm glad I wasn't a baker before the invention of large mixers. I use a VW sized mixer to make enough dough for 2 dozen baguettes. The dough is the size of a large medicine ball. I would hurt myself trying to knead that. My favorite product, by far, is their sourdough bread. I love the smell of the sour starter, the way the dough feels and the bread itself is outrageous. I helped out on the production of dessert platters for a banquet of 400. Chocolate dipped strawberries, tiny fruit tarts, tiny eclairs, tiny cream puffs, truffles, petit four cakes and small cuts of cheesecake. It amazed me how consistent everything was even though it was done by hand. I probably shouldn't mention this but produce companies must send the premium stuff to restaurants and all the rest goes to stores. They use the same companies that I see in grocery stores but I have yet to see a bad strawberry or blackberry. They use bottled water for their bread. I don't have to go through metal detectors when I arrive at work and security didn't confiscate my phone. The executive pastry chef spends the majority of his day in the kitchen working with us. There's a radio in the bakery and it's on all the time to some local radio station. I resisted the urge to say "I remember when this song came out" when a Three Dog Night song played. I don't want to date myself. This is the first place I've worked where I didn't have to go to a safety class. There aren't emergency showers for accidental flour exposure. This is good because I'm covered in the stuff when I leave each day.
