Lead Pastry Cook

2 years

A warm and welcoming neighborhood spot in Santa Monica, Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe offers sweet treats, breakfast items, savory sandwiches, salads and a wide variety of takeout itemsall available throughout the day. In keeping with the philosophy and culinary aesthetic of its Rustic Canyon Family sister establishments, Huckleberry features a market-driven menu, highlighting the very best of the season and using only the highest quality, primarily organic ingredients available.

At Rustic Canyon Family of Restaurants, we take family to heart, by ensuring all our customers and staff feel at home, and leave feeling satisfied, nourished and inspired. We believe food tastes better when ingredients are sourced responsibly from local farmers and vendors, and is made by hand in-house, using classic craftsmanship and technique. We create welcoming places for people to come together and gather over delicious, thoughtful food. We give back to our community through charitable outreach, and care for our natural environment by recycling and implementing other sustainable practices. Finally, we take care of ourselves and each other, so we can feel proud about all the hard work we do.

RC Family Guiding Principles

• Serve delicious, thoughtful food using the best local ingredients.
• Create an environment for guests where they feel like they are being taken into our home and cared for.
• Take care of ourselves and each other so we can feel proud about the work that we do.

Benefits Include:

• Fully Covered Healthcare
• 401k Savings Program
• Paid Sick Time
• A meal while working
• Dining Discounts

The Lead Baker is responsible for managing the routine daily operation of the bakery department to the standards of the Director of Bakery Operations, as well as supporting and mentoring the bakery team.

The Lead Baker is someone who goes above and beyond, inspires and encourages the bakery team to work efficiently and respectfully with each other, and someone who helps ensure all product is made in accordance with provided station lists, timelines, and recipes. They should take immense pride in their craft, be the ultimate team player, contribute creatively to the seasonal offerings, possess an eagerness to both learn and teach, and positively impact the overall atmosphere & spirit.

Duties and Responsibilities:

As a LEAD BAKER, your job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Be a team player and a *leader*! Lead by example, by the golden rule. Ensure all members of the team are working amicably, communicating, sharing resources and knowledge, and working respectfully and professionally with each other.

• Have eyes on & quality control all products that are being made, ensuring theyre made using the proper technique and to the standards as set by the Chef. Mentor/coach the team to execute Chefs vision; ensuring that we never put out subpar products that we arent proud of, that everything is scaled or baked appropriately with proper technique, etc.

• Be able to comfortably fill in / guest star on any station in the bakery. Fundamental understanding of all bakery stations and workflow, cross training, etc.

• Possess an overall eagerness to learn and grow and be willing to work overtime, within reason, as business demands it. Must be able to work holidays.

• Maintain excellent communication with the bakery team as well as with management. Proactively anticipate needs and help problem-solve. Manage the daily workload across the bakery as necessary to help bakers prioritize/complete their prep lists and avoid overtime unless there are extenuating circumstances. Communicate any issues with timing or work-flow ahead of time to Director of Bakery Operations and Chef.

• Communicate any issues proactively in order to problem solve as a team. For example: interpersonal issues between coworkers, baker tardiness, consistent overtime, employees not taking break on time, repetitive mistakes that may dictate the need for further training, etc.

• Place product orders and inventory as needed. Communicate any product shortages or re-order from another vendor. Help ensure that the team uses FIFO principles and rotate through all products in walk-ins and dry storage in a timely manner, and communicate any product that needs to be used in order to avoid waste to management.

• Ensure all communal spaces & work spaces, including the walk-ins, freezer, lowboys, dry storage, pan and flour storage areas are neat, clean and organized, and are maintained in accordance with health department standards and regulations. (For example: items are labeled, consolidated, in clean containers, nothing on the floor, etc.)

• Maintain your person and ensure your team maintains themselves in accordance with health department standards and regulations including having clean short nails free of nail polish, proper attire and having the proper hair restraints at all times.

• Work efficiently taking only the allotted time for each task and ensure the bakery team does the same. Manage the bakers work flows to minimize overtime. Approve any overtime before it is worked. Communicate any issues related to task management and overtime to the Director of Bakery Operations so additional training can be provided.

• Ability to operate/take apart/clean all restaurant machinery such as mixers, ovens, food processor, ice cream maker, slicer, blenders, sheeter, etc. safely and properly. Help ensure they are also safely and properly operated, cleaned, and stowed away by the bakery team. If there are any issues with any of our equipment (or walk-ins, lowboys, etc.) proactively communicate it to the management team.

• Ensure all bakery products are properly cooled, wrapped, labeled and stored in accordance with Health Department standards. Items time stamped and cooling/temperature logs used. Provide training to the team as needed.

• Conduct a walk through at the end of each day to ensure all loose ends are tied up, lists are complete and notes are left, product is put away - wrapped and labeled properly, product orders are placed as applicable, 86ed product has been discarded, all other product has gone out and the bakery space as a whole (tables, floors, walls, etc) is clean. Before leaving, communicate any pertinent details in a hand-off note or email to the incoming manager.

• Review and stay on top of all catering orders and party/event menus. Fold necessary additions into pars and prep lists as needed. Ensure all catering and party/event menus are communicated to the appropriate team member and prepped in advance/ready to go out by the designated order time. Communicate any challenges in advance!

• Set up the front bakery case on designated days; help ensure it remains filled throughout the morning to the Chefs standards. Communicate any feedback on quality control to the team, pull any subpar product and repurpose, fix, or family as necessary.

• Assist with training new employees by clearly conveying the correct procedures, work flow and skills to the new employee. Provide the new employee with all the resources available to the station. Ensure that any new employees training on a station during your shift are being properly, clearly and patiently trained. Address any training difficulties with your Director of Bakery Operations.

• Oversee deep cleaning tasks and delegate as workflow allows or as equipment requires it. Operate by the absolute golden standard when it comes to cleanliness; always cleaning your station, workspace, scales and equipment when dirty, sweeping and mopping up after yourself.

• Ensure the team follows all safety regulations. If you witness any unsafe practices or hazardous conditions rectify them immediately. Notify a manager immediately if you or anyone on your team are injured.

• Ensure that the pastry department is operating in accordance with all Health Department guidelines at all times. That the walk in and freezers are working at the proper temp. All products are being stored properly (6 inches off the ground, labeled, no hazardous foods above ready to eat foods, etc.) and at the proper temperature. Ensure sanitizer buckets are placed in proper positions and that the solution is correct and changed out every 4 hours or whenever dirty.

Requirements

• Dedicated leader who is committed to serving the team.
• Strong communication skills with management as well as hourly employees. Ability to give and follow written and verbal instructions in English.
• Ability to work efficiently and complete station tasks according to the posted timeline without compromising quality.
• Ability to produce product according to training and posted recipes to the standard of the restaurant, by the expected time.
• Ability to evaluate products and prevent substandard products from being served.
• Great attention to detail.
• Strong time management, ability to delegate and alter lists to the needs of the bakery.
• Ability to operate all equipment necessary to perform the job.
• Fundamental understanding of sanitation, cleanliness, organization and personal hygiene.
• California Food Handlers card .
• Regular, predictable and reliable attendance.

Physical Demands

• Requires moderate physical effort. Standing, carrying, bending, stretching, wrist movement, stooping, pulling and pushing, lifting of weights up to 50 pounds.

Working Conditions

• Working conditions involve noise, heat, temperature changes, kitchen elements, moisture, etc. May be required to work additional hours as dictated by the workload and staffing.
• Must be willing to work early mornings, nights, weekends and holidays.

Uniform Requirements:

• Clean non-slip shoes with clean socks
• Clean pants
• Clean shirt, short or long sleeve, not sleeveless
• Clean white apron (provided) or clean personal approved apron
• Hair restraint of some kind that keeps it tidy/off your shoulders: hat, clip, head scarf/bandana, etc.

Compensation: Hourly ($24.00 - $25.00) plus tips

Estimated Weekly Tips: $80

Benefits & Perks: Paid Time Off, 401k, Dining Discounts, $25 Monthly Cellphone Reimbursement

Leadership and team management

Mentoring and Coaching

Quality Control and Assurance

Problem Solving

Adaptability and Flexibility

Creativity in Menu Development

Customer Service Orientation

Collaboration and Teamwork

Organizational Skills

Attention to Safety Regulations

Training and Development

Inventory Management

Sustainability Awareness

Community Engagement

Work Ethic and Dedication

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