Baking Industry Jobs

It takes many hands to keep a bakery running.

It takes many sets of hands to properly run a bakery. Depending on the size of the establishment, there could be 2 employees or 20. A one room bakery with a low rate of production might employ just one baker and one associate to handle transactions, but typically, a bakery is a fast paced environment with at least one baker, assistant baker, and other support staff members who keep things running outside of the kitchen.

Baker

A baker must keep production under control.

One cannot run a bakery without a baker. A baker works in a kitchen to mix, bake and prepare breads, cakes, cookies and other pastries. A baker may work in several industries and environments. She may work in a bakery, a grocery store or a restaurant. Depending on her skill level and seniority, a baker may be able to develop and create new recipes for the business. One of her primary responsibilities, in addition to baking, is to keep things on schedule.

Baker's Assistant

A baker may delegate work to his assistant, such as decorating or applying icing.

A bakery needs a lot of hands to cook, to stir, to turn the ovens on and off. A baker's assistant may have different levels of training and experience, depending on the bakery, but taking care of the kitchen can be a larger job than one person can handle, which is where the assistant comes in. A bakers assistant is essentially an extra pair of hands for the baker, and although he may be an experienced baker himself, it is his job to follow directions given by the lead baker.

Bakery Manager

A bakery manager must have a working knowledge of the products and their ingredients.

Any successful bakery needs a manager to oversee the business aspect. A Bakery Manager may not have extensive experience in a kitchen, but she should know what is going on and should have a strong awareness about several aspects of baking, including how long it takes to produce items, and a knowledge of ingredients in order to handle inquiries about allergies or preferences. Additionally, a manager is responsible for the entire business operation--transactions, marketing products and communicating with customers.

Cake Decorator

Wedding cake details take precision and imagination.

Cake Decorating is an increasingly growing art- particularly with the emergence of television shows such as "Cake Boss" on The Learning Channel and "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network. Cake decorators go beyond typical baking and create a multitude of designs with materials such as fondant, molded chocolate and just about anything the imagination can dream up. Cake decorating can be a fruitful business, creating cakes for big events such as weddings and bar mitzvahs to anniversaries and birthdays. Lavishly decorated cakes take a lot of time, energy and money, but in areas where people can afford a splurge, this can be a successful venture.

References

• Hospitality Guild: Baker
• TLC: Cake Boss
• Food Network: Ace of Cakes