I was a baker for some years about 23 years ago, I will tell any baker that they will make better money working for the company delivering the flour, probably have better hour and still get to eat baked goods all the time. Unless you are a craft baker you are just reheating frozen dough.
The quickest way to ruin the enjoyment of making food is to do it for customers. I’ve been told for those last 20ish years that I should open a restaurant, I always reply the same “I cook for those I love and like, not asshole customers”
Yup. When I was baking and they started bringing in these boxes of frozen dough that you would defrost in the loaf pan then proof then bake, I purposely fucked them up by putting them into the proofer before they were defrosted, I let them over proof sometimes. Generally tried to make them fail so I could keep mixing dough and doing something that was hard but satisfying.
When they kept on with the frozen shite I booked some midweek days off and drove up to Whistler to go to a job fair. On my way up there I got a call from my manager to cover a shift and I told him I couldn’t because I was on my way to a job fair. I think he might have taken a bit of offense to my bluntness.
I got a hotel job in like 30 mins that next day and was stoned at work for the next five months. It was amazing.
Hospitality is both a satisfying and dreadful job at the same time. It doesn’t pay enough for what the work is. But the fundamental work is satisfying. The only chefs I’ve known who really enjoyed their jobs were private chefs for individual rich families. Both were well paid and had a lot of creative freedom.
There are some very rare professions for which it CAN work. Being an author writing books for instance. That is a job I would enjoy, all alone with my laptop on the couch just typing away. Pure bliss
I really wish making food was a more viable commercial option. A few years ago I looked into setting up a food truck and holy shit are those things expensive. I occasionally go to food-truck-athons and even with how insanely overpriced their offerings are, I don’t see how they can ever be profitable. Around where I live, you can’t even get permits for a food truck unless you’re associated with a physical restaurant.
I’m in Canada, back 20+ years ago I was baking from scratch and some frozen baked items but when I moved over to the bakery warehouse over the years more and more frozen dough and frozen pastries came out.
There is definitely still some places that scratch bake but more and more bakeries are just faking it and doing everything from frozen.
I was a baker for some years about 23 years ago, I will tell any baker that they will make better money working for the company delivering the flour, probably have better hour and still get to eat baked goods all the time. Unless you are a craft baker you are just reheating frozen dough.
The quickest way to ruin the enjoyment of making food is to do it for customers. I’ve been told for those last 20ish years that I should open a restaurant, I always reply the same “I cook for those I love and like, not asshole customers”
A person doing this is not a baker.
Yup. When I was baking and they started bringing in these boxes of frozen dough that you would defrost in the loaf pan then proof then bake, I purposely fucked them up by putting them into the proofer before they were defrosted, I let them over proof sometimes. Generally tried to make them fail so I could keep mixing dough and doing something that was hard but satisfying.
When they kept on with the frozen shite I booked some midweek days off and drove up to Whistler to go to a job fair. On my way up there I got a call from my manager to cover a shift and I told him I couldn’t because I was on my way to a job fair. I think he might have taken a bit of offense to my bluntness.
I got a hotel job in like 30 mins that next day and was stoned at work for the next five months. It was amazing.
I like your style.
The quickest way to ruin doing most anything you love is to do it for a living.
That’s why I never committed to professional arsonist and just burn things as a hobby.
based
So you don’t take small commissions from private individuals?
Cash, no. However, if someone has an art project that I agree with and wants to donate the supplies I am open for commissions.
I’ve heard “you love cooking? You should open a restaurant!” so many times and it’s such a horrible cliché!
Even if customers weren’t assholes, it would still suck. There’s no better way to kill your enjoyment of something than to do it for money!
Hospitality is both a satisfying and dreadful job at the same time. It doesn’t pay enough for what the work is. But the fundamental work is satisfying. The only chefs I’ve known who really enjoyed their jobs were private chefs for individual rich families. Both were well paid and had a lot of creative freedom.
That is sadly true for most enjoyable careers.
There are some very rare professions for which it CAN work. Being an author writing books for instance. That is a job I would enjoy, all alone with my laptop on the couch just typing away. Pure bliss
All fun and games until you get writer’s block. The ideas won’t come but the rent is still due. Good luck enjoying the work under that pressure.
Also good times when your offerings are swamped by AI slop.
I really wish making food was a more viable commercial option. A few years ago I looked into setting up a food truck and holy shit are those things expensive. I occasionally go to food-truck-athons and even with how insanely overpriced their offerings are, I don’t see how they can ever be profitable. Around where I live, you can’t even get permits for a food truck unless you’re associated with a physical restaurant.
Let me guess: USA?
I’m in Canada, back 20+ years ago I was baking from scratch and some frozen baked items but when I moved over to the bakery warehouse over the years more and more frozen dough and frozen pastries came out. There is definitely still some places that scratch bake but more and more bakeries are just faking it and doing everything from frozen.