I LOVE bakeries!

While driving through small towns, my eyes automatically scan the horizon of storefront signs looking for THE bakery. I am saddened by the absence of a town bakery and always interpret this as a bad omen about the vitality of the community.

When I spend a few days in a big city, I perform a vigilant, comparative analysis of the city's bake shops and sample often.

I LOVE everything about these establishments...the smells of fresh-from-the-oven goodies and strong black coffee...the shining glass display cases with rows of loaves and trays of treats...the community bulletin boards with notices of sales, jobs and services...and, most of all, I LOVE the community that takes place there.

And the tray of free-samples is definitely a bonus when you can get it!

My father was a baker and owned the only Italian bakery in St. Paul. As I child I delivered bread to the Italian-speaking families in our neighborhood, and Mrs. Valente, my favorite customer, "tipped" me with candied orange slices!

Throughout my career, I have always longed to be a baker and still scan the classifieds for a bakery business for sale.

Baking will probably always be a spectator sport for me. I really don't have the talent, the knowledge or the financing to become a baker at my mature age. Yet, "Great Harvest's Recipe for Growth" in the December FAST TIMES caused some soul searching.

What whould I want from a bakery job that I can create in my current or future career? I want a job that.... ...showcases the strength and creativity of teamwork; ...grows with communal decision-making and without hierarchy; ...offers clear beginnings and endings to work projects; ...provides immediate recognition of a "good day's work".

I think these qualities can develop within Extension if we can agree on Extension's "bread and butter".

-- Anonymous, December 11, 1998

Answers

In your initial discussion, I was trying to figure out what the article was all about. It still is not very clear to me, although your discussion toward the end mentioned ways factors found in a bakery that you would like to incorportate into your present job.

I need some further clarification on this article.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 1999