Tuesday 1/26/09

Here is the project that I have been working on this week:

baked & filled the chiffon cake with italian buttercream, strawberry-banana mousse, and fresh strawberries. Yum.. :)


The cake had to be sealed in with italian buttercream so that the mousse and the moisture stays inside. Also, the buttercream has to be chilled and scraped to even-ness so that the fondant lays evenly over it.


The sheeter is used to roll out fondant quickly and easily.




It is important that the fondant is shaped quickly otherwise it will start to dry up and crack.


Piping swirls with white chocolate- buttercream.

Thursday 1/28/10

Here is a series of Natural Resources used in the bakery:

Friday 1/15/10

Project description

Internship site: Sweet Cheeks Baking Company

Department: Baking, Designing, and Decorating Pastries

Project Title:Frog Princess Cake

General Description:During the last week of internship, I will be making a Frog princess cake. I will be doing all of the baking, decorating and assembling with the help of my mentors, each specializing in something different.

Learning Objectives: To become familiar with the various procedures and techniques of professionally making a cake, which is what I plan on doing as a career.

Organization/Company Objectives & Benefits: Teaching others is a good way to improve your personal knowledge in this field.

Academic Skills: measuring

Technical Skills: using fondant, piping, sculpting, filling cake, baking cake, designing, etc.

Collaboration—Skills and Opportunities: mentors walking me through the entire process

Exhibition Plans: serving the final cake at exhibition night on January 29th, at 3 pm

Schedule & Timelines:
(To be continued)

Wednesday 1/27/10

This is Charity, the "design goddess" of the bakery. I would consider her my mentor, along with everyone else in the bakery because they each taught me something different. My official mentor is actually Donna Cellere, one of the owners, but I would like to consider both in this blog.

The Interview
Donna Celllere
Pastry Chef
Sweet Cheeks Baking Company
San Diego, CA 92120

1)What do you think is the cause of success in owning your own buisness?
~ having positive energy, selling great products, and building customer relationships

2)Were you concerned or worried about the instability that comes with owning your own buisness? What would you do if you were to go out of buisness?
~ Donna was of course aware that it was a risk, but it was worth it. If this buisness closed down everyone what get back on their feet and take other alternatives. Donna specifically, would work for a catering company or become a nutritionist.

3)Every career has its ups and downs. What is your biggest challenge?
~ keeping everyone happy and meeting their expectations

4) What is your favorite part about being a baker/ bakery owner?
~ offering her gift to the world and doing what she is passionate about

5) Did you know that this was your dream when you started college?
~ Yes, she has known that baking was her dream ever since she was five years old.

6) Lastly, what qualities do you look for in someone you hire? Do you take a risk when hiring or do you know what to expect?
~ Of course there is always a risk that people don't meet expectations. A good employee for this job is someone who is professional, timely, has a positive attitude, and a passion for this field of work.

Monday 1/25

Today I started my project by baking chiffon cake. With the help of my mentor (Donna) going through the steps and supervising the cake was a success. it turned out just the way it was supposed to, unlike other times when I made cakes on my own.I also made a flower out of gum paste to decorate the cake with.

1) Describe your direct collaboration with others—how does it go & how does it influence the work?
Almost everything we do in Sweet Cheeks is a collaboration. First, Elaine (the organizer) types out the invoices listing everything that the customer expects. Then, Donna, Misty, and Christa bake the cakes and store them for later use. Then the cakes are passed on to Charity who fills and decorates them. Finally, the cake is packed up and delivered to the customer by Elaine.

Describe your indirect impact on others through your work—there are probably many people you never actually see who are affected by your work. How does this happen? How does this influence your work?
As for myself, I help by preparing and cleaning up the large messes which makes it easier for everyone to get things done. Some specific tasks are: making plaques, preparing molds for cheescakes, making decorations, wrapping & storing food, washing dishes, mopping, making display boards, and much more.

Tuesday 1/19/10

Choice A: What characteristics and qualities do you see in the people at your internship that you'd like to develop in yourself? Some of these qualities and characteristics could be creativity, empathy, risk-taking, ambitiousness, honesty, fairness, and so on. There are so many qualities and characteristics that people could have, so look around and think of a few good ones that you see in the people you work with.
Something that I tend to struggle with is finding the balance between professional and unprofessional. I'm not sure what is appropriate so I keep most things to myself while still being friendly and helpful. There is something to learn from everyone in the bakery. I admire Misty and Elaine for their balance, and I think I could learn alot from them. I admire Christa for her efficiency and prductiveness. I admire Charity for her leadership and patients.

Thursday 1/14/10

Today's Assignment:
In this blog post, write about what you would like to learn when you interview your mentor. Post the big ideas and main topics you want to discuss and why they are important to you.
Also, discuss when this could take place. Schedule a time and place with your mentor (or coworker) and post that info in your blog, if possible (you will need to know this by early next week). Locate and reserve a computer or other recording device to document this interview.

Possible Interview Questions:
What inspired you to have your own buisness in this field of work?

Is this your passion or is it simply a career?

Were you concerned or worried about the instability that comes with having your own buisness?

What do you think is the cause for your success in owning your buisness?

What were/are the biggest challenges in your career?

Every career has it's ups and downs. What is/ are your favorite part about being a baker and/ or a leader?

What qualities do you look for in someone you would hire?

Did you know that this was what you wanted to do in college?


Note: The interview will be on Monday 1/18 or Tuesday 1/19, since Fridays are pretty busy.