Jobs

We’re hiring a skilled, creative baker / pastry chef to helm the baking program at Minifactory. Our location has homed a bakery for almost 5 decades and the community's appreciation for pastry and baking is immense.

You'll step into a well-organized system built by a veteran pastry chef who is moving on after four years at Minifactory. The system is yours to learn and gradually morph around your strengths and interests while working with V Smiley to craft a pastry case that emphasizes seasonality and fruit and aromatics especially

Our ideal candidate likes to work independently but understands themselves to be a part of the V Smiley Preserves / Minifactory organization and enjoys ancillary roles. You are the morning time lead in the space, setting the tone in the kitchen, greeting/checking in deliveries, keeping counterfolks informed about menu, etc. You are a pivotal part of our leadership team at Minifactory.

Who You’ll Work With

• Baker's assistant

• VSP Production Lead – head jammer at VSP

• Minifactory Cooks

• V Smiley (Head Cook of Minifactory, Owner of VSP)

You manage: Assistant baker

You report to: V Smiley

ROLE

o Overseeing and fulfilling upon daily output of biscuits and 14-18 additional baked goods (tea cake, danish, cookies, scones, brioche, potentially croissants) and monthly bakes of gluten free bread for the kitchen

o Testing + creating products for the pastry case

o Coordinating with savory cooks

o Tying output to seasonality

RESULTS

o A baking program that speaks to a large clientele from grain free or gluten free to folks who don’t like super sweet to traditional bakeshop offerings - we want to make sweetness available to as wide a group as possible

o Foster communicative and upbeat work environment

o Stimulates excellence in both the individual and group

o Minimizes food waste

REQUIREMENTS

o A love of learning (both through self teaching and co-workers)

o Wide range of skills and interests from laminated doughs to keenness for working with alternative flours and sweeteners

o Likes working with aromatics and herbs/spices

o Have excellent interpersonal and customer service skills

o A love for being part of a team and using a strengths based approach

o Highly organized

o Quick, efficient, multi-tasking and attentive to detail

o Community minded

Some of our baking influences: Charlie Dunmire, Nigel Slater, Pam Corbin, Tandem, Thalia Ho, Camilla Wynne, Magnus Nilsson, Claudia Roden, Aran Goyoaga, Fany Gerson.

Compensation

• Wages are based off an hourly wage + tips. Pay range is 58,000-67,000/yr

• Two weeks paid time off, 3 weeks after 2 years

• Employee CSA

• Staff meals

• Employee discount

• Seasonal bonus

• Hone baking skills (viennoiserie to gluten/grain free & vegan baking) alongside pastry chef and veteran baker, Andrea, who helmed King Arthur’s bakery before moving to Minifactory

• Build your savory food skills (from flavor construction to knife skills) by both supporting our All Day a la carte menu

• Hang out with lots of local produce

• Learn to use vegetables in baking and fruit in cooking

• Produce super flavorful, bright & herbaceous seasonal food

• Work in a collaborative, non-traditional restaurant environment

• Support the hum of a local, rural community hub

Who You’ll Work With

• Andrea, pastry chef

• V Smiley (Head Cook of Minifactory, Owner of VSP)

• Minifactory Line Cook

• Minifactory baking assistant

You report to: V Smiley

Workday: A mix of 5 and 8 am starts. 1-2 baking shifts, 3 mixed days of grab n go food / savory food making & plating / baking prep. 28-39 hours / week.

Job Requirements

• Food experience, 1 year minimum in a professional kitchen

• Highly organized and time/task aware

• Ability to stand for long periods in a warm environment

• You enjoy working efficiently

• Tackle tasks and communication with an "above & beyond" mental approach

• Think creatively and consistently about best work flows to accomplish your prep list

• Be a good, active listener

• Goal focused, but also able to zoom out recognize the flow of tasks surrounding you like checking in orders, keeping the dish pit clear, asking co-workers if they need an extra hand

• Have excellent interpersonal and customer service skills

• Highly attentive to detail

Compensation

• Wage is base wage & tips ($22-28/HR DOE)

• Two weeks paid time off, 3 weeks after 2 years

• Staff meals

• Employee discount

• CSA for staff from ACORN & Footprint Farm

The Role:
Prepares and cooks our all day style menu through the Vermont seasons. We happily train new cooks and welcome longtime cooks as well!

Minifactory’s unique qualities:
1) We specialize in preparing comforting and unusual food with an emphasis on vegetables and pantry driven cooking that’s accessible to special diets like grain and gluten free
2) As a community oriented restaurant, we offer extensive service hours w/ a menu ranging from breakfast sammy’s to intricate composed dishes. We source local meat and use it sparingly to keep menu price points at reasonable levels.
3) The kitchen and menu are designed for execution by 1 to 3 cooks depending on time of day and business levels, which range tremendously day to day (Thursdays are quiet) and by time of day (sparse orders 8-9:30 AM and then tickets ramp up). This is a stationless kitchen w/ no hierarchy around cold station, grilling, saute, etc. This is a great role for someone who wants range to their work experience, from getting face time with customers to working collaboratively and concurrently with a team of 3 line/prep cooks and front of house folks, all working as a team to execute the day’s service.
4) Minifactory runs 3 menus over the course of the week. A very simple, garde manger, oven/griddle-based menu for Mondays & Thursdays, an all day menu Fri-Sunday, plus a snack menu after 2 PM Fri-Sun
5) The FOH & BOH team operate without a dishwasher position with all folks sharing washing up duties throughout the day. We have found the restaurant runs more smoothly, equitably and collaboratively by sharing this work with each other.
6) We are produce specialists with several tons of fruit and vegetables from local farms flowing through Minifactory and V Smiley Preserves - you will learn about our local food shed, meet farmers and producers, and work with unusual ingredients like mulberries, quince, specialty citrus, edible flowers and what vegetable/fruit varieties work for what applications.

At Minifactory:

-You build a comprehensive grasp of the menu and the ingredients we use. The menus features a mix of signature dishes like savory yogurt & braised greens and laminated buttermilk biscuits with our preserves etc, then dishes whose guiding structure remains the same but whose prep set and presentation dramatically shift by produce availability and finally, fully rotating items ranging from 2-5 extra dishes depending on business levels, which have us eating brothier, meatier things in the winter and more fruit, flowers and chilled things in the summer.
- Work closely with front of house to deliver service. The goal is serving highly consistent, delicious food in a very casual, warm and welcoming atmosphere.
- We maintain Minifactory’s pantry. We produce a weekly collection of items from yogurt to pickles, soups, jams and sauces that form the backbone of the menu. The work is always a mix of learning new things and taking care of old friends.

Particulars
* Daytime shifts. 24-39 hours/week.
* Shifts starts range from 7:30 AM - 9 AM depending on the day. The day is always done between 3:30 and 5 depending on when your shift started.
* Folks generally work 8 hour shifts
* Saturday & Sunday availability required
* Tuesday & Weds off
* 3-5 shifts per week depending on how many hours you seek.
* This cook position can be put together and worked in a variety of ways whether a mix of prep of line work days or just shorter, fewer line work days, we build the position around a great fit, something that works well for you and keeps Minifactory humming.

Compensation
* Wage is base wage & tips with pay ranging from $23-29 per hour for staff DOE
* Two weeks paid time off, three week after 2 years
* Two staff breaks each year (January & September)
* Staff meals
* Employee discount & CSA for staff from ACORN & Footprint Farm