The best kind of love stories are the ones you don’t expect. The ones, that where all of sudden you’re in the thick of it and you realize, “I am happy with what I am doing with my life.” That’s what happened to Alex Smith. Somewhere between not knowing exactly what she wanted do with her life and a love for painting— she fell into in love with baking.
The enthusiastic, tired-eyed (she did get up at 1:30am after all) Schenectady County Community College graduate sat across from me, exuding her excitement for the future of baking at Bountiful Bread. “It has been a busy 10 months,” she’s referring to her time at Bountiful, where in less than a year she rose to managerial rankings in the baking & pastry department after the sudden departure of the head pastry chef. “I grew up a lot in the last year. I went from being back-of-house, primarily working in one area, and now I am immersed in every aspect of managing a department.” Her mornings here at Bountiful start at 3:00am, “We wake up the store and get things started for each (busy) day.”
Before Bountiful Bread, Alex worked in the Pastry Department at Price Chopper and most recently, as a Cake Decorator at The Cookie Factory, where she attributes learning her design and cake decorating skills. “You can expect to see more intricate and fancy cakes available in the cake case or for custom orders at Bountiful. Also, you will be able to find even more gluten free and vegan options” (such as her favorite, Flourless Chocolate Cake). “I have learned so much at Bountiful; from my co-workers, our customers, and from management who encourages us to take courses to better our skills.” Alex also enjoys interacting with guests in a more hands-on kind of way, and is looking forward to the upcoming Kid’s Easter “Egg” Cookie Decorating Class on Sunday, March 25th, “it’s such a fun event and lets kids have fun with their desserts in a clean-up free environment (for the parents at least).”
What’s also next for Bountiful Bread is the long-anticipated entrance into the custom, trend, and wedding cakes markets. “We have really talented bakers & pastry chefs and we believe that people are looking for scratch-made cakes,” states Amanda Martin, General Manager of Bountiful Bread. The bakery and café makes all breads and pastries on-site and from scratch each morning. For more information on Bountiful’s Custom Cakes, please click here. To register your child for the Kid’s Easter “Egg” Cookie Decorating Class on Sunday, March 25th, please call 518-438-3540.
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