By the time I got to the bakery yesterday, all of the bread and sweets had been baked. They were here…there…everywhere!
I immediately got to work bagging and labeling the loaves. Check out the cheddar cheese oozing out!
Next, it was time to clean the bakery from top to bottom in preparation for our Open House guests. I worked up quite a sweat! It was my bakery workout 
.
See those sparkly clean floors? Not a single crumb in sight.
Then we laid out squares of every product for our guests to try. I tried every product by the end of the night…and brought back a whole bunch with me (to save them from the scary dumpster!).
There are no words for the Cheddar Garlic bread. I mean…just LOOK at it!
I got to try all the sandwiches too, including the amazing Curried Tuna Salad, Monticello Garden (lemony hummus), and Banana & Almond Butter.
And of course, the sweets! Nibble nibble.
Lots and lots of granola found it’s way into my mouth!
Trying the products is part of the job! I need to know what I’m selling, right?
I wonder if the novelty of all these baked goods will ever die down. I feel like I’m in the honeymoon stage right now. I just want to eat everything and then take it all home with me to eat even more! I need to be careful though. I don’t want to burn out. My brother worked at Panera when he was in high school and well, let’s just say I have no desire to eat the sweets at Panera to this very day.
I think I better pace myself…for the sake of my waistline and my love for GH goods!
***
Today is OPENING DAY!! Off to worky work.
Tell me: Have you ever worked at a food place? Did you get to eat the food all day everyday?
{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
ahhh good luck!! I know you guys are going to rock opening day.
And yes, I was a short order cook all through high school…the only eating I did on the job were stolen grape tomatoes from the salads, unfortunately. The cooks weren’t really allowed to eat past tasting sauces, etc. I didn’t have to worry about fitting into my pants though, so I guess that was the silver lining!
In high school, I worked at Bertucci’s and ate their fresh rolls everyday by the dozen. I honestly never got sick of it though, so I still like to order from there occasionally. In college though, I worked in a candy store. That was bad news… talk about binging! I brought home a bag of candy every shift, and gained 5+ pounds!
OMG that Bertucci’s bread is amazing. Mmmmm.
Hi Allie!
I’m a new reader of yours and it’s fun to go back and forth between you and KERF and read about the bakery stuff. I couldn’t imagine the novelty wearing off when I worked at Coldstone but I still can’t eat that ice cream (6 years later!). But bread is definitely different. Good luck with the opening today
Godiva. We got the chocolate covered strawberries at the end of each night. I was sick of them by the end of the first month, my roommates by the second. Honestly, I no longer like strawberries, period.
I am loving your morning blogging! You all did a wonderful job!
In HS, I worked at Baskin Robbins, and really didn’t eat much ice cream at all when I worked there, but once I left that job, I had no problem eating it again. LOL! I have a scary memory of being locked in the walk-in freezer though!
AH that cheesy bread looks amazing. It seems like you are having a blast
So excited for the opening, looks like it’s going to be great! Brittany (@EatingBirdFood) and I are going to make a drive out there very soon to visit – can’t wait!!
I’ve never worked at a food place but have always wanted to work at a bakery. Although, I have a terrible sweet tooth so I’d have to be super careful too. All of the food looks awesome! Have fun!
All of the bread and sweets look so delicious! I love bakery goods.
I worked at a sub shop in high school and I don’t think I ate all day long, but I ate a good amount! When sandwiches were made wrong (either by us or the customer ordered it wrong) we’d put them in a special place and all of the employees would get to sample the sandwiches. We’d also make trays and trays of cookies and eat way too many of them.
Have fun today!
Today’s my first day working at a food place. Good luck to you!
Good luck today! It really seems like an absolute dream job working there
Never gained any weight though because I was constantly on my feet walking/running around. I actually wore a pedometer one night to work and walked 5.3 miles in one shift! crazy!
I worked in a restaurant busing and then later waitressing and bartending from 14-21 (summers between school). I did eat everything. Totally would pick popcorn shrimp off app plates before they went out
YAY for opening day. ALl of the food looks amazing. I wish I had a GH closer to me!
I worked in a grocery store.. so that is kind of a food place.. I would buy things there to eat? Especially bagels.
Everything looks amazing! Good luck today!
So awesome! I worked at my mom’s bakery for like 6 years and made lots and lots of cake and ate lots of it too…totally burned out on it. I really do not like cake very much anymore…and I REALLY don’t like icing. Blegh. Makes me feel gross just thinking about it…haha so in other words, yes I agree that you should pace yourself! Good idea. Good luck with opening day!
So awesome that you get to sample so many different ones. I’ve only had a few varieties of Great Harvest bread, because we don’t have a store in Memphis, but I’d LOVE to try all the different types. I bought a loaf of spinach/feta in Nashville a few months ago and it was the best bread I’ve ever had. In fact that day I ate just bread for lunch. Good luck today! I’m sure it’ll be a big day.
So, I think you should work in C’ville for a little while, then come back to DC and open a GH here! Everything looks SOOOO GOOD!
They’ve got a few up there already…not sure there’s room for another one.
When I was in high school I worked at Auntie Anne’s and yes I ate the pretzels — my fav? Almond pretzel with carmel dip!
That all looks SO good!! Especially the cheddar cheese oozing out. If I were a customer, I’d snag that loaf first..even if I’m not a *huge* cheese fan, it looks too good to pass up.
I loved working in restaurants and coffee shops – having the food there definitely helps cut the bills!
I’ll the goods look incredible!! Now you just need a customer taste tester (ME!)
Good luck on opening day
I worked at Subway in high school and to this day I do not eat Subway unless I have zero choice. Even the smell of Subway bothers me!
The smell of Subway bothers me, too, and I’ve only worked there only briefly. I still eat there, though, but my bf has to order it for me!
I waitressed at a restaurant with the best warm rolls. I’m pretty sure I ate them everyday and I never got sick of it! Looking at that cheesy bread really makes me wish we had a Great Harvest around here!
I worked in a bakery at Whole Foods…. I nibbled all day… gained 20 lbs. Yeah, the newness never wore off, and I definitely will NEVER work in a bakery again. My self control and love for all things baked is way too strong. Not trying to scare you, but its the sad truth for me
Now I’m working at a restaurant and since the food is not easy to just nibble on I definitely don’t snack all day.
I have worked in restaurants since I was 16 (I am now 24) and have never really eaten at work past the training shifts where you have to try everything. It is so funny, I will say I am hungry all night but when we are allowed to order food nothing looks good because I have been watching it go out to tables and smelling it all night. When I do eat an employee meal at work I usually have the chef make something like steamed veggies and a small piece of grilled salmon (something that isn’t on the menu)!
What goooorgeous loaves of bread!! I love the cute little squares, I call that portion control
what an awesome spread and yes, i have made a living in the restaurant and service industry and having access to food and (free) drinks all the time is fun…and a learning curve til you figure out there will be more tomorrow to try
All the breads look SO good! I’m not sure I could work there.. I wouldn’t trust myself
Until just recently (due to my internship) I worked at Starbucks! You get free drinks on the clock, as well as 30 minutes before AND after your shift.. and a 30% discount any other time.. oh, AND a free pound of coffee a week.. yes, every week. Needless to say, I’m surprised I haven’t turned into a coffee bean. However, I’m happy to say I never got sick of it! I still drink it every morning and go through the drive-through several times a week. If anything, I think working there gave me a new appreciation for coffee, and has now probably made me an addict for life. I’m not complainin’!
The only thing I had to watch out for was pastries! Those weren’t free.. but of course any “damaged” or “unsellable” goods were free game. Had to be super careful! Those frappuccinos aren’t waistline friendly either.. but they offer all their nutrition facts so it was easy to stick to drinks that were yummy and not loaded with sugar
owwwwwww- how fun to sample all the goodies!!! The garlic bread looks amazing, as do those pumpkin muffins! Hope opening day goes super well
The cheddar garlic bread looks ah-ma-zing! I’m so jealous that you get to try all of these yummy treats while at work!
Opening day is gonna be so excited! Can’t wait to see the recap!
And I totally wouldn’t be able to work around all that yummy stuff without eating it ALL!
Good luck today!
I don’t think I could work at a food place…I don’t think I could have the self control to keep myself from all the goodies, especially if it were great harvest. Everything looks SO good and fresh!
My dream is to work at Yogurtland. But I understand the whole burning out thing–just like a lot of people I cannot stand the smell of Subway.
Have a fantastic day at work!
I’ve never worked at a food-y place. I’m afraid I’d work somewhere I love to eat and then never be able to eat it again because I might get tired of being around it every day!
I used to waitress, and I LOVED the place where I worked! The food was awesome and the menu was expansive, so if you got tired of something you could just order something else. We had to pay for the food at cost unless you were hosting or prepping the food to go out (in which case you got a free meal…which was nice). I usually ordered the same thing.
Good luck with opening day!!
I used to work at a really nice restaurant in my town and we only got 1/2 off an appetizer for every shift we worked. Everything was already so expensive (although it was DELICIOUS!) that 1/2 off ended up being what I would NORMALLY pay for the food!
Ahhh! I am such a nerd! I came in today and I *thought* it was you that waited on me, but I wasn’t sure and then I got all shy and didn’t say hi. I’m sorry I’m such a dork! But I LOVED the cinnamon chip bread and my Monticello Garden! Thanks for a great experience!
Ahh!! I thought you might have been a blogger. I saw your camera out! Next time…
OH how fun! I wish I worked at a bakery…..or not
So many great breads and treats. Must be heavenly!!
Hi new reader here.. wow everything looks delicious!
I’m getting hungry and drooling just looking at all those baked goods. Sending you lots of good luck on opening day
I went into a Great Harvest for the first time today! I had a coupon for a free loaf of honey wheat. I tried a sample of some type of breakfast bread that was cinnamon-y. So delish
I used to work at a Coldstone when I was 16. We would trade a nearby mexican place for chips and guac, the burger place for fries and Macaroni Grill for bread. And usually sample every flavor of ice cream and toppings combination possible. Oh and if cakes didn’t sell by their expiration date…we’d have our cake and eat it too
I have no idea how I stayed thin then.
Yum everything looks so good! Are they all safe for your allergies?
I’ve never worked in food service, but I’m working at a farm this summer and we’re going to be selling tons of produce, including raspberries! I’m definitely going to be sneaking handfuls on the job.
I hope opening day is going well for you!
The only peanuts they have are from the peanut butter. The brownies have walnuts, but I can eat those. I’m not worried about contamination because they clean everything well.
My family owned a Baskin Robbins and I worked there 14 to 20 years old. I ate ice cream almost everyday I worked! I didn’t gain weight, I kept portions small. I still eat ice cream! How can you not?
Then I worked at a Pappasito’s, a local mexican restaurant for 5 years. I got to th poin where j could eat something everyday if I wanted. I still like the food and think they have the best fajitas.
Between your and kath’s blogs, I might have to make a drive to a great harvest in my area! All the pics make me hungry!
Goodluck with everything allie!
I used to work at Panera in highschool as well. We used to get some much bread and sweets and know how you feel. I have not been back since I left in highschool and sure crave a pumpkin scuffing! YUM!
That granola looks to die for!
What are those Savannah Bars like?
I used to work at a local bakery when I was in high school. I definitely got burned out on donuts except for these amazing orange knots that they had. It was like a little cinnamon roll with hints of orange flavor! Yum!
Mmm everything looks so good! I used to work at Panera and we “had to” sample everything to know what we were selling to customers. It was fun at first getting all of the bread and bagels and cookies you wanted, but the novelty of the sweets wore off and I was glad to not crave those foods all the time. I never did get sick of bread!
Scary, scary dumpsters…
One summer in college, I worked at an ice cream shop called Lic’s. We were allowed a product valued at up to $2.99 each shift. That included the sundaes (mmm, turtle!) and milkshakes. I created some interesting milkshake combos (chocolate-covered cherry with chocolate ice cream and cherry topping, pineapple topping w/ chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate syrup with mint chip ice cream …)
No, I never got tired of those shakes. But maybe if I’d worked there longer than a couple of months …
I want to eat up all the bread in the photos!
SAMPLER PACK PLEEEEASE. LOL
I was there opening week and brought home some Dakota bread. Unbelievable! I shared it with my psychiatrist (that’s true) who said I was very sane to bring her some (not true). She actually said it’s delicious and probably planted a subliminal message to bring more.
I’ve never worked in a food place (probably 1 of 3 people in C’ville who wasn’t a waiter). A good friend of mine worked at Dunkin’ Donuts and still can’t eat a donut decades later. I’m sure that if she had worked at Spudnuts that wouldn’t be true.
I remember you!! I do! Thanks for visiting my blog.
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