Sarkozy Baker Exchange

Judy Sarkozy: It only took 47 years, for the bakery to approach what this naïve idealist thought might happen in a year. I wanted a business to produce a good and true product, to be a place where staff could develop their skills and gifts, and where it would contribute to the health of the community, which supported it. Of course I would want all of that, I had come out of the activist community of UofM of the 60s. Oh yeah, and the profits to keep all that going!

Recently, I've been so happy with the progress that we are making. The bakery is running like a top (I don't think that has anything to do with the fact that I'm not there very much anymore), the staff has taken upon themselves to do serious research in improving some of our products while two of our folks are on a state department exchange program in Tobago.

Over the years our experience of successes and disasters has taught us how important (not to mention fulfilling) it is to recognize that we depend on the larger community to succeed and to recognize that being part of a community is a two-way street. Now an exchange program is helping us grow in our ability to reach out and across communities.

Resilience and perseverance are, I think, two of our strong points. But we also need to remain open, and curious and questing. We are participating in a program which allows us to work in other bakeries, and for other bakers to work with us. Doing that on an international level heightens the experience and I am thrilled that we are actually doing that.

Alec Wells: Forgive me while I try to succinctly explain a little more about the program Sarkozy Bakery is participating in. I’ll try to be quick so you can hear from our baker, Rachel Meszaros, about what she’s getting into while working in another bakery in Tobago.

AW: Last year, we worked with Global Ties of Kalamazoo to host Dixie of Slice Twice Bakery in Tobago. We’ve enjoyed teaching some of the more practical lessons and sharing business pitfalls with people who are just getting their business started. We did this out of a genuine interest to meet new people from different places with the hope of learning from their fresh perspective. Not only did that come easy, but we also learned how to improve a lot of our own practices and techniques along the way. You know what they say, “the best way to learn is to teach.” I don’t know if they really say that, but we do!

While hosting has been rewarding enough for us, the chance of visiting Dixie in her country, in her bakery was even better! Judy and I spend a lot of time trying to find new ways the bakery can provide for our staff. The idea of a baker-exchange has been one of the more creative, if unlikely, opportunities we’ve hoped to give our staff. Being able to hone ones craft in a fresh environment (and yes, perhaps travel somewhere warm in the middle of January) is wildly fulfilling as well as beneficial to the bakery. We all get to look forward to what new baking skills and flavor experiences Rachel will be able to share when she returns to Kalamazoo. 

Not too bad of a view outside Dixie’s bakery!

Rachel Meszaros: I was beyond excited to be given the opportunity to participate as a YLAI fellow this year. I had the pleasure of working with Dixie when she came to the bakery last year and got to learn about some of her cake techniques and recipes. Dixie is still establishing her bakery so it was cool to be able to assist in sharing knowledge of our larger operation with her as she grows into wherever her cake shop takes her. Even more rewarding, has been coming here and completing the cycle of collaboration and inspiration by working and learning together in her bakery.

So far, we have assisted in baking many flavors of cheesecake and sponges. In the next few days we will work on a meringue buttercream frosting and hot milk butter cake which Dixie will model into a Valentines Day offering. Between the whirring of mixers and clinking dishes, we have shared many stories of our experience as bakers. Its been interesting to compare them. The similarities have been heartwarming and the differences have reaffirmed my appreciation for Sarkozy Bakery and Kalamazoo. Working at Slice Twice has given me new insight into our bakery and what we can do with it. I am so grateful to Dixie for opening her doors to us

I cannot avoid acknowledging the privilege and importance of this trip outside of working at Slice Twice with Dixie. Getting to explore the island on off days, enjoy the local food and absorb the sights and community around us has been completely enriching (and somewhat indulgent!). It’s hard to not feel spoiled while I am doing all I can to learn. I’m already working on redirecting those feelings into inspiration for new recipes to share at the bakery when we get back to Kalamazoo. 

AW: I just want to share a text I recently received that was along the lines of "How the hell are you on a work trip for a bakery???" Judy has for years insisted that the jobs we provide are careers that should be given the same opportunities, benefits, and growth any other career has. This is without a doubt in my mind part of that vision. I'm grateful to Judy for instilling these ideals in her bakery, I'm grateful to our bakers for taking this career as seriously as we do, and I'm grateful to the community of Kalamazoo for helping Judy (and me) see out the vision of this business.

We'll update you on the goings-on with Tobago in our next email (we're out of the bakery for two weeks) but in the meantime, the bakery runs without us! It runs exceedingly well without us. Suspiciously well without us... So make sure to thank the bakers for their hardwork the next time you stop by for a loaf of oatmeal bread or a chocolate orange croissant.

We've got another fantastic brunch planned this weekend with High Blue Sky performing from 11 to 1!