Crystal Cakes
Employee Handbook
Last updated: January 2020
About Us
Crystal Cakes was established in 2015 in View Park, Los Angeles. Our founder and bakery chef Calista McBeal designs and bakes every cupcake that is served to our customers. We use the best and seasonal ingredients. We bake to sell all. Nothing goes to waste. More importantly Crystal Cakes keeps its prices at affordable rates for the neighborhood, resisting gentrification in the area. The business is a crown jewel of the neighborhood, sustainable in every aspect. With its growing prestige, Crystal Cakes gives back to the community in education, training and employment opportunities.
Our Principles
Health
We make delicious treats not only to indulge in sweets but also to put something that is good for us in our bodies.
The Environment
We work so closely integrated with the environment and with awareness of each element that goes into each cake.
Discipline
No compromise. We expect everyone to keep their standards high, concentrate and deliver on good food production. This is a game of precision.
How We Operate
HOURS
Timeliness above all.
Showing up on time is the most important thing about the discipline of cooking. Nature operates in determined cycles. In order for us to work in harmony with nature, we must keep up with our internal discipline.
4AM First Shift Prep-Time
7AM Opening
12PM First shift break
4PM Second break
6PM Closing
8PM End of Day
VOLUNTEER BOARD
Infrequent duties up for grabs.
All tasks that are not routine, daily responsibilities. These are open to do's mainly for the management of our energy, recycling, and donation activities.
Please check the volunteer board for all open tasks up for grabs. For fairness, and an equal learning experience, we advise all staff to rotate and take on each task type at least once a year.
SEASONAL TRAINEES
6-month training program.
We accept 4 trainees every year in collaboration with 4 NGOs: Veterans Administration, Ex-Convict Programs, Fighting Homelessness and Rehab Programs.
The admittance of our trainees are part of our big mission to reintegrate the underprivileged members of our society and provide them with better circumstances, opportunity, training via treatment of something that is most essential to life: FOOD.
Please see additional manual of our trainee program, and schedule your monthly meetings with our Social Counselor who supports us in our workplace relationship.
Zero Waste Bakery
Minimum Plastic Use
The only plastic we will use is for preservation of certain foods and ingredients in freezer or storage environments. For shopping and delivery we bring our own reusable boxes, cloth bags and glass container jars to our vendors.
Recycled Water
The water in our entire building is recirculated and recycled. In order to maintain this sustainability, we watch the water cycling system's weekly activity, change the filters. Please see the manual on water system room.
Compost
All food categories that can be composted, will go into the compost can in our garden. The compost is used in our herb garden. The excess compost is brought back to our farmer vendors for their soil production once a month during pick-up. Please check compost schedule on Volunteer Board.Resource Management and Preparation
For our bakery, we have strict guidelines of how much we will produce on a daily basis and the amount of the exact ingredients that will go into it. We do not waste a single leaf, a single spoonful of dough, we do not throw away any food at the end of the day.
Equipment Handling and Maintenance
During training you will learn how to operate all machinery. You also have access to manuals available here. And attached to the machines at all times.
All our equipment is cleaned and maintained on a daily basis. Keeping all our equipment and tools in pristine condition not elongates their lifetime and reduces waste, but also creates a sense of orderliness and easier to work environment for all.
Cleanliness
Aprons are washed daily.
Staff must wash hands with soap when stepping back into the kitchen or handling food.
Staff must wash hands after handling payments or accepting cash.
We do not allow pets inside the store, except for service animals. Our patio and garden is open for all pets on leash.
Ingredients
In order to understand the flow of a sustainable bakery, we must all first learn the available resources, some of which we will have access to easily, and some others may not be so easily available to us, or only available seasonally. In which case we adjust our menu.
4. Seasonal ingredients
Fruits and vegetables
Mushrooms
Nuts
Dried fruits
2. Daily herbs and fruits
Grown in our garden
Mint
Rosemary
Basil
Lemon
Avocado
1. Baseline ingredients
Flour and starches
Sugar and syrups
Spices
3. Fresh daily products
Dairy products
Eggs
Butter
Store Front
Cashier Operations and Tipping
Neighborhood Loyalty
Knowing our daily customers by name is a big plus.
15% discount for our return customers.
We accept tipping on credit cards or jar.
We also accept contributions to our partner NGOs, as an option on our check out system.
Tips are equally distributed among store-front and kitchen staff at the end of the day.
Changing Menus
Every week we change the seasonal items on our menu.
Neighborhood
As a neighborhood business our responsibility is not only to our own premises but also to mind our neighbors. We deliver daily discounted goods for neighboring mom and pop shops. We encourage all our employees to get to know them, exchange knowledge and experience with them to let our street shine.