March's DOCE Madness - Love Where You Work

At the age of 16, working at Amy's Bakery was suppose to be my after school part time job. The first time I had laid my eyes on Ricardo, he was asking me for a fresh Mil Folha pastry. Not knowing a lick of Portuguese, I stared. He then pointed at it totally embarrassing me. I boxed the flaky goodness and muttered a broken "obrigado" one of the few words I knew. Our memories at the bakery were some of the happiest times in our lives together. Ricardo had shown me the ups and downs of the industry. He made me appreciate the loaf of bread on the table and it is very much a part of our past together. So it's only natural that I dedicate this month to the one goal closest to our heart. To open a DOCE bakery location.

Mil Folha - A vanilla slice, custard slice, also known as the Napoleon, is a French pastry of which the exact origin is unknown. Its modern form was influenced by improvements of Marie-Antoine Carême. 

Goal: To love where we work

My memory goes back to my hair styling days where I would put in a good 8 hour day at the salon and come home to see my monthly blonde client sitting in my chair waiting to retouch those dark brown roots. I remember uncomfortably squeezing myself between the chair and my mom's basement fridge. Trying to hurry as quick as I can for the chance to take a long hot shower and still be in bed before midnight!! You want to love where you work. You want the space, the luxury of storage, and of course decent hours to coincide with your 007 life.

I then think about my most inspirational places:

-ScotiaPlaza's gold branding and bright red details thinking "I am unstoppable". 

-A fresh cut wooden table at the Culinary Kitchen at George Brown College thinking "What I can create is endless"

-Smelling the books at the George Brown College Library thinking "I can never stop learning"

- Walking the Portugal cobblestone steps by the local bakery with the smell of fresh bread in the air thinking "I can give this delicious scent to strangers on the street"

This is what I want to incorporate into DOCE Bakery. To establish a timeless brand to the public and to consistently offer classic baked goods to the public. To never stop creating and keep up with all new tricks of the trade. To provide the most cutting edge cakes to my clients and for them to walk into our bakery and have that smell just consume them. Giving them that "ahh" feeling that puts away all troubles and worries to indulge in that fresh eclair with a great smile on their face.

I will have to focus on bringing this inspo to our workspace at home. Somewhere where I can look forward to working and making the best cakes we could ever create. 

-Make it neat and tidy with a DOCE bakery logo on the wall

-A cork board of inspirational cake photos. 

-Stock up our cleaning products for washing dishes to make life easier. 

-Organize Ricardo's recipes all into one little accessible bible.

-Organize our office to utilize it most efficiently in my administrative tasks.

For some phenomenal tips and tricks on organizing your home/workspace into a dream, please check out Alejandra Costello's YouTube channel!

www.youtube.com/user/HomeOrganizing

Do you have a specific place that gives the jolts to do more in this short life of yours? Maybe it's even a person who shares their wisdom! Go there or find that person. Visit, call, Skype or even Google them! These are the sources that will bring out the maximum potential in you. AKA the happier you! Bring your muse into your workspace and watch what you create!!