“We’re perfectionists down in the bakery,” said Cindy Glade of East Bare Hill Road, “down” being the basement of the General Store. Judging from the many satisfied customers eating breakfast or dessert at the store every day, that’s appreciated. People seem to like the fact, as Cindy said, the bakers are “really serious about having an excellent product.” Cindy has been in charge of the in-store bakery for two years, although she was making some of the General’s baked goods for quite a while before that. There was no “grand opening” of the bakery, she said; it just sort of developed.
Cindy Glade prepares scones on a recent weekday morning at the General Store. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Cindy was hired shortly before Scott Hayward took over management of the store four years ago. At that time, she was working part time “in the square,” the working area in the middle of the first floor, doing general customer service. Baked goods were delivered every morning by Bliss Bakery, a small business in Groton. When the General ran out of something, Cindy would say, “Oh, I can make that,” and she would use the small oven in the café kitchen. She was also baking for special events. Her talent caught the attention of people at Bliss, and after making sure they wouldn’t be “stealing” her, they asked her if she would come to work for them part time.
Although she has always loved to bake—“I was the one who always brought something to eat”—Cindy credits her time with Bliss for learning how to bake on a large scale. Well, not so large, she hastened to clarify, but certainly more than for a family. Bliss, being a small outfit, was struggling to keep up with the deliveries to Harvard early in the morning, and about that time it became possible to do larger-scale baking at the General.
It was the coming of the sewer to town center that made the change possible. A kitchen was installed in the basement of the store, though it was designed with the café in mind, rather than an in-house bakery. There is one large convection oven and a freezer-refrigerator for all the food. Cindy started with strictly breakfast items; later she added desserts. Cindy said it is a logistical challenge to bake everything. She has to plan carefully and line up things in the order in which they need to be ready. The oven can “fit a fair bit” if you can bake similar items or items that cook at the same temperature. But, since she has a variety of goodies, she needs to strategize. And it also takes lots of coordination with the café, she added.
An early morning start
The production begins when Cindy arrives at the store, between 5 and 5:30 a.m. on most days. She is assisted by three members of the Richardson family: Andrew who opens up on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jessica, who also started off “in the square,” and who comes in later, and Harley, who works twice a week. Cindy’s daughter, now a sophomore in college, helped out over the summer. Cindy loved having her because she is a perfectionist like her mother and “it was a pleasure to work with her.” Because of the limited oven capacity, Cindy starts with scones and muffins, which are relatively easy to prep. Then come quick breads and a coffee cake, followed by cookies, cake, and pie. There’s usually something seasonal and a special treat on the weekend, like sticky buns or kolaches.
Because of the limited space, Cindy can’t regularly make custom orders, but she does occasionally. For the holidays she will take orders for pies—apple, pumpkin, and pecan—and for breakfast breads like pumpkin, banana, and cranberry-orange.
The limited oven space also means there can’t be much experimenting with new items or trying a different way of doing something. Cindy said after the holidays things will be less busy and it will be a fabulous time to try out some new cakes and pies. During January and February, there will no doubt be lots of “tasters” eager to try out the new creations.
A self-imposed “limitation” is Cindy’s perfectionism. There’s a certain way things are done, she said, which is why she makes everything from scratch, from the highest quality ingredients. If something comes out less than perfect, it goes on the “clearance” plate. She said Hayward has been great about letting her “have her way” in buying top-of-the-line ingredients. Because the finished product is as perfect as she can make it, “it’s a pleasure to put it out there,” said Cindy. It is very rewarding to have people appreciate the baked goods, she said. “It’s great to hear someone say, ‘I just bought a cookie. I need another.”’ Such compliments must go a long way toward rewarding her for her 55-hour weeks.
All good
“Time to go make some sticky buns,” said Cindy as the conversation wound down. And it was time for me to check out what remained of all the yummy things we had been discussing. I found Katherine Friedrich “in the square” and asked her what she thinks is the best-selling treat. “People love it all, and she’s always coming out with something new, like this cranberry-orange bread,” Katherine said. “I’m a sucker for the chocolate chip cookie. Crispy outside, soft and fudgy inside,” just the way a cookie should be, she added. I admired her choice but opted for my personal favorite, a blueberry scone. Perfect.
