Remembering the week my old bakery's oven broke down during the holiday rush

It was December 2018, and our main deck oven gave out on a Tuesday, right as we had orders for 200 dozen cookies and 50 fruitcakes due by Friday. We had to move everything to our one small backup oven and work in shifts around the clock. I remember mixing batter at 3 AM while my boss tried to find a repair guy who could come before New Year's. We got it all done, but my hands were sore for a week from shaping all those cookies by hand in the weird heat of that little oven. Anyone else ever have a major piece of equipment fail at the worst possible time?

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.mason19d ago

Man that sounds brutal. Did you guys have a backup plan for the backup oven? After my shop's main panel fried, I started keeping a list of 24/7 repair services on the fridge. Also, for big orders, maybe split the baking between the backup and a rented portable oven next time? That way you're not putting all the heat on one piece of gear.

willowthomas19d ago

We learned the hard way too... after our backup oven died mid-holiday rush. Your idea about splitting the load is smart, @henderson.mason. We ended up calling a friend with a bakery across town and used their oven space for half the order. Now we keep a list of local bakers willing to help in a pinch, right next to the repair numbers. It's not perfect, but it spreads the risk so one broken piece doesn't ruin everything.