A chat about trends

 


Well kneadless to say I really enjoyed getting another perspective of what is going on in the field of education and our individual professions.

My own digging and research showed a few emerging trends in the baking field which oddly enough didn't really focus on the product being made, it had a real focus on the bakers themselves, specifically soft skills and mental health. 

The Mental health of many food service workers has been long neglected as many of these typically jobs lack benefits or do not provide enough income for workers to afford their own. Fair pay and health benefits have become a major topic of discussion for the food service industry, particularly in restaurants. Substance abuse and depression are 2 of the most prevalent topics that are now being addressed in this massive industry.

Below is a article from Menu, Canada's food service magazine with many links to resources for chefs and bakers alike that may be dealing with mental health issues.

https://menumag.ca/2024/05/03/prioritizing-our-mental-health-one-resource-at-a-time/

The landscape of bakeries and pastry shops has really changed with social media influences, now the demand from customers is more than just the product, they want to see and often meet the people making it as well, giving those soft skills such as customer service and communication skills a hefty workout.

Social media allows us to instantly hear stories, allows us to see behind the scenes, and get to know the bakers and chefs, in addition to seeing the delicious products. But alas bakeries cant afford large production crews of people armed with cameras and microphones, so they have to do it themselves, make the products, be the camera person,....and be the star.

In my own experience its not enough to make a croissant and the video of me making it. When customers come to but the croissant that they saw on the video they really enjoy meeting the people behind it. When the interaction is positive the customers feel good about supporting that bakery and the people who work there. 

My partner on the call just happens to be in the field of education as a learning facilitator and gave me some insight as to what was happening that field from 2 different perspectives, giving me more insight on some of the trends that I was exploring while sharing what they were exploring.

We discussed A.I in both of our fields of profession and how in education we should take the opportunity to embrace it and use it as a tool to aid us and even help us learn, while in the baking trade we basically don't have much to worry about as A.I has yet to get into the kitchen and create artistic edible delights!

They shared the title of a book that they are currently reading by the author Lisa Feldman-Barret called How emotions are made: The secret life of the brain. The author of the book is a presenting theories and research that is challenging and overturning widely held beliefs about emotions and where they come from.

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the mind and brain this looks like a top of the list read.

https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/books/how-emotions-are-made/




Comments

  1. ColbyNovember 20, 2024 at 9:23 AM

    Awesome blog, great insight into the life of a baker and how social media plays a roll.

    ReplyDelete

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