Hint: You must love working with your hands, early mornings and Publix customers.

Making some dough

Recently promoted Assistant Bakery Manager Eric Veulens, #1506, Tampa, Florida, loves the hands-on nature of baking.

“You’re constantly moving,” he said. “I come in at 5 a.m., and once I know what we have in stock and what needs to be baked, I pull together the ingredients. From there, I start working on the dough.”

Through experience, he’s learned the best order for making the breads. As one dough rests or proofs, he mixes another. That, he says, is the art of being a baker — finding the flow from one bread to the next.

So, what type of personality do you need to be a baker?

Eric says, “Definitely an upbeat person who is organized. Being a baker is a good role for someone who loves checking things off a list.”

The icing on the cake

Decorator Sonia Kuri, #628, Tampa, Florida, has been a Publix decorator for 18 years, and she loves going above and beyond for our customers.

“You only have one chance to make an impression on someone’s special event,” she says.

A typical day starts at 6 a.m., and includes checking orders, stocking dessert cakes and making same-day orders.

Sonia invites anyone who is interested to try decorating. She believes in giving new decorators encouragement, so they become enthusiastic about their work.

“Come practice with us. You might love it,” she says. “Many decorators have come through here and then moved into full-time decorator or assistant bakery manager positions at other stores. It’s a good place to make a career.”