Professional Baker/Chef having trouble at work

newbies
(CJ Young) #1

I’ve just started my Keto adventure and I’m about a month in. from 283 I’ve dropped to 268, feel great, and so far everything has been excellent. I am in a plateau but as a woman, I’m really not worried about it from what the Keto Dudes podcast has said that sounds pretty normal. I’ll get worried about it in a month or two.

However, my troubles at work are starting to weigh on me and I’d like some advice or to hear how other bakers/chefs/food service workers deal.

I’m a professional baker which has suddenly become weird/ethically frustrating? I can’t or rather don’t eat anything I bake anymore. My boss is becoming more and more annoyed by this, particularly when I make a roux based soup and ask a coworker to taste for seasoning. I know it sounds like, eh what’s a teaspoon? But I would say that like 10 times a day and all of a sudden I’ve had more then a day’s carbs just tasting stuff. Just seasoning one soup I might taste it 3-5 times and bang 10g carbs.

I can already tell this Keto situation is not going to be a short term change for me. I haven’t felt this good in a decade and based on my family history of diabetes/heart disease/etc there is no way I am not following this diet.

I also feel like by baking and selling bread, cakes, etc I’m sort of doing a public disservice. I mean it’s my trained skill and I’m not making anyone buy bread but it’s still bothering me. That argument that I’m not forcing anyone to buy bread is a cop out and I know it.

Am I being silly? Should I just ignore my coworkers and hold to my values and hope they sort of get over it? I’ve sort of considered the prospect of working in a different kitchen but this is actually a pretty good job. I could try to get out of baking and more into the prep/cooking but…that’s not my strength. I’m the wedding cake person :frowning:

Essentially, has work ever gotten in the way of your ability to follow your diet and if so what did you do?

Thanks to anyone who reads this in advance. -CJ

I’m a Keto newbie(and a baker)
(Stephanie Sablich) #2

Oh wow. I have absolutely zero advice for you, I’m afraid… that is an intense situation. Please keep us posted though, and kudos to you for seeking support here!

(CJ Young) #3

Ha, that made me laugh. Thanks for the respond.

(Jo O) #4

Can you spit out the test tastings?

Can you adjust some of the recipes for low carb?

Have you checked out KetoEvangelist Kitchen? She was a pastry chef.

(CJ Young) #5

Yeah, I’ve seen a few food blogs that are run by people who used to cook although I didn’t know she was a pastry chef. I’m going to take a closer look at her blog now for sure. I’m pretty new to keto so I haven’t built up a bunch of original recipes yet but yeah that’s something I’ve been thinking about. I’m working on a better pasta right now. I am…unconvinced by all the current keto pasta options I’ve seen. That’s my pipe dream, to build a better pasta and share it with the world. Ha.

I can’t really adjust the menu items at work. That’s not my call and I’m 100% sure that would not fly with my boss. If I’m told to make Hungarian Mushroom soup, that means a roux.

I’ve considered the spitting out but it feels unsanitary and gross in concept. I don’t even do that at wine tastings.

Oh my god. I just realized I’ve got a wine tasting next month…I might have to just get over it and start spitting. Ha.

(Jo O) #6

Good luck

I feel your frustration. I’m Asian. I don’t ever go to any Asian restaurant anymore. Just have to make everything from scratch.

Maybe move to New London. Sounds like Carl’s getting the whole town Keto.

(Troy) #7

Insane!
I’m literally watching “ cupcake wars “ on the food network right now
I Watch all these tempting programs lol
Sipping on my ginger root, lemon tea

Thinking would hate to be one of them cupcake bakers if on Keto :weary:

Then I read your post​:flushed::flushed:

I’m so sorry. That’s a tough situation

(Candy Lind) #8

What a conundrum! I imagine that’s creating a flood of cortisol in your system. Sending good thinks & hugs your way. I hope you find a solution that makes you happy. KCKO.

(Miss E) #9

This sort of passion and ethical nature screams business owner to me. Start your own business, get an investor if you have to. Make beautiful paleo/keto friendly food for the people :slight_smile:

(Louise ) #10

I’ve read a couple of posts about low carb / Keto products and manufacturers, both on the Forum and Facebook. We have on the Forum food producers like Julie from Fox Hill Bakery (making buns and bagels) and Chris from Keto Chow. Their passion for Keto has seen them move into producing and manufacturing food products.

I agree with the other poster, you’re tied to your employers needs and wishes for menu planning, ultimately you have a great flexible career that you can consider being aligned to your new Keto life.

(Jay AM) #11

Possible ideas.

Apologize to your employer that you are eating this way and maybe explain that you have health concerns that require the change. You don’t need to go into detail about the diet or health stuff. I find it better not to tell people I’m doing keto as they see it as a fad and that just annoys them more.

For the spitting option, yeah, spit is gross. But, you can do it discreetly. Get yourself one of those opaque drink cups complete with lid and straw, add some water. Spit by using the straw. It’ll look like you’re taking a drink. I knew a guy who chewed tobacco at work and no one ever guessed he wasn’t just drinking. The only reason I knew is from being told.

Meanwhile, for recipes you make regularly in the same quantities, figure out what and how much you use to make it well and repeat that, hopefully cutting down on taste tests. If you know you use a pinch of oregano or shake the bottle of salt 10 times, that’ll help.

Baking isn’t doing a disservice. People would eat the same stuff whether you baked it or not and it’s up to them to make their own changes. Maybe in the future you can have a keto/diabetic friendly bakery. Or, if you are allowed to present recipes or food options, make an amazing keto food (go savory, not sweet. No one wants GI distress.) for the boss to try.

#12

I worked in a Bakery for years and I’ve spent a couple years cooking for a living, while I don’t doubt your at a higher level of a place than I was I’ve never understood the tasting everything you make thing, your making the same crap over and over, do you REALLY need to taste it all the time? You are #1, not your bosses opinion of what your doing. Unless what your cooking starts to suck, who cares?

#13

If you make keto pasta that actually works I will make you emperor of the universe

(Chris W) #14

I work in at cheese processor, we have a GMP that outlaws spitting in the production areas, then again we have one that says you cannot eat the product either neither of which I disagree with common sense to me. That said the cheese graders can and do spit out the cheese they grade all day long otherwise, I think they would be all morbidly obese as they are all still SAD eaters.

So if you were to have reaction to gluten how would you proceed? Surely your boss would not want to loose you based on something out of your control.

And tasting does not mean you need to have a whole spoonful, dip it in, you need to get the taste not the whole spoon. I still cook for my adult daughter all the time and when I need to taste something I do it that way, when it is something non keto like a sauce. Granted gravy is heavy on the flour, but have you had an issues with being knocked out because of it?

(Clara Teixeira) #15

I worked in foodservice for 10 yrs. Loved what I did! Was even managing a summer camp kitchen and had developed a wholesome menu. Then I hit a health wall and had to go gluten free. I was reacting to wheat so strongly I was getting hives just from kneading bread. I finished out the season and called it quits. Now I work in a different field of work that I would have never dreamed of liking. My exposure to wheat is very minimal aside from coworkers always trying to feed me doughnuts and I enjoy being healthy.
I like the idea of someone opening a keto/paleo friendly restaurant!

(CJ Young) #16

Thanks everyone for your advice, some really interesting ideas here.

I hear what some of you are saying about tasting stuff. The whole reason i’d rather not is it’s a slippery slope. Taste enough sugary things, or enough gluten soups in a day and I start to crave. It happened one day, I was overseeing some frosting production and one looked not right so I had a spoon to check. That night I tested my ketones and they were pretty much non existent and I felt shitty the rest of the day.

Part of the tasting issue is I oversee people who I’m not always sure have followed the recipes so then I gotta check. I think I’m going to develop a way of spitting with no body noticing. Or maybe I’ll carry a handkerchief in my back pocket for frosting removal. Hmmmm, I’ll have to mull this over.

(Jo O) #17

Contact people like Carrie Brown (ketovangislist) and chef Tiffany Elrod (interviewed on Keto Woman). They’ll have better brainstorming ideas than us.

#18

What a predicament, I wouldn’t know what to do in that situation. I suppose I’d stay at my job until I found a job cooking at a steak house where a lot of the menu is keto friendly (aside from things like mashed potatoes, baked potatoes & french fries).

(CJ Young) #19

It’s the sugar stuff that’s really the bother. Like just today one of my prep people was making some batters and I could tell as she was finishing from the texture that it was missing an ingredient. I tasted a bit on the back of a spoon and it was missing sugar. This didn’t knock me out of ketosis but that’s just an example. It happens literally every day. I have to check on and taste just about everything so it just piles up quick if I’m not careful and it gets to be frustrating.

I do take little tastes but I do need to get enough on a spoon to sort of cover my palate so, maybe a 1/2 tsp?

I mean, for the time being I’m managing. My boss, just today was a bit nicer about it so that’s good. I think everyone thought this was a fad so they were just not interested in being nice about it. I get it, being a baker I was the first person to roll my eyes at a no gluten request. I totally thought it was just picky people with the occasional individual who actually has celiac. I only now realize the whole depth of the issue. I know they’re all in the same boat that I used to be in.

(Keto in Katy) #20

This is exactly what I was thinking. As long as you are working in a bakery I would say keep doing it with all your heart and passion and talent, even if you do not eat that way. Continue to give it your best while also considering a new path that better aligns with your values.