OCCUPATION: BREAD BAKERName: William OrquizRestaurant: Gustaf AndersThumbs...

OCCUPATION: BREAD BAKER

Name: William Orquiz

Restaurant: Gustaf Anders

Thumbs up: “I always try to do my best in my job. I concentrate and focus on making the breads the very best. It is creative and fulfilling.”

Thumbs down: “There isn’t anything to dislike about my job. That is probably because everyone here is a professional and does the job well. We all work together.”

Next step: “I would like to try all the various kinds of cooking done in the restaurant. I like all the different foods and am always very hungry to learn.”

Advice: “Baking bread is a very delicate process. If you get one step out of order, it could ruin the dough. Get the right recipes, and don’t change them for any reason. The doughs must be worked very clean and exact. It takes concentration and efficient work to be able to bake so many different kinds of bread every day. Each has different requirements.”

Hours: “I start work at 4:30 a.m. to have the breads ready by 11 a.m. My workday is usually over by 2:30 or 3 p.m.

Educational and training requirements: Many apprentice bread bakers train on the job in restaurants or bakeries. Others attend culinary school.

Job description: “Since I am the first to arrive in the morning, I walk through the restaurant and make sure everything is OK. Then I prepare my doughs and set them to rise. I am usually ready to bake by 7 a.m., and the breads are finished by 11 a.m. Then I start on preparations for the next day. We serve onion rolls, focaccia, pumpernickel, walnut bread, Swedish country, caraway and fennel rolls. It is methodical work, but very creative.”

Major employing industries: Restaurants, bakeries and hotels.

For more information: Contact the Orange Coast College Culinary Arts Program at (714) 432-5835

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times