Full-Time Retail Bakery/Cafe Pastry Sous-Chef Position - Crixa Cakes

Crixa Cakes, a popular scratch-bake slow food bakery and cafe in Berkeley, California, has a Pastry Sous Chef position available. Crixa Cakes specializes in Hungarian and Russian sweet and savory baked goods. We are celebrating our 10th year in the San Francisco Bay Area.





Crixa Cakes has received numerous positive reviews and Best Of citations (in San Francisco Magazine, Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay Express, The Monthly, Oakland Magazine, SF Weekly, Yelp, and The Slow Food Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area).

Crixa Cakes values purity of ingredients, seasonality, the originality and playfulness of our creations, and a continuation of culture-based food traditions. We also value hard work, honesty, the ability to pull together as a team, and the production of excellent products at a fair price.

We are looking for an experienced, disciplined, and hard-working team member who will grow with our company. This is a permanent full-time salaried position with duties including, but not limited to:

Preparation and finishing of Cakes, Pies, Pastries, Cookies, Breads, and Desserts
Maintaining Pars
Menu Implementation
Ingredient and Supply Inventory and Ordering

Please read the qualifications for this position carefully. The successful applicant will have to get up to speed quickly and therefore, we will only consider those who meet all the criteria listed below.

Minimum requirements to be considered for this position are:



Four years professional baking production experience
Proficiency in flaky and laminated pastry doughs, sweet/rich bun doughs, bread doughs, butter cakes, sponge cakes, butter cookies, meringue, buttercreams, pastry cream, and pie assembly
Excellent manual dexterity and math skills
Proficiency in cake assembly and finishing, including decorating and inscriptions
Must be able to produce large volumes with consistent quality
Must be ServSafe certified and have strong standards of cleanliness




A successful applicant for this position will complete a phone interview, a second in-person interview, and a three to five day on-site trial period.

Compensation and Benefits





Salary is based on experience. Salary range is $32,000 - $36,000.

After three months of employment and successful initial review, employee in this position will receive the following benefits:

Kaiser Medical and Dental Insurance
Paid Vacation Days

To apply for this position:


Please submit,

1.  A cover letter. Your cover letter should include the following information,

Why you want to work for Crixa CakesA discussion of three challenges in your professional baking career, how you handled them successfully, and how they helped you to develop as a baking professionalThree professional references (if they are not included in your resume)
2. Your resume.

3. Five to ten photographs of your completed professional baking work, with descriptions and commentary. Photographs can be sent to our mailing address or to jobs[at]crixa[dot]net
Please, no phone calls.