Nana Bambi's

About Nana Bambi's Place and Alejandro's Cafe

Nana Bambi's Place is a vertically integrated farm-to-table community enterprise in Ragay, Camarines Sur. The enterprise grows, produces, and supplies food across twelve operational spokes — from the farm gate to the cafe table to the delivery box.

Alejandro's Cafe is the flagship food service spoke, named in memory of Alejandro — Andy — whose family has farmed this land for generations. The cafe operates from the upper floor of the hub building, with a wraparound balcony overlooking the food forest, a charcoal char grill, a show kitchen, and a dining room designed for both everyday service and private functions.

The bakery supplies baked goods to Alejandro's Cafe, the market and sari-sari store, and the produce delivery boxes. Production is done on site. Everything that leaves this bakery carries the name of this family.

Position Overview

The Head Baker is the first person in the building every day. This role owns the entire baked goods production for Nana Bambi's Place — bread, pastries, pizza bases, morning items, and everything that leaves the bakery for the cafe, the market, the sari-sari store, and the produce delivery boxes.

This is a production role with real responsibility. The bakery supplies all food spokes of the enterprise. When the bread is late, the cafe is late. When the quality is off, it is off in front of customers. The Head Baker understands this and takes it seriously.

Reporting To

Aileen Mulkerrins and Aidan Mulkerrins. Direct communication — in person each morning and by mobile as needed throughout the day.

Key Responsibilities

Production — Daily

• 4:00 AM — arrive, light wood-fired oven, begin starter doughs and pre-ferments
• Manage both wood-fired and gas deck ovens — understand the difference in heat, timing, and product outcome for each
• Produce the full daily bake — bread loaves, pandesal, rolls, pastries, pizza bases, and any specials directed by the cafe menu
• Scale production accurately to the daily order — no waste, no shortage
• Maintain consistent product quality across every batch — same weight, same colour, same texture every time
• First bake ready for cafe service by 5:30 AM — non-negotiable
• Pizza bases produced to specification — thickness, stretch, and par-bake consistent
• Prepare doughs for next day where applicable — sourdough starters maintained daily

Supply to All Spokes

• Package and label all baked goods for each spoke — cafe, market, sari-sari, delivery boxes
• Hand over cafe supply to Front of House staff at the correct time with a count sheet
• Ensure delivery box bread allocation is packed and ready before the driver departs
• Communicate any production shortfall to Aileen before 6:00 AM — not after

Kitchen Standards

• Maintain the bakery at commercial food safety standards at all times
• Wood-fired oven — manage fire, temperature, and ash correctly — this oven is a feature of the cafe, it must be operated with respect
• Gas deck oven — temperature management, consistent deck placement, even baking
• All equipment cleaned and stowed after each production run
• Flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and all dry goods stocktake at end of each shift — report low stock before it becomes an emergency
• No shortcuts on ingredient quality — if a product does not meet standard it does not leave this kitchen

Team

• Directly supervise the Assistant Baker / Pizza Chef who starts at 5:00 AM
• Brief the assistant on daily production priorities at handover
• Train the assistant in all production methods — the bakery should not be dependent on one person
• Communicate staffing or performance issues to Aileen promptly

Typical Daily Schedule

What We Are Looking For

Essential

• Minimum 3 years commercial baking experience — not home baking, commercial production
• Wood-fired oven experience — fire management, temperature reading by eye, hearth baking
• Gas deck oven proficiency — timer discipline, consistent results
• Bread and pastry production to commercial standard and volume
• Pizza base production — hand stretch, consistent thickness, par-bake
• 4:00 AM start is a commitment — punctuality is not negotiable in a production kitchen
• Food safety awareness — clean-as-you-go discipline, temperature control, proper storage
• Able to work independently without supervision — the Head Baker runs the bakery

Preferred

• TESDA National Certificate in Bread and Pastry Production (NC II or above)
• Experience in a cafe or restaurant bakery — understanding of front-of-house supply timing
• Sourdough and long-ferment bread experience
• Local knowledge of Bicolano baked goods and traditional recipes
• Supervisory experience — ability to lead the assistant baker

What We Offer

• Permanent full-time employment — not casual, not seasonal
• Competitive salary above provincial minimum wage, reviewed annually
• Daily staff meal and produce allocation from the farm
• Working in a purpose-built commercial kitchen designed for the work — not a makeshift setup
• Small team, direct communication — no layers of management
• Part of building something Ragay has not seen before
• Long-term role with advancement opportunities as the enterprise grows

How to Apply

Approach Aileen Mulkerrins directly, or through referral from someone in the Ragay community. No formal application form. We will meet with any serious candidate in person.

Bring a summary of your kitchen or baking experience and two references from anyone who has seen you work. Turn up on time for the meeting.