The graveyard shift: What it's like to be the nighttime baker for Cal's Bakeshop 🍩
As a child, Janneza Miranda would pull a chair up to the kitchen counter and watch their tia bake, captivated by the way she would gracefully decorate her delicious masterpieces.
That same nostalgic scene was recreated inside Cal’s Bakeshop early Wednesday morning. Miranda was the one skillfully placing crumbled Oreos on top of a freshly fried cronut as I watched in awe.
Miranda is Cal’s Bakeshop’s nighttime baker, responsible for baking anywhere from 200 to 375 pastries that will line the glass case up front, each one made to brighten up every customer’s morning.
While the rest of Tucson is drifting to sleep, Miranda is hard at work in the kitchen, crafting conchas, cronuts, brioche doughnuts, Kouign-amanns and cinnamon rolls until the sun comes up.
No one really gets to see Miranda show off all their baking expertise, which is exactly why Caleb Orellana, also known as THE Cal, suggested I come in and watch what a typical shift looks like for their nighttime baker.
I was game, bracing myself for my first-ever graveyard shift.
The world around me was dark and silent when my alarm went off at 10:30 p.m.
When I scrolled through my phone, I thought to myself, “why are people texting me so late at night?!” That’s when I realized, while I’m just waking up, everyone else was probably heading to bed.
I threw on some comfy clothes, made an extra strong iced latte and headed to Cal’s Bakeshop at 2707 E. Broadway. I think the best part of the graveyard shift is the lack of traffic. That was the most chill drive I’ve ever had in Tucson.
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Janneza Miranda is the nighttime baker for Cal's Bakeshop.Â
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