![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.macrinabakery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_8909-958x1024.jpg\")
Bay Phan<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Bay Phan joined Macrina in 2009, shortly after arriving in Seattle from Vietnam. Her friend, Phuong Hoang Bui, our head baker, encouraged her to apply. She began in the wholesale pastry department and proved herself to be a quick learner and a hard worker. Nearly nine years later she\u2019s become one of our leaders in the tight-knit group.<\/p>\n
Speaking through a translator, Bay says, \u201cThere are about 20 of us, and most speak Vietnamese. We work together like a family. They know everything about me, me about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBay is one hard worker,\u201d says Tramy Le, the manager of the wholesale pastry team. \u201cShe\u2019s very nice to everyone at Macrina and I am so happy to work with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2016, Macrina\u2019s wholesale pastry production moved from behind the Sodo caf\u00e9 to a much larger facility in Kent. Bay says, \u201cWe were getting way too crowded there. Here we have the space we need to spread out. It\u2019s much more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
With growth comes new challenges, one of which is navigating the new food safety regulations. \u201cLearning all the new rules is probably my biggest challenge, but it\u2019s necessary,\u201d Bay says. \u201cBut as I get used to them and all the new records I have to keep, it is getting easier. It\u2019s a good thing!\u201d<\/p>\n
Training new employees who don\u2019t speak English is another challenge for her. \u201cTeaching employees who can\u2019t read the recipe takes some time, but if they\u2019re determined to learn and listen carefully, it\u2019s rewarding. I always remember that I was like that when I started here. Once the new employee masters one pastry, we can move to the next. They become part of our family. I\u2019m so grateful to Scott and Leslie for welcoming so many from the Vietnamese refugee community.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Bay lives in the Sea-Tac neighborhood with her husband and two children. Her son attends the University of Washington, and her daughter is a registered nurse working at St. Francis in Federal Way. Beyond spending time with her family, two of Bay\u2019s great pleasures are going for walks and runs in local parks and cooking. Pho is her favorite dish. She hasn\u2019t taken to the many other ethnic foods available in the Seattle area. \u201cI love Vietnamese food. The only non-Vietnamese restaurant I\u2019ve found that I like is called Mongolian Hot Pot. The food tastes really good,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Next year her daughter is getting married. The wedding planning is already underway. \u201cMy daughter is looking for an American restaurant for the wedding,\u201d Bay says laughing. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want an Asian restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n Bay has returned to visit her mother and four siblings in Vietnam twice since she moved to Seattle. She says, \u201cIt\u2019s a long trip. Twenty hours.\u201d She hasn\u2019t explored Washington State much, but when her daughter was in nursing school in Yakima she visited a few times. She says, \u201cI love the farms over there. I would like to explore more in that area.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since opening in 1993, many amazing people have helped to make Macrina what it is today. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we are spotlighting a few key employees. Each represents an essential part of Macrina. Bay Phan is an … Continue reading