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<\/p>\nSince I opened Macrina in 1993, so many amazing people have helped make the bakery what it is today. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we are spotlighting a few key employees. Each fills an essential role at Macrina.<\/i><\/p>\n
When I interviewed Rebecca Gutierrez I had a hunch she would be one of our best. She had recently graduated from pastry school and was eager to learn more. She trained with one of our finest pastry chefs, Jane Cho, who is now our production manager. Rebecca has become a first-rate pastry chef. Not only does she head the pastry team at our Belltown Caf\u00e9, but she also does all our specialty cakes. We\u2019re lucky to have her.<\/i><\/p>\n
Leslie<\/i><\/p>\n
Rebecca Gutierrez, Pastry Lead, Belltown<\/b><\/p>\n
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Nothing beats a pastry still warm from the oven, or the smell of fresh baked goods that permeates the caf\u00e9. Our caf\u00e9s in Belltown, Queen Anne, and Sodo each have a team of pastry chefs preparing baked goods specifically for that caf\u00e9. Rebecca Gutierrez is not only one of our most talented pastry chefs, but she has also become a great teacher of the craft.<\/p>\n
She grew up in Bellevue and went to pastry school at South Seattle College. After a short stint at a small wedding cake company, she discovered Macrina. Over the last seven years, she\u2019s worked at all of our caf\u00e9s at one time or another. If you\u2019ve ordered a custom cake from us, chances are she made it. She also helps develop new products for our pastry case.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I interviewed for the job, I was impressed with how cool and down to earth and nice Leslie was,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cIf I didn\u2019t already know, I never would have guessed she was the founder. Since the first day, I\u2019ve liked Macrina a lot. The people are the main reason. I\u2019ve made a lot of friends and management takes really good care of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erica Olsen, Macrina\u2019s head pastry chef and Rebecca\u2019s supervisor, says, \u201cRebecca is one of the hardest working people I know. She\u2019s a phenomenal mentor. I enjoy working with her not just to witness her mad skills, but because time goes by so quickly when you\u2019re working with her because she\u2019s super funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because the pastries must be ready when the caf\u00e9 opens, the morning pastry shift starts early. Rebecca often arrives at 4:30 a.m. She enjoys the relative calm in the kitchen before the caf\u00e9 staff shows up. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty fun way to start the day,\u201d she says. Working when others are sleeping means that sometimes you\u2019re sleeping when they\u2019re still playing. \u201cI\u2019ve had to say no to things my friends invited me to do, but they understand. They know my job comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n
But starting early means getting off early. And Rebecca lives near Discovery Park where she loves to go running with her dog while most others are still working. If the weather is beautiful, she likes to take an adventurous hike.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rebecca is also very close to her family and her Mexican heritage. Her parents were raised in Eastern Washington. \u201cMy parents are both one of eight, so I have a ton of family,\u201d she says. \u201cFamily is super important to me.\u201d Both sets of grandparents came to Washington State as migrant farmers. Her mom and dad, born in Arizona and Texas respectively, grew up in the nearby towns of Sunnyside and Prosser. They met at Yakima Valley Community College. About the time Rebecca was born, her family moved to Bellevue.<\/p>\n She sees her parents at least once a week and often her brother and sisters are around, too. \u201cThere\u2019s always something going on,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cMy nephew will have a recital, or one of my nieces will have something.\u201d The family also gathers for Seahawks games. \u201cI\u2019m not really into sports, but I go for the food and to see everyone. My mom is a great cook.\u201d<\/p>\n And her family looks out for her. Burns are not uncommon in a kitchen with so many hot things, and Rebecca has gathered her share over the years. \u201cOne of my sisters does makeup,\u201d Rebecca says. \u201cShe jokes that if I ever get married, she\u2019s going to have to do my arms to cover up all the scars.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Humor is an essential part of her family life, and likely where she picked up her great sense of humor. \u201cThey joke around a lot. They\u2019ve started picking on my boyfriend when he joins me, good-naturedly of course. That\u2019s how you know you\u2019re in. They must like him because it didn\u2019t take too long.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since I opened Macrina in 1993, so many amazing people have helped make the bakery what it is today. In honor of our 25th anniversary, we are spotlighting a few key employees. Each fills an essential role at Macrina. When … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.macrinabakery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/RebeccaG.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRebecca with her sisters and her dog<\/em><\/h3>\n