We are now hiring Prep and Line Cooks.  If you thrive in a fast-paced, high-energy environment, we have the opportunity that you’ve been looking for!

Our Café Team Members prepare delicious soups, salads and sandwiches that meet Deerfields high standards of quality while providing our customers with fast, friendly service.

If you have:

-Experience in a similar position or proficiency in a similar task

-Incredible customer service skills

-Ability to maintain brand processes and procedures

-Ability to work as a part of a team

You are just what we are looking for!

Come in and interview with Chef Sal at our Buffalo Grove Location.

We are a team of dedicated people who have fun providing exceptional customer service.  If you are looking to put your creativity and people skills to use, this is the place for you.

Celebrations are the heart of our business!  We are seeking passionate people who share our commitment of delighting our guests with incredibly delicious and imaginative foods.

This position is responsible for delivering remarkable customer service by providing our customers with product knowledge, great service and a friendly attitude.

Come join us!

The safety of our customers and our team members is at the top of my list of priorities. Over the last 15 years, I  did not have the confidence that our team could ensure, 100 percent without a doubt, that no one would find a peanut, peanut oil or residue in their peanut free product until today. The relationship with our customers is that important that we would rather turn away business and opportunities than to risk harming anyone and their health.

Today, I’m pleased to say with 100% certainty that we have a wonderful peanut free product category. Each of the peanut free products are made and packaged in a peanut free kitchen to ensure allergen segregation. Deerfields Bakery Speciality Products Manager, Julie Tuizer, is in charge of our peanut free product line, along with gluten free, sugar free, and many other healthy product categories to come. Julie has a Masters in Food Nutrition and a Graduate degree in Baking & Pastry Arts. Rest assured that she’s got you covered!

From cookies, cupcakes, and coffeecakes, to breads, pie crusts, and brownies, Deerfields Bakery Peanut Free products are the best out there. Don’t believe me? Give them a try, call or email me if you disagree

Enjoy, Tim Schmitt

Spring Flours 2012 with MBriand from For Crying Out Loud Entertainm on Vimeo.

To learn more about the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, click below. http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/who-we-are

With the Jewish holiday of Purim starting at sundown Wednesday, people celebrating the holiday will be rushing to buy the traditional triangular pastry eaten for the festivities and Patch wants them to know where to go.

Of the 18 votes cast, 17 people chose Deerfields with one preferring the Z Best brand at Jewel.

For those who want to sample the Hamantaschen at Whole Foods they can do that Wednesday to get them fresh just before the holiday starts. At Deerfields they are fresh each day.

http://deerfield.patch.com/articles/best-of-patch-deerfields-bakery-wins-for-best-hamantaschen

Deerfields Bakery in Deerfield, IL is looking for a rock solid Retail Store Manager with lots of relevant experience in retail management on the North Shore.
www.deerfieldsbakery.com

Our Core Purpose: We believe in celebrating all that life has to offer. We believe that every moment, whether your child’s first birthday or getting together with an old friend over coffee, deserves the very best.

If you can’t ask “YES” to all these questions then DO NOT reply to this post:
1) You have at least 3 years managing a retail store on or near the North Shore. In other words, you know how to manage people and you understand the clientele.
2) You must be available to work weekends and holidays.
3) You consider yourself an A-Player and can stand on your feet most of the day. This is a demanding, but rewarding job.
4) You are eligible to work in the US legally
5) You are okay with Background, Reference and Criminal checks.
6) You have included your resume and answered this specific question in your email – “Why do you want to be part of the Deerfields Bakery Team?” That way we know you’ve read this posting and aren’t just replying to every job out there. If you don’t include a resume and answer that question, we won’t bother reading your reply.

“Brownie” Points for the following:
1) You have worked at and preferably managed a Panera, Corner Bakery, Au Bon Pain, Cosi, a retail bakery, or equivalent retail food establishment.
2) You have amazing People Skills and very friendly personality.
3) Watch our Company History Video on youtube and explain how it inspires you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHasiCwTpDM
4) You handle stressful situations well. Be prepared to interview 4+ times for this position.
5) Mention part of our published Mission Statement and how you are the best candidate to support our Mission. Don’t know our Mission Statement – be resourceful and find it!

Pay and Benefits:
1) Attractive Salary with Benefits
2) Affordable Health, Dental, Vision
3) 2 Weeks PTO
4) Performance Bonus eligible.
5) Employee Discount on products

More job details are below. Read this section – it’s important.

PURPOSE OF POSITION
To ensure the store runs in an efficient and proper manner, with emphasis on customer service.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Perform opening and closing store procedures
Handle register and banking transactions
Write a weekly schedule adhering to upper management requirements
Inventory and order store supplies
Ensure product freshness
Merchandise seasonal products and displays
Handle customer complaints
Ensure cleanliness and organization of store, filing and storage systems
Maintain awareness of activity on floor
Mediate employee disputes
Ensure teamwork with other departments
Interact with Repair and Maintenance Department
Enforce company policies
Enforce state and federal employment laws
Enforce safety, security and sanitation guidelines
Maintain efficient labor percentage
Assist satellite retail stores as needed
Perform related duties as assigned by upper management

JOB REQUIREMENTS
Knowledge of product and ability to take customer orders
Ability to write a weekly schedule adhering to upper management requirements
Knowledge of product merchandising
Knowledge of customer service methodology
Ability to read, write, spell and do simple math
Ability to work weekends and holidays, and extra hours as needed
Ability to train new customer service representatives

QUALIFICATIONS
Experience in retail customer service
Knowledge of computers and registers
Ability to delegate tasks and work well with others
Organizational skills
Sanitation certificate preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Walking, standing, bending, lifting and carrying products and supplies
Exposure to various temperature changes and work environments

I’m sharing my wife’s family Stuffing recipe. It’s very simple and traditional, but extremely delicious. Just like it should be Enjoy – Tim Schmitt

Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 12 cups of stuffing cubs or one 12oz bag of Deerfields Artisan Stuffing Cubes
• 3/4 cup onion diced
• 1-1/2 cups of celery diced
• Chicken stock or broth
• 1 1/2 sticks of butter (melted)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. This recipe calls for a 12lb turkey. Adjust up or down as necessary
2. If using your own bread crumbs, add spices to season to taste. Our Artisan Stuffing Cubes are lightly seasoned with onion powder, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Place stuffing cubes in large mixing bowl.
4. Add diced onion and celery
5. Add Chicken stock or broth until moist, but not soupy. This can be adjusted to preference and taste. Remember, you can always add more.
6. Incorporate melted butter
7. Salt, pepper, and season to taste (Deerfields Artisan Stuffing Cubes are already lightly seasoned) Remember, you can always add more.
8. Stuff your turkey
9. Bake any extra stuffing in a greased baking dish, cover with foil.
10. Cook turkey as required.
11. Bake extra stuffing for 35 mins with turkey. Note – stuffing in a baking dish will not require as much time as stuffing in the turkey – don’t over bake your stuffing.
12. Enjoy

Saturday, November 26th is the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday®, a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. Before joining my family’s business in 2006, I don’t think I had a full appreciation of what small businesses do for our local economies. They truly are the economic engines that help fuel this wonderful country that we all love so much. For example, when you purchase cookies at our bakery, you directly help provide jobs for our local communities. Deerfields Bakery employees turn around and spend money at your local restaurants, hair salons, and grocery stores, where those employees receive paychecks and do the same. All the while paying local, state and federal taxes.

Purchase any $20 or more Deerfields Gift Card on Saturday, 11/26 and receive an additional $5 Gift Card as a Thank You for Shopping Small. Limit One Per Guest.

Where it really gets exciting is when you consider the indirect affects of your local small business support. In the case of purchasing buttercookies from Deerfields, you are supporting local dairy distributors and farmers where we buy milk and butter. You are supporting U.S. sugar and wheat growers. The Deerfields box that most of our products are packaged in is manufactured by a local family owned business that employes hundreds of people, who help stimulate their local economies. The process and economic affects are profound.

I have to admit, my wife Paula and I, have a Costco membership, we’ve shopped at Target, TJ Maxx, Home Depot, etc. It’s kind of addictive right – all the great deals, coupons, and selection? I’m not saying this is a universal truth, but when you look at what you are supporting as a consumer, it’s concerning. While you do support and help provide much needed jobs at those stores, the indirect affects are less. Much of the products sold by those stores are imported for other countries. So we are helping local communities, just not OUR local communities.

Paula and I recently bought a house in Evanston, IL and we love our neighborhood. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but we like to frequent a little bakery on Noyes St. called Freiche Bakery. They make great quiche, sandwiches, scones, and other items. Two doors down is the Mandarin House, where a husband and wife put out some of the best Korean and Chinese food in Chicago.  And on the same side of the street, is D&D’s Finer Foods, our favorite little gourmet grocery/convenient store. Owned by a greek family and run by their 35 year old son, I can relate a lot to them. Throughout the summer months we look forward to the Evanston Outdoor Farmer’s Market, where farmers like Susan and her husband of, Kinnikinnick Farm, come to sell their amazing vegetables, including their famous Baby Arugula. We also painted our new house this year and bought paint through our local paint shop, EPCO Paint and Decorating Center. These are all great little businesses and without them Evanston wouldn’t be the town where we hope to raise a family one day. Without Evanston, Chicago wouldn’t be the same, and without Chicago … you get the picture.

In Deerfield, where I grew up right behind the Deerfield store, I learned that two new Italian restaurants opened up recently – Rosebuds and Biache (sp?). While I know these are nice restaurants, don’t forgot about Deerfield’s long time italian favorite, Italian Kitchen, owned and operated by the Sciarretta Family. Their Mother still makes the homemade Tortellaccis. To Die For!

So come out and support your local businesses and communities starting Saturday, 11/26 for Small Business Saturday. Learn more at http://smallbusinesssaturday.com/

Here’s to shopping small this Holiday season,

Tim Schmitt, Deerfields Bakery