Morning Routines at Tres Market

The older I get, the more I believe that morning routines can set the tone for a person's day.  Does anyone really enjoy waking up late and starting the next 24 hours trying to make up time?

There's a lot to be said for cultures in which the early morning is set aside for meditation or prayer or just quiet time when you gather your thoughts and mentally get your day in order.

Of course that's not possible for everyone.  All families surely go through that phase when, day after day, you literally dump children out of the carpool in front of school.  As you drive off you catch a glimpse of their stunned little faces in your rear view mirror.  You're wondering if they'll figure out they have to turn around and walk into the building as another parent honks at you and gives you a dirty look cause its her turn to dump her stunned kid.  Or you run out the front door in your ugly pajamas begging the bus driver to wait one more second because you found your forgetful child's math book sitting under the cereal box he was reading while he ate breakfast.  As you hand it to the kind bus driver, a gluey glob of wet "fortified deliciousness"  finds its way into driver's hand, along with the book.  You mutter sorry and remind yourself to pick up a little Christmas gift for said driver. Sheepishly making your way back up the driveway you realize your pajamas are actually quite see-thru in natural light.

But life gets easier.  So do mornings.  They've become my favorite time of day.  I think a person's senses are more fine-tuned early in the day.  And the combination of light and smell never fails to escalate my mood when I get to the store early.

Our first shift starts at about 7:00-7:15a.m.  That's when the daily baking starts.

Parker House, whole wheat, and cinnamon rolls that were prepped the night before,  have been proofing overnight in the walk in cooler.  Samantha, part of our high school internship program, is in charge of not only baking and buttering them, but determining how many cookies to make.   No matter how many she does, it's never enough - we always run out.  Clever customers, usually men, suggest we bake more (as if that thought never crossed our minds). But oven space is limited and there some people who want real food.

But back to the baking.

Aroma therapy is free at Tres Market.  Early morning customers can't help but have their mood lifted when they smell the combination of butter, sugar, and cinnamon.  Throw in some chocolate and pecans and they become downright happy!  How can you not love a job that does that to people?  As the next shift trickles in, the new day starts with a recap of everyone's evening and their plans for today.  Good moods pretty much permeate the place right now.  I think it's the butter.

Julie