Communication is key at Pane d'Amore

At Pane d’Amore,employees are expected to be vocal in the production process and act as checks on one another. Mistakes are fine, as long as they are caught and corrected before the product goes out to customers.

Frank d'Amore, founder of bread bakery Pane d'Amore, Port Townsend Wash., had to convince his son, baker Gabe d'Amore, that their operation was deserving of special recognition for commitment to quality.

“I had to remind him how he spent his most recent vacation coming in every day to keep an eye on production, check dough temperatures and make sure everything was functioning,” d'Amore says. “Sometimes you don't realize how much goes into something that you love.”

Pane d'Amore opened seven years ago, the realization of Frank d'Amore's dream after more than 20 years as a baker. Even in a town of 8,000 that already had a bakery and a supermarket in-store, his bakery has grown every year. He gives a lot of credit to his staff.

“If you hire a staff of intelligent people, and give them enough of the standard incentives — healthcare, vacation pay — and just treat them right, that makes them care enough to become self-policing,” he says. “It's everyone watching out for everyone else, making sure their partner is holding up their end of the bargain. Everybody here is so committed.”

The most common threat to consistent quality is what d'Amore calls drift. Employees are taught to do something a certain way, but over time, left to their own devices, they drift away from the standard.

“When there's a drift in habits, we need to bring the product back to a predetermined shape, look, flavor. It's not that people are making big mistakes, but they slowly drift away from the standard. It can be monotonous work, so it's understandable,” d'Amore says. “When we see a batard that isn't quite right, or see croissants getting too long, we'll show employees the measurements, and people respond. I drift sometimes too, but we rely on each other to be checks on our work. It takes a committed staff.”

Consistent quality also takes frequent communication. The employees running the ovens have to be on the same page as the person on the mixer, otherwise there's confusion. That's where mistakes happen.

D'Amore doesn't want his employees to be afraid to make mistakes, though. “My policy is that there are too many elements involved in making a dough for it come out perfectly every time or me to blame any one person for it going wrong,” d'Amore says. “The only thing I'll blame someone for would be letting an inferior product go out to be sold. Stuff will go wrong, that's all right, but it can't pass you by. Employees have to catch their mistakes.”

Being open to others' criticism is as important as being your own critic, and d'Amore says he's no exception. As long as he and his employees are willing to hear criticism constructively, the bakery is able to improve and maintain consistent quality. Employees are expected to be vocal, and rely on one another to ensure product quality.

“We never stop working, never stop analyzing our product. Because the way we do everything is hands-on and scratch; we aren't relying on anyone doing any mixing for us, or doughs, or fillings,” says Linda Yarkush, d'Amore's co-owner and partner. “This means we can do things the way we want. As a result, it's a consistent product in an environment where everything around you is inconsistent.”