Public Commons

Part of Bake Ovens

Report about 2012 from Park Manager Sandy Straw

The bake oven is used:
Weekly June – October as part of the Market on 16 dates
Weekly for summer camps average 2 days a week July & August – 18 sessions 4 single events
2 partnership activities with Grain Farmers of Ontario and Top Chef
4 family events
3 training sessions
Total sessions 31

Staffing: four staff are trained on the operation of the oven.

We use staff/s that have been trained in the operation of the oven. We also used staff/s that have been scheduled to be at work for other assignments. They can perform a series of duties while the oven is in operation. (Cost saving)

This allows us to be in full policy compliance having a staff member in the oven area at all times during its operation. Staff monitor the oven and they may perform other duties while there…the following duties in the oven area:

• Food prep for kitchen (peel eggs, mix cookie batter, spoon batter on to trays, prepare pans
• Offer up samples of herbal teas, using herbs from garden
• Admin tasks - logging hours, responding to email and phone inquiries, program planning, work order requests, customer service tasks, giving info and directions
• demonstrate how oven works, generate discussion with public
• prepare for market activities

The oven is never left unattended.

When we make bread staff is doing an interpretive piece for the public as part of our activities.

Average day oven is used for 8.5 hours ( depends on what is being made) Staff multitask doing other duties while at the oven site, using picnic tables for a demo, or presentation , just info sharing. For example...Camp Co-ordinator would do her admin tasks while watching oven.   There were  approx 16 dates where staff came in specifically to bake bread as part of a demo for public, and the goods were sold either in Market or in kitchen in Simpson House or samples were given out to visitors to the farm.   Groups would be given cream in container and the children would be shown how to shake cream to 'Churn" into butter.

This was done as an interpretive experience for the farm. Staff was paid $ 12.30 per hour. Costs were already part of our summer budget, just better use of facility.

Any permit where the oven was used, the staff costs were covered as part of the permit, did not come out of the operating budget.   NOTE: Ovens use is not permitted when a smog alert has been declared, when wind speed exceeds 25 kilometres per hour, or when rain or fog is present or weather conditions prevent the ready dispersion of smoke. There were 11 rain dates on market day last summer.