Baker's Assistant — Matilda's (Santa Monica)

Part of the morning crew · Wed–Sun, 3:00am–11:30am · $20/hr + tips

About Matilda's

Matilda's is an artisan bakery and café in Santa Monica. We bake baguettes, croissants, brioche and viennoiserie every morning in a fully open kitchen — guests watch the bread come out of the oven while they order. We mill-source our grain, make our own almond milk, and serve coffee in partnership with Caffe Luxxe. We're a small, tight team that opened in August 2026, and we care a lot about doing simple things very well.

The role

You'll work alongside our production lead and morning pastry baker to get the day's bread and pastry out on time, every day. This is a hands-on production role: you'll be shaping, loading ovens, assembling pastries and building sandwiches before the doors open at 7am, then keeping the case stocked through the morning rush.

What you'll do

• Bread shaping — pre-shape and shape baguettes to our spec; help manage proof timing
• Bread bake — load and unload deck ovens, score, steam, and check for consistent color and crust
• Pastry bake — assemble and finish viennoiserie (egg wash, fillings, garnish), tray up for proof and bake, and run bakes on schedule
• Sandwiches — build the day's sandwiches and tartines to recipe, cleanly and quickly
• Service support — keep the case and bread wall stocked, rotate product, and flag what's running low
• Station care — keep your station, sheeter, trays and tools clean and organized; follow food-safety and allergen practices
• Close out — help break down production, record what was made and what's left, and set up for the next day

What we're looking for

• At least 1 year of experience in a bakery or pastry production kitchen
• Comfortable shaping bread by hand and working around hot deck ovens
• Reliable, punctual, and genuinely fine with a 3am start — this shift isn't for everyone, and that's okay
• Works clean, moves with urgency, and pays attention to detail (consistency matters more than speed)
• Can lift 50 lb flour bags and stand for the full shift
• Takes direction well and communicates clearly with the team
• California Food Handler card (or willing to get one within 30 days of hire)
• Bonus: experience with laminated dough or French-style bread; Spanish or French language skills

Schedule & pay

• Days: Wednesday through Sunday (off Monday and Tuesday)
• Hours: 3:00am – 11:30am (8.5 hours, with a meal break)
• Pay: $20/hour plus a share of tips
• Free bread and pastry, staff meal on shift, and coffee — obviously

How to apply

Send us a short note about yourself and your bakery experience (a resume is great, but not required) or drop by Matilda's any morning after 10am and ask for François.

Matilda's is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.