We recently connected with Crystal White and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Crystal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

Our mission statement at Wayfarer is “Quality over Convenience” and we use those three words to make all of our decisions, big and small. Quality applies to not only the nature of our product, but also the ingredients we use, the quality of life of our staff, and the quality of my own life as well. I hope my legacy will be living up to this standard, without compromise. I believe that its OK to intentionally stay small and keep quality as the focus of your business, above all things. Many opportunities come along during the course of a business: opportunities to grow, to increase profitability, to simplify and streamline your operation- having a statement to guide you through these decisions helps keep you on track with the core intentions of your endeavor.

Crystal, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the owner and head baker of Wayfarer Bread & Pastry in the Bird Rock neighborhood of San Diego. Wayfarer is best known for our croissants and breads, all of which are made by hand, by highly skilled craftspeople, using the highest quality organic ingredients and the best local produce we can find. We love working with local farmers and purveyors, and are deeply committed to growing our community.

I grew up in the Napa Valley surrounded by great food and excellent hospitality, and quickly found my calling as a baker. I’ve wanted to open a bakery by the beach since I was 11, and after honing my skills through many of California’s most beloved bakeries for the past 15 years, I chose to settle in San Diego and open my own.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started my bakery, I already had extensive experience in the restaurant industry. I worked my way up from the bottom and had held positions such as prep cook, line cook, pastry cook, baker, busser, server, etc. In each and every one of those positions, when things get hard, you just work harder until you’re out of the weeds. Working harder, faster and longer had solved every problem I had encountered in the industry up until the time when I opened my own business. So of course, when we experienced early success and were busier than we could handle, I put my head down and worked harder. And harder. I was sleeping less than 4 hours most days, I was the first one in and the last one out. I had no days off and sacrificed myself relentlessly for the bakery, and then began to hate the bakery because of it. I was very unpleasant to work with and my incessant stress seeped into the company culture and made my very hardworking crew stressed and unhappy as well.

During brief moments of clarity I knew working at this pace was unsustainable, and yet we were so busy there wasn’t time to actually take any action or think about it long enough to make changes. And then the pandemic hit. And we, like many others, went from the busiest we had ever been to closed inside of a couple days. And above the fear, uncertainty and dread, I felt one emotion over all others: immense relief. For the first time in nearly two years I turned off all the equipment, all the lights, locked the door and went home to sleep for a week straight. We were closed for six weeks, and I had an opportunity not many small business owners get: to rewrite our infrastructure from the ground up and make a better, more sustainable business plan.

The lesson I learned that came to me slowly but surely was that the health of your business starts from the top: with you. If you are unhappy, your company culture will be too. If you are struggling and on the brink of madness, your company will be too! Like they tell you on an airplane, you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you put it on your dependents: this too is true in business. It felt selfish to take days off and work less hours, to not be the first in and last out. The guilt was incredible. But once I started prioritizing my own work/life balance, I noticed a huge change in the workplace. My crew was happy, and they felt like they were allowed to enjoy work and work/life balance as well. Turnover went down, production went up, and everything got a whole lot easier, and a lot more sustainable. It was humbling to realize how much the example you set as a manager and business owner influences those around you. Its a valuable lesson that I wish I’d known when I started, and one I’ll never forget.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We had a clear, concise vision when we started, and we stuck with it. We prioritize quality, and we have consistently done so. We make everything by hand, and we bake everything on-site so we can sell it fresh and piping hot. When product does not meet our standards, we do not serve it, as hard of a decision as that can be some days. Between my manager and I, we are constantly tasting and testing all products that are made to make sure they are in line with our goals as a company. Consistency is hard to achieve with something that fluctuates as much as natural fermentation and hand-made production, but our staff is dedicated to upholding these standards and creating the very best product they can.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wayfarerbread.com
• Instagram: @wayfarer_bread

Image Credits
Photos 1,2 and 3 I took myself. Photos 4 & 5 were taken by Oriana Poindexter Photo 6 was taken by Lucianna McIntosh Photo 7 was taken by me