Zack Teska wasn't always a morning person.
"I've trained myself to be," says Teska during an early-morning Saturday shift in the bakery at Southern Hills Hy-Vee, where he's toiled as manager the past decade.
Hy-Vee Bakery opens at 6 a.m. daily. That's a bit misleading, though, as someone is in the bakery as early as 2:30 a.m.
In years past, that's been Teska. It can happen occasionally these days, too.
"I've worked every shift," he says. "And, as a manager, you're used to getting calls or texts and maybe coming in to help."
What's it like working by 3 a.m.? It's quiet, Teska says. But, not silent.
"You'd be surprised," he says, nodding his head in the direction of the nearest grocery aisle. "There are people getting their groceries at any hour. There are people in Hy-Vee at that time filling their shopping carts."
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The 3 a.m. time slot often has a bakery employee preparing donuts and icing donuts. Dozens upon dozens of fresh donuts must be ready as customers begin showing up en masse to start their day. There are more than a few regular coffee drinkers who report to the bakery for a donut purchase well before 5 a.m.
Their satisfaction drives the bakery staff to perform well and perform early.
"The first thing people in the morning might get is a donut from here," says Teska, a 14-year Hy-Vee veteran. "You want them to be satisfied with it. Our donuts are made fresh that morning."
There are also schools and businesses who call in donut and bakery orders for special occasions in the classroom or at the office. Those orders often must be met before 8 a.m. Therefore, it's often on the shoulders of the earliest of the bakery's early birds.
The 3-11 a.m. shift was a welcome one for Teska, even though he wasn't – are rarely has been – a self-described "morning person."
"I trained myself to be a morning person," he says.
That training came early. Teska, a Sioux City native, recalls his first paid job. It came in the summers when he was 11, 12 and 13 years old. He detasseled corn. He caught the work bus at 5 a.m. to do so.
When he and wife, Hillary, began having children a decade ago, Teska kept his family in focus when he wasn’t on the clock at Hy-Vee.
"When I worked 3 to 11 a.m., after I got off work, I'd enjoy the day and enjoy being with the kids," he says. "I would not go to bed until 9 p.m."
He would then rise shortly after 2 a.m., having gotten a full five hours of sleep. He says working in the wee hours can be rewarding as a staff member can get much done at that time.
"You don't have a lot of interruptions," he says. "The bakery is really closed then, but we will help customers if they need something."
The bakery officially opens at 6 o'clock and remains open until 8 p.m. That's when the lights go down and the last staff member cleans everything in advance for the next morning.
Which often starts just six hours later.
