Once the baseline responsibilities are covered, she pivots to whatever is required that day, whether meeting with a vendor or overseeing the installation of new equipment. Though she’s a meticulous planner — thinking weeks, months and even years in advance — no two days look alike, and that’s how she prefers it.
“I am everywhere all the time,” she said. “I walk between five and 10 miles a day. I make a point not to spend too much time behind my desk, so I am visible to everybody in the bakery.”
Being present on the bakery floor helps to develop important rapport and instill certain best practices among Aladdin staff. Watkinson leans into skills she sharpened during her attorney days, such as arguing every side of an issue to develop a solid plan of action, conducting thorough reviews of potential facility investments and encouraging employees to question everything.
“They know that I’m not leaving any stone unturned, that I’m looking at everything I possibly can,” she said. “I encourage them to debate with me, to bring their point and make their argument. I’m not always right, and I’m okay with that. If you have a better way, tell me why, and maybe that’s the way we’re going.”
Watkinson empowers team members to share their perspectives. Even with diligent preparation and attention to detail throughout her work, she approaches each situation with an open mind and listens to other perspectives before forging ahead. At its core, law is about problem-solving, and it’s this mentality that informs how Watkinson conducts her role within the business.
“There is not a day that I don’t learn something, and I learn it from everyone,” she said. “From sanitation to maintenance to the production line, every person brings something, and I’m a sponge.”
Just as she never entered a courtroom unprepared, Watkinson ensures everyone knows exactly what is going to happen — and they have what they need — before beginning a project on the bakery floor.
“There are so many things that can go wrong, and so many people involved, that there are many opportunities where somebody can just miss something and things can go very sideways,” she said. “I make sure throughout my day to remind everyone, ‘Did you do that? Is this prepared?’”
It’s the culmination of these beliefs and practices that have earned her the respect and trust of even Aladdin’s most tenured employees.
But that impact doesn’t stop with Aladdin. Over the past few years, Watkinson has become an integral part of the baking industry at large. In 2023, she was nominated to the American Society of Baking (ASB) board of directors and currently serves as secretary/treasurer for the 2026-27 term. ASB also opened the door for her to engage further with the industry by volunteering with the Society of Bakery Women (SBW), where she serves on the leadership team as secretary.
Transitioning into baking was easier for her thanks to guidance from ASB and SBW members and key connections made at industry events. Watkinson emphasized the importance of finding a support network and, more specifically, a mentor.
“Find a mentor outside of your organization,” she shared. “Having someone outside of your immediate day-to-day circle is helpful, and you can have multiple mentors for different aspects of business and life.”
Looking ahead, Watkinson intends to lean on her earned business prowess, critical thinking and legal expertise to carry Aladdin into the future, saying “yes” to the myriad opportunities that come her way.
This story has been adapted from the April | Q2 2026 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
