New Italian Bakery is Up and Running!

"Panadero! Panadero! Pandero!"

Excited pequeños wait to welcome the visitors. [1/9]

This chant, which translates to, "Baker! Baker! Baker!" was repeated by our youngest pequeños as they excitedly welcomed Italian bread-maker Marco Randon and his company to the ranch. As their truck pulled into our property, the children, who wore baker hats made of white paper, ran up to hug the European visitors as they stepped out of the vehicle. Our kids were excited, naturally, as they understood that their arrival meant warm, freshly-baked Italian bread would soon be served regularly at Rancho Santa Fe.

NPH Italy (Fondazione Francecsca Rava) recently sent us a large shipping container. Inside of it was something truly special. A complete bakery fully equipped with brand new ovens and appliances. The bakery was delivered and installed alongside our kitchen. While it was put in place and ready to go, we still lacked one crucial component to start operating. We need the proper knowledge to produce tasty Italian bread! It was for this very reason that for one week Marco, who was accompanied by friends Valeria Lenner (NPH Italy), long-time sponsor Babara Giacobbe, and well-known Italian photographer Albertina D'urso, came to NPH Honduras to teach us the tricks of the trade.

For a week and a half, Marco trained ten pequeños in the art of baking. Each day he would show them a new delicate technique, ensuring a delicious product at the end of each day's work. The pequeños quickly learned that they were working with someone who really knows his bread and is truly passionate about baking. "Even on a particularly bad day, when you smell the scent of bread coming from the oven, your day instantly becomes better," says Marco. The best part of this teaching process was certainly the copious amounts of bread that would be given out as samples to those who passed by the bakery throughout the day.

"They came here to teach us how to bake. It was a very fun week where I learned a lot. It has really inspired me to want to learn to make even more types of bread," says 17-year-old Carlos, a pequeño who was one of Marco's pupils during the week of training.

The orientation hit its pinnacle at the bakery's inauguration. The entire ranch attended as National Director Stefan Feuerstein enthusiastically announced the functionality of our new bakery. The ribbon was cut and everyone ran in line to receive their mouthwatering ration of focaccia bread.

At the end of the week, the children were sad to see the Italians leave, but happy and very thankful that they left behind their expertise of this useful and truly delicious trade. Since the Italian's visit, those pequenos who have been taught by Marco have begun to bake bread on their own during the weekends. Judging by the quality of bread they are producing, it's obvious that they must have listened well. Next year, the children who have the most interest and skill in baking will use their year of service to bake bread full-time. This also means continuing to provide everyone at NPH Honduras with a delicious, warm slice of Italy every day.

Hunter Johnson   
Communications Officer - NPH Honduras

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