A Good Friday plea by a Dubai bakery facing a tall order to sell 1,000 hot cross buns and snacks after church services were cancelled was answered by community-spirited residents hungry to help out.
The family-run Golden Chariot confectionery and catering company, based in Karama, was left with large quantities of food destined for a place of worship which closed its doors as a precautionary measure, owing to the Iran war.
Churches in Dubai will be closed to the public until further notice, with only limited mass services being available to watch online over the traditionally busy Easter period.
“The community has been absolutely wonderful. It was overwhelming, in three-four hours we were all sold out and had to tell people there was no food left,” said Anna Rodrigues, who manages the 20-year-old firm with her parents.
“People we didn’t know called and said they heard about our big order cancelled and wanted to help. From 7am to 11am it was non-stop calls. What started as a worrying day ended up with us smiling, running around making deliveries all over Dubai. In our time of need, people came forward and helped us.”
‘What to do with so many buns’
The Golden Chariot confectionery and catering company supplies food to companies, schools and churches.
The bakery also stocks a popular kiosk at a Jebel Ali church. A large church order was cancelled when authorities shut down houses of worship on Friday in Dubai as a security measure.
Staff had worked for hours to bake the huge haul of spiced cinnamon buns, mini cheese pizzas, mushroom pies, cheese canapés and fresh fruit tarts for parishioners to savour after the Good Friday service.
“We were due to leave at 5am to deliver at the church kiosk. Yes, we understood that the cancellation was for our safety. But what do we do with all the buns and food?” said Ms Rodrigues, 31, who sent out a WhatsApp message to a group of friends.
In the note that read: ‘Distress bake sale, urgent help,’ with photos of mini cheesy pizzas, triangular crusty puffs and fluffy buns, Ms Rodrigues explained the bakery’s predicament.
Companies, charity groups, families, labour accommodation centres promptly called in to order.
“We had orders for 10 pieces and also orders for 100 pizza slices. It started with one message and just blew up when people started forwarding it,” she said during a break from a delivery run. “People bought for their security guards, for their family. We have been behind the wheel all day on deliveries. We feel blessed and grateful.”
Tough month
The small bakery opened in 2006 by the Rodrigues family has a steady stream of regular customers from nearby neighbourhoods.
Work has slowed down since Iran began its deadly attack on February 28, launching missiles and drones at the UAE. Since the bakery caters for special occasions, it has felt the impact of people staying indoors.
“It’s been a terrible month for us as people are mainly working from home. Orders we get from corporates, for birthday parties celebrated in offices, bakery snacks for school canteens – all that has stopped,” Ms Rodrigues said.
“We were hoping for some redemption at the Good Friday church service because that is our community. My family and I get behind the counter at church, we are known as the family that runs the church canteen. Today, everything changed for us – what started out as an unfortunate day turned into a successful day. A new community came forward and gave us strength.”
Meena Dhanani, a hypnotherapist in Jumeirah, was among those who called in to order. The Dubai resident bought 350 pieces of cinnamon buns, cheese croissants and pizzas that she will distribute on Friday evening to taxi drivers, housemaids, gardeners and delivery riders in her neighbourhood.
“When I saw the message, I thought how can we help. I had never heard of the bakery but I trusted it would be freshly baked,” said Ms Dhanani, who regularly distributes food to people in need. “I didn’t want the food to go to waste. We can share this with so many people who will be so happy.”
