Happiness is a warm loaf

 

By Blair Zheng Chenlei

“Happiness is a warm loaf. Bread isn't just good for the body, it also nourishes the soul,” Jiny Reddy, a freelance writer, once wrote in her article.

 

Walls in azure, banner in white, the bakery from “Élysée” is a taste of heaven. The aroma of freshly-baked bread surrounds the street, leading you to the little shop, and have a bite of its bakery.

 

“We have enjoyed a lovely pain au chocolate and a peach Danish with custard filling,” said Brad, a tourist from Hong Kong. “The pain au chocolate in particular is light, layered, flaky crust and just perfect. The Danish is a little heavy but tastes very good as well.”

 

Élysée Bakery, the first French style bakery in Macao, is located on Rua De Pedro Coutinho, just passing Ave. Horta e Costa. It offers a selection of French style breads, pastries and desserts.

 

Why Élysée?

 

"Élysée", in Greek mythology, is a place where the souls of the saints and heroes live. It is also the name of the world’s most beautiful avenue - Avenue des Champs-Élysées in the French capital, Paris.

 

The bakery called itself "Élysée Bakery" and the reason is that, when Charles Fauchet, one of its shareholders came back to Macao, after immigrating to France in his childhood, he realized that there wasn’t   any authentic French bakery in Macao, this multicultural city. Therefore, he decided to establish a bakery called “Élysée Bakery”, hoping to promote the beauty of traditional French food to Macao people.

 

Baking with happiness

 

Baking French bread is always about "soft fire makes sweet malt". There are fairly strict rules for both kneading and doughing. The bakery is perhaps one of the most iconic cultures in France, especially in Paris. Professional bakers are socially respected in France, who are considered highly skillful and bake with passion as well as creativity.

 

“In order to provide customers with fresh breakfast, I usually start working at 6am in the morning. Of course it’s a bit tiring,” said Steven Bengoa, the baker in the shop, “but still I’m quite enjoying it, especially when I see the satisfactory look on customers’ faces. I feel it’s all worth it.”

 

Love with the first bite

 

“The croissants from the bakery are melt-in-your-mouth delicious,” said a tourist from Singapore, “some of which contain fruits and are simply heavenly. The warmth, the softness, the sweetness, all of these elements have made up the joyful feeling when tasting the bread.”

 

Like it is said, the satisfaction that comes from food is a kind of happiness. Imagine in a cold winter, you just got  off from work, feeling exhausted with empty stomach. You were so hungry that you went straight to a bakery and grabbed a freshly-baked bread. You were pleased by the taste temperature in your mouth, yeasty, warming, and as fragrant as a mother's love.

 

From that point food isn’t just something we need but something we enjoy. So don't treat bread simply as something that feeds your body but try to enjoy it with a grateful heart, when you eat bread next time.