BY AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
As you descend the slope from Porvorim entering Sangolda, stop and take the right, and a few hundred metres away, one nears a signpost that says Breaking Bread with Aaron, which leads you to the story of a lad born in Bombay, but who decided to set up a bakery in Goa.
Aaron Savio D’Souza is no ordinary baker, but one who through his training at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Dadar is trying to keep the essence of baking with a Goan flavour alive and is demonstrating that “the simplicity of bread is exciting.”
“‘Man cannot leave on bread alone’ is an old saying,” recollects Aaron, going on to add that whenever he gets the opportunity – which is often – he goes to a bakery in Goa to eat bread straight out of the oven at 7.30 pm.
“I just sit in the car and relish the katre and the poie. There is nothing like it,” admits Aaron, who is content that his two-year-old enterprise Breaking Bread with Aaron in Sangolda is set to see many, many more monsoons.
Breaking Bread is not just about an array of bread, but a wide choice of confectionaries and a selection of bread stuffing with the Bandra bun standing out.
Nestled in an old Goan house, off Chogm Road in Sangolda, the bread baked is a result of Aaron’s tried and tested methods of baking.
Started by word of mouth and social media in July 2021, Breaking Bread stays open from 9.30 am until 7.30 pm and has a steady stream of customers throughout the day.
“Our clients are mostly local though we have guests from all over India dropping in,” relates Aaron.
“Bakers from Goa are the best in the country. They still use the old techniques of baking. Baking comes naturally with years of practice.
It just gets into the system, and I am happy Goa is one of the few states which have maintained traditional systems of baking,” shares Aaron, whose mother and wife hail from Goa.
“I remember the mangoes kept for ripening, eating karande and boroms, and playing with my cousins all day,” recollects Aaron, as he goes back in time when he and his other ten cousins would regularly visit Goa for their summer holidays.
“Goa was a quiet place then – not a place considered when trying to start a business or work. Things changed through time, and it was in 2000 that the thought of starting something in Goa crossed my mind,” recollects Aaron.
“Goa is a welcoming place for people with new ideas,” he adds.
“The level of gluten determines the quality of bread. I try to keep my products organic. Using toddy instead of yeast is organic. It takes more time to produce through traditional methods, but for anything with quality, one has to be patient with time,” maintains Aaron.
“Bread that is made with time and patience will always taste better,” he says smilingly.
“The climate in Goa is good to make bread. I get the time and space in Goa, which would not be available in Mumbai and other places. The environment for baking in other places is different, and this is one big positive in favour of Goa,” admits Aaron, who has baked in the Gulf and taught baking at IHM for five years.
Japanese cheesecake, which is light and fluffy; lemon tarts that leave you salivating after they are relished; éclairs and toffees; an assortment of croissants; and sausage bread are some products that will make you a regular at Breaking Bread.
“You cannot compare our sausage bread to the ones you get on the roadside. They are special by themselves, and we keep them because they are Goan,” Aaron humbly admits.
If Breaking Bread is tantalising taste buds today, it is also because of Aaron’s simple style of thinking and living.
“I believe everyone needs to have a piece of the pie, and that is why I request my clients to visit other places too, because each place is unique and everyone needs business,” says Aaron generously.
“I feel happy that I have been accepted and am a part of Goa. The feeling of belonging is nice,” he adds.
And it could be this sense of belonging that Aaron experiences that explains the appetite-inducing aroma that wafts out of Breaking Bread with Aaron.
WHERE: Breaking Bread with Aaron – H No 234/1, Off Chogm Road, Sangolda, Near Mahindra showroom
WHEN: Open on all days except Good Friday
TIMINGS: 9.30 am to 7.30 pm
CONTACT: 8530696214/9769954730, Instagram: breakingbread_withaaron