The Bread Mobile - a yummy Saturday fixture.
By Pauline Stewart.
There’s cranberry walnut, seeded, classic, and in addition, there’s baguettes. Yes, it’s the language of bread and the word Sourdough goes on the end of each of the descriptions.
This is what was for sale that particular Saturday morning and the favourite. That day was Classic Sourdough. When The Informer arrived, the baguettes had already been sold. The rest of the loaves adorned the shelves of this small, but very functional and aromatic, curb side mobile store.
Every Saturday morning, from 9.30am in Albert Street, Whitianga, just along from ‘Curry and Coffee’ and almost opposite iSite, Lihi Shaky sets up her mobile food trailer. Lihi is the Bread Mobile of Whitianga and has been doing this for three years.
Asking about her unusual name, she says, “I come from Israel, but I learned all about bread here in New Zealand, not in Israel. Sometimes I do bake things from my own culture such as special pastries, but I have developed my own recipes here in New Zealand. My source has been learning form books and online as well as lots of experimentation,” she smiles.
Lihi says she has adjusted the recipes to be more in line with her commitment to whole ingredients. “My priority is to use sustainable flour, but to purchase 100% organic flour is simply too expensive. However, there is a very good company in Australia that has excellent quality flour - all the seeds are organic, and from whatever perspective you look at it,” says Lihi, “It’s important to stick to good ingredients.” That’s what she does, and the reward is that there ar lots of local customers who regularly buy her bread. “That is the reward for quality I think,” says Lihi.
“Supermarket bread can be whole meal if 10%of the content is whole meal. My bread is 30%
whole meal at the very least.”
The Informer spoke to one of the customers who came along to Mobile bread to buy.
The response – “I come here because I love it. It’s the best bread there is by a country mile” Saturday morning customer.
Lihi has two children, Maayan 8 years and Sunny 5 years. If you can’t come to buy on a Saturday morning, Lihi brings her breads to Stoked Deli further down Albert Street, every Wednesday.
Caption: The Bread Mobile.