JOIN USEstablished in the year 1957, ‘Fatima Bakery’, one among the very first bakeries in the City, has been an onlooker to all the sizeable changes. Started as a small unit opposite Johnson Market, it now stands tall with all its glory as a homely bakery serving many loyal customers.
“This bakery was started by my father VP Francis. He came to Bengaluru in the early 50s and was working in an automobile company. There were Britishers here during that time and there was a need for bakery products. It was in 1957 that he started a small unit for bakery products after leasing a building opposite Johnson Market. He and his brother VP Thomas administered the bakery then,” says VF David, owner of ‘Fatima Bakery & Super Market’.
It was three years later that this small unit moved to the present location in Richmond Town. “It started as a bakery. But my father managed a small store along with the bakery in the same building. Three years later, it was known as ‘Fatima Cafe’ as there was a small restaurant attached to the bakery,” he reminisces. The cafe of the early 1970s was the only restaurant around the area that served crispy ‘masala dosas’ and ‘vadas’ along with some spicy ‘biryani’ for lunch.
He recalls, “All the old timers, even today, remember the cafe. There were people from all parts of Bengaluru coming in to our restaurant during that time. This place had aspiring doctors from St John’s Medical College Hospital coming in for some good food. This was a barren area during that time. There was a bar that got attached with the cafe in the late 70s.” It was after the partition that VP Francis had to let go of the cafe and it is since then that ‘Fatima’ has remained a bakery-cum-supermarket. The place was flooded with people as this was one of the first bakeries in the City.
It was a sought-after supermarket and bakery of the 70s. “My father sat at the cash counter and I helped him manage the store. I pursued law as a youngster, but joined my father in his business as I have seen him give it all to the bakery,” he says.
Fifty-seven years since its inception, this bakery has many loyal customers who have made it their second home. The memories attached with this faithful bakery are numerous. There are customers whose Christmas and Easter celebration is incomplete without shopping in this cherished bakery. “To our old customers, Easter and Christmas will be fulfilled only if they buy plum cakes from our bakery,” he says proudly. The place also has customers living abroad, who make sure to visit the bakery during their trip to the City. David, a dedicated gentleman, till date sits at the bakery ensuring the trust of the customers along with maintaining the quality of products. There is a “personalised touch” to all the bakery products as they are freshly produced in a separate unit.
‘Mutton puffs’, ‘chicken puffs’, ‘samosa’, ‘coconut sweet’, ‘plum cake’, ‘rose cookies’, ‘mince pie’, ‘kulkul’...they have some traditional bakery products that are unmatched in taste compared to the modern-day bakeries. There are customers who have been regulars here for the past 40 years now, he says.
“I have seen this bakery coming up from scratch. I have been with my dad right from the beginning and have witnessed the struggle. That is the reason I am here from morning to evening. It is an emotional connection towards the bakery. This bakery is my home,” sums up the humble owner of the age-old bakery.