A French Bakery for Inclusion and Solidarity
The tea room of Mamies Gateaux. An old lady is offering a kougelhopf to a child. Art by Maqmanolo Art Linéal.
Crédit: Califrenchlife.
Vincent Gabbardo created a new concept of bakery which is unlike any other: a solidarity bakery. Initially, his goal was to break the loneliness of senior citizens, but his bakery, called Mamies Gâteaux, located in Strasbourg, France, is doing much more than this.
Vincent Gabbardo, 44, is from Alsace, France. He had an international career in marketing, procurement, and logistics, living in New Caledonia and French Polynesia. When he returned to Strasbourg in 2019, he had a new goal: helping senior citizens. He resumed his studies and became a baker.
Mamies Gâteaux is a non-profit organization that opened a bakery on October 11, 2022. It organizes various bakery workshops in a lab where 12 people can bake together.
There is a tea room where the general public can buy a pastry and a beverage for 4.50 euros. The tea room is run by senior citizens.
The bakery is accessible for disabled people, and there is a stairlift to reach the lab.
Making pastries helps the senior citizens of Strasbourg have a social life, engage with their environment, and get out of their homes. They share tips, learn new skills, and feel useful. The non-profit values the dynamism, experience, and savoir-faire of this segment of the population. It addresses their challenges after an active professional life: loneliness, social exclusion, and economic and health issues.
Vincent also organizes intergenerational workshops to foster communication between different generations. The bakery is located next to a playground, allowing different generations to observe each other.
Crédit: V. Gabbardo
Mamies Gâteaux aims to improve the quality of life for senior citizens. They want to inform and guide them, as well as their families and caregivers.
Recently, Vincent has started working with refugees and asylum seekers. These individuals are facing difficult times, and he aims to value them and their cultures through the art of pastry making. For instance, during a workshop, each refugee added a touch from their native country to a common recipe. Bringing together different cultures through the joy of baking is a wonderful gesture of tolerance that deserves recognition.
Mamies Gateaux will participate in La Semaine des Réfugiés, which will take place in Strasbourg from June 13 to June 17, 2024.
Between 2022 and 2023, 1,080 people aged between 5 and 95 took part in activities, using 3196 ibs of flour, butter, fruits, and other ingredients to make delicious pastries.
Inclusion and benevolence are the key words of this dynamic non-profit. Their activities bring pleasure in many forms: the pleasure of meeting new people, creating something with others, making pastries—sometimes original ones—and savoring them with pride. Their efforts are acknowledged by the sale of their pastries to the general public.
The non-profit organization is seeking funds and partners to organize specific workshops.
Contact info:
Mamies Gâteaux
142 A Rte du Polygone
67100 Strasbourg
France
Rhubarb pie, a specialty of Alsace. Crédit: V. Gabbardo