Bucking the downturn in Dublin city centre businesses, two enterprising confectioners from Åódź are celebrating the opening of their newest bakery in the city centre. Anna Paluch reports
With two popular Polish pubs in Dublin city centre – ZagÅ‚oba and Chaplin’s – closed in the second half of 2008, the drift of Polish immigrants away from Ireland is no longer a matter of public wonder.
Although the Polish language is still widely spoken on the nation’s streets, it is more often by those who have been living in this country for two years or more than by the latest arrivals. More integrated than their predecessors, they do not need separate drinking bars. The places they go to meet and chat do not necessarily require Polish staff. Some may miss the beers and spirits from home, but not enough to keep Polish-only establishments in business.
Polish restaurants are also feeling these changes. Robert, an employee at one Polish food bar on Talbot Street, has noticed a drop-off in business since he began working there last September.
“It used to be better than now,” he says, “but people haven’t come back from Poland yet, or they are saving money after Christmas.”
Business for restaurants in January is always ‘lame’, he adds. “We have regular customers who are coming every day and new people. Many Irish started to eat here, as well as Russians and Latvians.”
Yet despite the setbacks experienced by other Polish businesses in the city, the future looks bright and hopeful for Agnieszka and MichaÅ‚ Maroszek from Åódź, who first came to Ireland almost four years ago.
After two years of preparations, in April 2007 the couple opened Party Cake, a sweet bakery specialising in Polish confectionary and located next to the Vicar Street music venue. “From the idea itself to looking for a place to getting all the permission – production licence, premises reconditioning and adaptation, bringing in the machines – that takes time,” explains MichaÅ‚ of the great efforts put in to establishing their business.
The hard work seems to have been worth it, has the couple have recently expanded with a new café bakery on Capel Street, opposite the Polish restaurant Gospoda Polska.
“We actually had no other choice,” says MichaÅ‚. “The location of the first shop was determined by the fact that our workshop is there, we just separated a small place for the shop within the premises.
“It is a side street and we did not have many customers. So we decided that to develop our business, we needed a second shop in a popular place, especially where there are many Polish people.
“We are happy that many Irish are coming here, but we would like to attract more Poles,” he explains. “We have typical Polish pastries, baked from indigenous products. Everything is imported apart from eggs, of course, and fresh strawberries or grapes. But the substance – sugar, flour, glazes and chocolates – is all from Poland.”
Agnieszka adds that the new location will allow them to develop their range of confections. “Everything we have up our sleeve, new ideas like gaufres (sweet waffles) or whipped cream capillaries, all this can be introduced in the new shop.”
She admits that the original Vicar Street shop is too narrow and the fridge is not large enough for such a selection. “We have better display opportunities, especially with the large shop window. Soon it will be arranged to show all our products, including layer cakes which we also bake. We’ve hit the nail on the head!” she laughs.
Both are aware of the high quality of Polish confectionery and its potential appeal to the Irish as well as Poles living here. According to them, the Irish have been very welcoming of their cakes and pastries, and are interested to try them. Take, for example, the Polish equivalent of cheesecake, sernik. “We use genuine cheese,” the couple emphasise, “while what you can get here by no means resembles it.”
The new shop on Capel Street also has a café space offering a range of teas and Italian coffee, which is the best in Agnieszka’s opinion. MichaÅ‚ has no doubts that there is still a need for such places in the city
“Even if the Polish people are leaving, it does not apply to everyone. With half of them gone there still will be tens of thousand of Poles in Dublin alone. Besides, people from other countries are coming here as well, more than half of our customers at the moment.
“From the very beginning we invite everyone. That is why we have an English name and labels. If a Pole comes in, he or she knows our products very well. But we would like to win local interest, and already we’ve succeeded because the Irish enjoy our products too.”
