How sweet it is

The kitchen was bustling with activity in the St. Anthony Cafeteria kitchen and the smell was irresistible! I had to peek in to check out what all the excitement was about and I would not be disappointed. The smell of fresh bread baking made my mouth water and thoughts of butter melting on top of it sent me on a mission.

“Who is in charge here,” I asked?

“Aunty Betty is, she’s over there.”

As I headed in her direction I noticed the mix of both familiar and unfamiliar faces in the crowd. I sat down with Aunty Betty Ventura and she quickly started to introduce me to the group. There was John Krebs and his wife Joy who come to help every year on their regular visit to Maui from St. Louis, Missouri; Linda Hulbert who is a part time resident of Kihei and Olympia, Washington; Margo Kaiama from Ha`iku; Dr. & Mrs. Arensdorf and a whole bunch of other volunteers who crowded the room.

Conversing with these energetic folks was heartwarming becauseI got to hear their stories of loyalty to help Aunty Betty and that they all do it because, “it is for a good cause.”

Well as it turns out, every Tuesday afternoon volunteers gather at the cafeteria to bake their hearts away! The bread sells for $6 a loaf and proceeds go toward the financial assistance program at the high school. The “Bread Ladies & Gentlemen” as they have come to be known dedicate their time and energy to the cause and they all lament that it’s like a family. That family atmosphere has grown over the past 5+ years and so have the contributions from the rest of the St. Anthony community.
Aunty Betty was so proud to show me her new toys that were made possible by the Kam sisters (Miriam Kahalekai, Hazel Koike, Sherlyn Yamasaki, Carolyn Akina) who provided resources to purchase a new dough cutter, a new warmer and fix the existing oven. The improvements will allow for more production.

My time was up when the next batch was coming out of the oven and everyone needed to take their places. Before leaving me Aunty Betty said, “I feel good! I am satisfied that I am able to help educate children and I am appreciative to the nuns who had such an influence on me.”

To place an order please call:

Sheila Fujikawa at 244-4190 x223
by 3 p.m. Monday afternoons.