The oldest bakery in Valencia reopens after the DANA: "People deserved it."

Cattle prod"The solidarity of the people saved us." It seems like an overly pretty phrase. An overly rounded newspaper headline. But, according to Batiste Rubio, a 42-year-old pastry chef from the municipality of Picanya, one of the most affected by the DANA, that's what truly made possible the recovery of Forn Baixauli, the oldest in the Valencian Community, which was completely destroyed on October 29 by the overflowing of the Poio ravine.

Many people are responsible for its reopening. There are key players, such as Batiste, his cousin Vicent Baixauli—who keeps the establishment's accounts—and Vicent's mother, Amparo Aracil, who is taking advantage of the last year before retirement to pass on her knowledge for a lifetime. There are also secondary actors, such as the Bakers and Pastry Chefs Guild of Valencia, the Mapfre Foundation, and the NGO Cesal, who have collaborated in the reconstruction of the business and are promoting a job placement program for people in vulnerable situations, which in turn helps traditional businesses find workers. And finally, there is a very extensive, anonymous cast: friends, neighbors, volunteers, and companies who first helped Batiste and Vicent clean up the business and then gave them equipment and furniture. Some appliances have arrived from the Balearic Islands or Belgium.

Founded in 1745, Forn Baixauli is located in the heart of Picanya, just over fifty meters from the Poio ravine, almost at the point where the water swept away a footbridge—one of the most memorable images of the disaster. Batiste was hooked on his work by the flooding of the ravine. "It was around 6:30 p.m. [the Generalitat's warning arrived at 8:11 p.m.], my brother told me to move the car. Immediately afterward, the bells started ringing," he recalls. Half an hour later, the water at the bakery was waist-deep. It must have reached seventy centimeters. That afternoon and evening, ten people died in Picanya. 228 in the entire Valencian Community.

Batiste and his family were saved, but what lay ahead was very steep. He explains that when they opened the door and saw "the half meter of mud and the only machine that worked was a microwave," their idea "was to close." They weren't the only ones: a horchatería (a horchata shop) located almost opposite hasn't reopened. Furthermore, the catastrophe struck less than two months after the two cousins had taken over the reins of the family business. Too many difficulties. "We moved the furniture out with the help of friends, then people we didn't know came to us asking what we needed. We grew to 40 people. In two days, the bakery was empty. At that moment, we decided we had to give back, that the people deserved it," the baker emphasizes.

The first few days passed, but the solidarity didn't fade. Many neighbors visited them to encourage them. "I've had my baptism, you've had my communion, my wedding, you can't close, they told us," Batiste recalls. And the support didn't stop. 85% of the furniture and equipment comes from donations. "We've only bought three machines," he emphasizes. Two of the most important come from two Mallorcan bakeries: one in Palma, which gave them a wooden counter and other equipment, and one in Andratx, which gave them freezers and refrigerators. They have received two boxes of utensils from Belgium. "Our recovery is based on people's help," he insists. Regarding the role of the administration, the baker explains that they received a "testimonial" advance and are awaiting compensation from the Insurance Consortium. "They ask for photos, invoices for everything, when we are a very old bakery. Where do I get an invoice for such an old machine?" he complains.

A profession in danger

To escape this impasse, they also received help from the Valencia Bakers and Pastry Chefs Guild, the MAPFRE Foundation, and the NGO Cesal, which have promoted the reopening of seven establishments. The organization emphasizes that the DANA (National Association of Bakers and Pastry Chefs) has affected around sixty bakeries, of which four or five could close permanently. The continuity of these bakeries is also threatened by the lack of labor. This is highlighted by Laura de Juan, general secretary of the guild, who denounces the persistence of a distorted image. "A change was made many years ago to achieve shorter hours. Thanks to the fermentation machines, people no longer work at night like they used to. Furthermore, it is a well-paid and creative job," she emphasizes.

To secure the replacement that will ensure the survival of artisan bakeries and pastry shops, Cesal has already trained forty people at risk of exclusion. A new course begins this Monday with twenty more students. Of the first, ten already have jobs, and the rest have joined a job pool for the industry. One of them is Yassine Khalil, an eighteen-year-old Moroccan who describes the experience as very positive. "I've learned a trade I like, and I'd like to pursue it," he emphasizes. Another regular customer, Reme Francisco, is also looking forward to trying his pastries at Forn Baixauli: "It would have been a tragedy to lose him. May he last for many years!"