By Frederick Halley
Having served the Scarborough, Toronto community with distinction for several years under the Norman Sue Bakery banner, Guyanese Norman Augustus Sue passed away on October 7, 2013, leaving a rich legacy behind, a legacy that his two daughters Kim and Natasha have no intention of relinquishing.

The late Sue was seen as a pioneer who brought a taste of Guyana to Canada with the production of salara, mithai, beef patties, cheese rolls, pine tarts, plait bread, tennis rolls and other foods that reminded him of home.
Norman Sue Bakery still stands as a beacon among the many Guyanese business enterprises in Toronto and according to the daughters “not only has their business become a legacy, but so has the name Norman Sue. “It’s not only a name. It’s a home, it’s a community, it’s not only Guyanese, not only West Indian, it’s international.”
The bakery was and continues to be a family affair with Norman’s widow Lynette also playing a pivotal role in its existence.
“We grew up in the business,” said Kim, the eldest sibling who took over the reins when her father started fighting his cancer in 2010.
Kim remembered her father as a man who touched many lives, cared less about material things and one’s colour or religion didn’t matter to him. She

believed he had re-defined the words humility and forgiveness and was responsible for touching many lives while her mother who hails from the Pomeroon, was also a tower of strength before and after the passing of her dad.
The business started in 1976, a few years after the family migrated to Canada, when a brother who was visiting from Guyana decided to make Guyanese pastries in their Scarborough home. Having made what was considered too much for the family, they gave some away to friends. The baking and sharing continued for some time until people started offering to pay for the pastries.
This prompted the Sue family to start baking in their basement and after trying out a few other locations, they eventually settled at the current one, situated on Ellesmere Road, near Midland Avenue, Scarborough.
Kim recalled that her father had a special relationship with his staff, and he also regarded them as an extended family and would even pick them up on his way to work, in addition to cooking lunches for the entire staff on Fridays. The late Sue also took time to drop off some of his workers on very cold days. Taking a lead from her father, Kim still contributes immensely to community events, donating “goodies” to assist various organizations to raise funds.
Since the passing of her father, Kim also introduced “The Norman Sue Spirt Award,” presented mostly at cricket functions to “acknowledge individuals who have given selflessly in the community.” Among the recipients were Albert Ramcharran, Richard Ramlall, Dereck Patram, Bobby Ramlagan, Vish Jadunauth, Azeem Khan, Dharam Lall and Ranjan Persaud – all Guyanese nationals residing in Canada.
At last year’s Appreciation and Tribute to the stalwart Guyanese, Guyana’s Consul General to Toronto, Sattie Sawh, lauded the outstanding contribution Sue made to the community.
According to Sawh, the late Sue had left an undeniable and wonderful mark “on all of us and this to me is symbolic and significant of the wonderfully positive, bright and friendly demeanour of Norman Sue. He was a friend and a supporter to many; and as we look back on his time with us, we feel the warm and pleasant nature of his presence here today.”

Reminding the audience that the late Sue “was a man who left quite an impression on his family and friends and on the community at large,” the Consul General said his name was synonymous with many positives and worthwhile community initiatives from the delicious Guyanese treats that his bakery provided to the many laudable causes that he and his family have supported.
Sawh echoed the view that “in our community in Toronto, his name is exceptionally well known and respected and the goodwill that he has shown has brought an undeniable sense of popularity to the Norman Sue name.”

Sawh said she had personally worked with Sue and his wider family for a number of years. “I count it as a personal and special relationship that we share and I am truly thankful to share their friendship and support for the community.” Observing that while the Guyanese community in Toronto are much poorer for the loss of a great man like Norman, “in our midst, we celebrate the fact that he did so much for so many and that his legacy will continue to live on through his business and his family’s community spirit.”
Norman Augustus Sue-Kam-Ling was born in 1947 in Georgetown, Guyana, to a father born in China and a mother whose parents had emigrated from India. The late Sue, who died at age 66, lived in Georgetown and Linden, Upper Demerara, before migrating to Canada in 1971. Apart from Kim and Natasha, the other siblings are Nashenka, Nadia and Norman jnr.