UNLIKE unsavoury pastries without flavour, dry and stale, the pastries made by Sue Sertimar—especially the cassava pone—are among the best I have probably had, and it is home-made from a family business that originated in Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara.

The cassava pone is a jiggly goodness, rich in flavour with all the right ingredients and no skimping. It reminds me of my grandma’s.

When this writer was a child and went back to my home village of Palmyra, East Canje, Berbice, for the August holidays, it was one of the specially made treats we had as children—that is, my siblings and me.

It is the melt-in-your-mouth kind of cassava pone that is made just right, and it is very tasty and addictive.

It was by chance I learned of the product. One day, I was visiting the Stabroek Market, Georgetown, to locate a vendor and at the second entrance of the market, there is a stall with a healthy-looking woman who sells all kinds of local pastries and goodies (sweets). I saw that the cassava pone was selling out fast, so I bought one. When I returned to the office, I had it—and it was delicious. After that, I kept going back for it. I often return to the location to get my fill of cassava pone, along with other tasty and fresh pastries.

The owner of that stall is Kim Sertimar, who grew up with a large family. Her mother was an excellent baker and made and sold pastries for a living. The 54-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she resides at Victoria, East Coast Demerara, but the family-owned bakery is located at Ann’s Grove, also on the East Coast Demerara, where they bake fresh pastries daily.

Sertimar said it is a generational small business that has been passed down through earlier generations. Her mother used to make pastries from scratch, the old-fashioned way, to sell at the local market. They were children then, and they helped in the process, which was tedious and long.

She reported that her mother, Gertrude—better known as “Big Lady”—passed away 13 years ago, and during that time, she stepped up to the challenge of being the family baker, producing locally made pastries.

Sertimar added that their name and business are well-known due to the high-quality products they produce.

She added that her mother used to sell pastries in Stabroek Market, the same location as today, at the second gate entrance via the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling Road, downtown, which is now managed by her sister, Sue Sertimar-Franklin, who stood up to hold the fort as the market vendor there.

Sertimar related that when they were younger, they would walk and sell pastries in the village, and also accompany their mother to the market, where they would vend as well.

She stated that they all grew up at the stall in the market and learned a lot from being with their mother—a role model—who had earned a living from that small business over the years.

The baker disclosed that the family makes bread, black cake, sponge cake, fruit cake, pram (a kind of cake that is made from the by-product of dry coconuts), coconut roll, salara, pine slice, pine tart, cheese roll, patties, coconut biscuit, quenches, among other local pastries.

“Whatever cake you need, we bake it. We even do wedding cakes, cakes for any and every occasion—even cakes for Christmas—the traditional black cake that is a hot seller,” she said.

Sertimar told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is from a family of 11 siblings, and the Sertimar girls, as they are referred to in the community, are well-known for their baking and cooking skills. They also cater for events with many tasty local dishes.

She explained that their name is it—that’s it—since their skills in baking and cooking are unmatched, and they provide customers with what they want. So their services are sought by people who are familiar with their culinary expertise.

Sertimar is a mother of four children, and her spouse assists in the making and baking of pastries daily at their bake shop in Ann’s Grove.

She revealed that they have 10 employees, and they produce pastries and cakes on a large scale, made to order, to supply customers’ daily orders.

Sertimar added that they bake from Monday to Saturday, and it is an age-old family business that has grown over time from a family-run operation to one with staff.

In addition, they also make coconut oil from scratch, and they have developed skills in making different dishes and pastries—skills they acquired at a young age from their mother, who spent more than 60 years as a baker and vendor in the Stabroek Market.

“It’s my mum who built this small business from the ground up, and today we are upkeeping the family tradition because she laid the foundation for us to earn as a family,” she said.