POLOKWANE – Alice Maimela is a well-known, friendly face in the Seshego community who call her Mmadikuku, meaning the mother of baking.
The 75-year-old grandmother learned her skills in the kitchen from her previous employer, to whom she will be forever grateful, and has been baking since the age of 20.
Her passion for baking is still as fiery as the day she first learned and for her it is the best kind of therapy. She used her newly-acquired baking skills to start generating an income and it was not long before her baking skills were in high demand.
Her business steadily grew and she expanded her baking knowledge almost daily by baking cakes for special occasions among others.
Alice used her baking talent to care for her three children and save money for their education. Through her baking skills she managed to give her children the life and education opportunities she never had.
“The money I made through my baking helped me buy whatever they needed, from clothes and shoes to an education, to become successful individuals. This was one of the best gifts I could have received as a mother,” she said.
For Alice it is a blessing and a privilege to know her three children, who are all grown up, with their own children, grandchildren and families, are all successful. This gives her great pride.
She is so well-known in the community that she hardly has any time to be idle, something she said she greatly appreciates. Baking is something she says helps her work through emotional qualms such as sadness and stress. It greatly relaxes her and it is something she thoroughly enjoys.
“Baking is way cheaper than therapy,” she joked.
Alice’s scones are praised far and wide and she shared some advice with Review on how to bake the perfect scone.
“Scones are one of the first things I ever learned to bake and there is nothing that can beat a freshly baked scone with a cup of tea in the afternoon. They are really easy to make, but my special method makes them especially delicious. Rubbing is an essential method when making scones if you want them to be light and delicious. You mix the dry ingredients and butter together by slowly rubbing the butter into the mixture. Use cold butter and cut it into one centimeter dice, depending on the size you prefer. With the tips of your fingers, rub the butter chunks in with the dry ingredients, lifting your hands high in the air as you do so. This may well be an old wives’ tale, but lifting your hands helps to incorporate air into the mixture as you rub it in. If you have a lump in the mixture, you have most probably been a little heavy-handed or your butter was not cold enough when you began. This rubbing step can also be performed in a food processor on pulse but be careful, it is easy to form a lump if you process the mixture for too long,” she advised.
anne@nmgroup.co.za
