You can now get all your T2 Sourdough Boutique specialties in town, in Oranjestad, across the cruise ship terminal at ARUBA MADE, and this Sunday, at the Ostrich Farm.
Friday (11/04) & Saturday (11/05) at ArubaMade – 8 AM to 2 PM
Sunday (11/06) at Aruba Ostrich Farm Farmer’s Market – 10 AM to 2 PM
Zaida Everon’s vision of having a boutique bakery, went from a dream to reality when she woke up one morning in 2019, as a Biology teacher at Colegio Arubano and went to sleep that night as the owner of T2Pan, a microbakery in Gasparito.
It didn’t come out of nowhere, it was a long process, starting at home, where she soaked up her father’s and mother’s teachings, and evolved with pastries and cupcakes during her student years.
She knew the classroom wasn’t her calling, while the smell of fresh bread and the love energy she transmits into every piece of dough crafted with her two hands, was. Zaida’s passion for science, and her respect for quality ingredients won, and she started a wonderful love affair with the local community, falling head over heels for Zaida’s breads and pastries.
She started small, and the line in front of her home in Gasparito grew longer, with happy clients showing up at the designated hour to pick up their goodies. Yesterday Zaida said they made 188 pieces and the day before 426 — Arubans grew accustomed to quality and made frequent pilgrimages to her window.
The business grew and grew, and now moved into a pop up at Aruba Made, with ample parking in the back, and there’s a back entrance which clients can use.
When your business is at home, Zaida says, it is tempting to work all the time, there is always something to do, so in an effort to find balance, T2Pan is now located in Oranjestad, and the neighbors will probably be relieved, no more traffic, but no more free bread for them, for the inconvenience.
The reason I called Zaida was her recent certification as an artisan bread maker, from the Bread Bakers Guild of America in San Francisco, she flew to California and aced her exams, theory and practice. She is now working on a certification from the UK, baking for health, which would be helpful for the 60-plussers, she is about to meet November 12, in Santa Cruz at the Centro Deportivo, at the upcoming fair.
Her collaborations with Balashi Beer and Celebrity Chef Teddy, of Lima Bistro, also extended her circle of clients, attracting a mix of hotels, restaurants and cafes.
T2Pan makes at least eight kinds of bread daily, and pastries too, butter croissants and Danish, seasonal goodies. ArubaMade is twice as big as her home space, so expect more.
The secret?
Fresh flour that she mills a la minute, and tireless dedication to both the product and her clients. The entire T2 team is very proud of her; may she continue to rise as high as her dough.
From my archive 2019:
Let Them Eat Bread, T2 PAN
During the first Farmer’s Market at the Ostrich Farm I met #panpaboruman, apparently late in the game because this has been going on for about ten months, and available for delivery. We’re talking about an artisanal bread microbakery, by Zaida Everon.
The home industry had humble beginnings according to their Instagram account: T2 PAN, was created in memory of a beloved father named Tito.
The catchphrase, PAN PA BO RUMAN, evolved from MACHETAZO’S PLACE, a local toko, a mini convenience store, which sported a simple handwritten sign on plywood over the door: “Machetazo’s Place Aki Tito ta Pan Pa Bo Ruman,” casually translating into Tito’s got bread for your brother/sister.
Tito passed away when his daughter was 13, and since the family wasn’t wealthy, she asked mom, a real-life cake-boss, to teach her the artistry of baking in order to earn pocket money. With mom’s recipe and her father’s sales and marketing savvy, she started a cupcake business, selling at school and in her neighborhood. She made it through High School, then through College and University in the Netherlands and ended up teaching at the same school where she was educated as a teenager.
Then 10 months ago, she revisited her passion.
The results?
Fresh bread for your weekend feast, for sale at local markets: Italian bread with fresh Italian herbs, a Cunucu blend sourdough, long fermented sunflower bread, 100% leavened by nature, all stretched by hand and slow baked, yielding rustic, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside loaves, sold with serving suggestions.
The secret ingredient? Three different cultures of yeast and bacteria. Check it out Saturdays, at the Farmer’s Market at the Village on Palm Beach.
Pa Bien. Very entrepreneurial, and admirable. Tasty too.
