Nahoum's

This article was sent to me by Mrs Santi Vyse
Matt

Nov 2007
Calcutta & Nahoum – A Sweet Love Affair

This post belongs to: Categories/Profile Issues/Nov 07 - Jan 08

Christopher M. Michael

The writer is a 3D artist and animator with an interest in the esoteric. He is also fond of photography and travelling.

Oscar Wilde said, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it”. That’s surely true whenever you walk past shop F-20 in Kolkata’s New Market- Nahoum & Sons, a Jewish-owned bakery and confectioner’s, tempts one to enter and indulge the senses with aroma and variety.

It’s the start of a new shopping day and shop-owners are just pulling up shutters for business. The sound of metal grates echo through the market and a few shoppers walk down the aisles to see if their favourite shop is open. Nahoum & Sons is one of the few with an early and punctual opening.

I enter Nahoum’s and walk around for a few minutes, looking at the variety confectionary laid out on the shelves. I hear someone asking me to move aside and I glance to my right to see a man carrying a fresh tray of pastries from the bakery. I step aside to allow him passage and he rushes to the shelves and puts the tray on display. While the freshly baked stock is being brought in, David Nahoum, carrying the family’s business well into the third generation, sits calmly behind an antique cash register reading the day’s newspaper. He pauses only to make payments and note accounts, while exchanging casual talk with the early customers. The purpose of my presence there is to approach him and take a history lesson on one of Calcutta’s great establishments.



David Nahoum

David is the grandson of Nahoum Israel Mordecai, who came to Calcutta from Iraq in 1870. Having a background in middle-eastern Jewish confectionery as a trade from his native land, he began selling home-made pastries and delivered door-to-door, catering to the Jewish community who then had a good number of people in the city. He set up a small shop in New Market in 1902, right in the front of the market. The Jewish specialties baked by him like baclava, chesse samosas, fista mulfoof, almond rings, coconut singaras and the rabbinical unleavened bread or matza, had gentile patronage. His plum and fruit cakes became a novelty for the Christmas season. He moved into the present location in 1916.

The same antique decor still stands today, including the zinc-paneled decorative ceiling then imported from Italy and the teak showcases made by fine Chinese carpentry. The classic wooden cash register is around 80 years old, made in Oregon, USA. The size of the shop is calculated as “equivalent to eight stalls, which is the 2nd largest shop area in the New Market”. “I am not parting with it or sub-letting it to anyone”, says David firmly. A few minutes in the place conveys a sense of timelessness. The magical calm conveys itself to customers.

David talks about a business strategy that customers don’t know much about. “We went into Western confectionery as the Jewish population dwindled and began catering more to the general public. Our style and taste was modeled on Angelo Firpo - the Italian confectioner and Flurian Trinca - the Swiss confectioner. These recipes had much more flavour than traditional English confectionery. At Nahoum’s we have maintained my grandfather’s recipes and style of baking,’ he adds. I tell him no one’s complaining.

David tells me that he worked for Martin Burn as an engineer. His brother, Norman Nahoum, ran the shop from 1948 till his death in 1999. After retiring from service and coping with the loss of his brother, David took over the reins of the shop, keeping it going as part of the family business. “Being a shop owner is different from being a run of the mill businessman or salesman. It is a full time job - not everyone can do it.”

I have always wondered why Nahoum’s never opened another shop elsewhere in the city to expand the business. How is it possible to compete with other confectioners, who have opened up franchise shops all over the city? David says, ‘they have done this to cater to the customers working or living in that area, so they don’t have to travel very far for cakes and patties.” He tells me that Nahoum’s never thought of following in their footsteps as this one shop makes total sales; selling whatever is made for the day. Anything leftover, is donated to old-age homes. They have never thought about expanding the business just for a profit.

The shop is frequented by both young and old customers. The young ones take particular interest in the variety of birthday cakes of different shapes and sizes, fashioned on cartoon characters and super-heroes, boats, trains, dolls and houses. “There is no difference in clientele over the years. We cater to the same customers who are also considered third generation, like me”. Just as the business has been handed down from father to son, so have the customer’s, carrying the same tastes down their family tree. It’s quite possible that a ‘sweet gene’ encoded in the DNA of Calcuttans has a special attraction for Nahoum’s!

We change topic when David speaks about the history of the New Market. “Set up in 1874 as Sir Stuart Hogg Market, in my opinion, this is the first multi-shopping mall in the world. Nowhere can you get such a variety of shops in one place selling everything from clothes, jewellery, food stuff, crockery, linen, suitcases, flowers, party favours, etc. Outside you can have a Dosa or Biryani and spend the rest of the day shopping.” The market has a footfall of around 80,000 on weekends. Newer shopping malls have opened up, spewing forth big brand names on Western lines, but they still lack the ‘soul’ which can be found in New Market.

The recently opened underground car park outside the market had been in development for the last three years. Construction extending onto Lindsey Street has ruined the facade of the building. “I was interviewed by a newspaper regarding my opinion on the parking lot; I said it was the ‘death knell’ for New Market. The then Mayor was not amused. In those days, you could walk out and get in your car or grab a taxi. Now you have to park your car somewhere on Chowringhee and walk to the market. Customers coming from Salt-lake or other distant parts have difficulty parking.”

Furthermore, with the current political situation in the city, “frequent rally’s and processions disrupts sales as people are barred from coming to the market for shopping,” says David, with a look of someone who never thought he would see days like this. “We never open on a Bandh for fear of the shop being vandalized.”

He told one the attendant’s to give me a few blocks of vanilla-chocolate fudge to taste while I interviewed him. While savoring the sweet, we are interrupted by a man placing an order for 10 packets of fudge to take to Bangalore while visiting some friends. David introduces me to this customer. “This place has stood the test of time. I was introduced to the shop by my mentor Abraham Sales and have been coming here since 1962,” says Dilip Sarawgi, whose taste-buds drive him down from Salt-Lake. “He tries to come regularly every Sunday”, says David. “If he dosen’t take something home for his wife, he gets some serious stares,” he says demonstrating the same look and having a laugh about it. It is the loyalty of customers like this that puts the shop in a league of its own. David’s friendly rapport with his customers helps maintains their trust and faith in him.

“Our busiest time of year is Christmas which also happens to be Wedding season for the Christian community”, he says. “Before 9/11, we exported about 80 kilos of cakes abroad yearly. But due to tougher air-traffic restrictions and customs it has reduced. However, foreigners still drop in all the time to take back cakes and other goodies,” says David. “Christmas has become a global festival and during the festive season, 95% of the people who are non-Christians, buy our Nahoums’ Christmas cake. It has become a yearly ritual for them.”

“The largest orders undertaken for many years were for the Republic Day celebrations at the Government House for distinguished guests. The variety of items and maintaining a specific time of delivery was strictly looked into”.

With people going in and out all day same famous visitors like Aparna Sen drop in too. Sourav Ganguly’s father-in-law used to send him fruit cakes wherever he was touring. When he once won a tournament and was declared man of the series, a special cricket bat cake was made for him.

The ultimate question on the minds of most customers is – what lies in the future of Nahoum’s? He smiles and says “I don’t know. It is a difficult question to answer. I can’t predict what will happen. I am here now and have no plans on moving. I will continue till I can. I am single and going on my 80th year. My brother’s and sister’s children are all abroad who come for holidays and visit the shop. I can’t say if any of them will be interested in taking over the business, but I do hope one of the children do.”

Whatever the future of this great establishment, Calcutta will always have a ‘sweet spot’ for the New Market shop. The secret to the success of this confectioner extraordinaire has been keeping it - all in the family.

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To bring back memories of the New Market..
.many would remember my Brother, LOU LOBO (RIP) who was the Confectioner for FLURY & TRINCA and when they split, he made FLURY'S what they were...an Institution.

On one of my visits to Kolkata. Mr JITPAL, the owner of Flury's and Park Hotel said to me, "We are still running on the good name established by your Brother"

Like everything else, Flury's has changed now. For us diehards, not for the better.
Will Nahoum's meet with the same fate?
Matt