Bakery Letter #11

A day of dread, a raffle, and other local businesses raising money for hurricane relief.

Atlanta spent the days prior to Hurricane Helene drenched from rains unrelated to the storm. The ground upon which slender pine trees and bulky oaks stand was soaked by Thursday, what ended up being a day of dread. These were prime conditions for uprooted and snapped trees, downed power lines, my anxiety to skyrocket. The Weather Channel app on my phone issued watches at first, and then warnings of flash flooding, 70MPH wind advisories, tornadoes with the words, in all-caps, “THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY” splashed throughout.

I was counting on being woken up in the middle of the night to sounds of a category 4 hurricane, initially headed directly for Atlanta, outside but it never happened. “Has it not hit us yet?” I turned over in bed at 2am to ask my fiancé. “I don’t think so,” he said, not yet knowing Helene had indeed already hit southeastern Georgia (Augusta, GA, especially hard), western Florida, west North and South Carolina in particular very badly, eastern Tennessee, and along the coast in Virginia. It was and continues to be difficult—impossible—to comprehend the devastation in small mountain towns hundreds of miles from any ocean, but this is the climate, changing at an ever more catastrophic pace.

I for sure thought this pine tree in my front yard was coming down last week, but it remains upright. This was taken the Day of Dread last Thursday, 9/26.

Some neighborhoods in Atlanta saw flooding and downed trees, an aftermath made worse by a failure of response from city officials, who should all find different careers, and neglect from proprerty management around the city. Forever putting profits before lives and people. My own area in Decatur was unscathed; the anticipation and dread of last Thursday ended up being the worst of it for me because the hurricane veered east. Another fact I’m having trouble comprehending.

Until 5pm EST this Friday I’m doing a cake and conchas raffle for locals in metro Atlanta; a $10 donation sent to me on Venmo gives people a chance to win a 6-inch At Heart cake with conchas. All funds given will be split between the Atlanta branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to help local folks around town and near the Georgia coast, and to Beloved Asheville, which is on the ground in and around Asheville, North Carolina distributing supplies and feeding people. If you have the means, please give to these or other organizations that are picking up the responsibility where government continues to fail the people.

Local to Atlanta folks and businesses raising money for hurricane relief:

• Vince Pellegri, my dear friend and fellow baker is raising funds with a Cannoli Raffle, benefiting Beloved Asheville, and the Farmer Fund organized by Georgia Organics.

• Chef Aldo Garcia is taking donations for a supply run to Asheville in the coming days.

• The Asheville Hurricane Relief Benefit, a Meat & Three party in collaboration between Atlanta chefs and restaurants including Sweet Auburn BBQ, Kamayan ATL, Gigi’s Italian, and many more this upcoming Monday, October 7. 100% of ticket proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen.

“Natural disasters bring people together, they bring out our best instincts towards altruism, cooperation, and creativity—they should also make us furious. Our suffering is not biblical, it’s distinctively modern, and these leaders are responsible for it.” - Firestorm Books, Asheville, North Carolina