Being the one and only of anything in London is a big feat. In a city bustling with so many diverse communities it is hard to imagine only one person has found a gap in the market that belongs solely to them.
This is exactly what the Monero family has had for the last 35 years. Gentrification has changed the face of Dalston, but on Kingsland Road there lies a shop that has been a part of the rapidly changing road but has also remained true to its roots.
The family opened Rainbow Bakery on the street in 1987 and to this day it is the only St Lucian bakery in London. Loved for its traditional patties, hard dough bread, rock cake, coconut drops and saltfish fritters, customers travel not only across London to get there but from Watford and the West Midlands as well.
On St Lucian national holidays, the bakery offers up a range of other traditional foods such breadfruit, roast bakes, the vegetable dish callaloo, green banana and saltfish. “We still get native people who come in and that adds to the authenticity. If people see St Lucian’s coming in, it reinforces the idea that what we are doing must be authentic,” said owner Julius Monero.
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
Julius, 42, took over the running of the bakery from his dad in 2002, who at one point had a second bakery open in St Lucia itself. He redesigned the logo, revamped the bakery and continued building links within the community. For him, he felt that people knew of Rainbow Bakery, but didn’t know the people behind it.
Julius said: “[In 2002] my dad was ready to ride off into the sunset. He wanted to get rid of the bakery but asked me if I wanted to take over. Rainbow Bakery stands for more than just me in Dalston. It was a staple in the community since 1987 so it’s important to the Afro-Caribbean community around.
“I had plans to expand when I took over but learned quickly that it wasn’t what was needed for us. I was focused on maintaining the legacy of the shop we have here. I see us as being similar to Harrods in the way that there is only one Harrods, what it stands for is important.”
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLon)
Rainbow Bakery offers a wide selection of food from different types of patties, cakes and delicacies. Their patties range from beef, lamb, chicken and veggie, to traditional St Lucian saltfish and callaloo patties. They have their own take on patties, they noticeably have more filling in them than Jamaican patties.
“Jamaican patties have distinct characteristics. Theirs are usually flaky or shortcrust, ours are somewhere in between,” Julius added. “Ours also comes filled with your choice of protein. Those who buy from us won’t buy from across the road and vice versa. A Jamaican person wouldn’t say our patties are conventional.”
Rainbow Bakery is also really popular for its bread. In Afro-Caribbean cultures, it is called hard dough bread and usually, it is made in large quantities. In Rainbow’s case, they don’t add preservatives to their bread meaning it’s not long-life compared to other hard dough bread on the market.
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
“Our biggest problem with selling our bread is that people assume it’s a cheap product as in most shops you could buy it for cheap. We make ours all ourselves, fresh daily and it’s a long process”, he continued. People also come in their numbers for their fix of rock cake, coconut drops and Saltfish fritters.
As gentrification changes the landscape of Dalston and the type of customers in the area, Julius has actually seen a benefit in terms of the clientele that visits Rainbow. As the traditional customers from the early years are forced to move or have sadly passed away, this has meant the people coming in now aren’t necessarily always Caribbean.
“As the area started to gentrify, what we found happening was people from different backgrounds would be coming in. These people didn’t necessarily gravitate to their own cuisines but were more open-minded when it came to trying something new like us. People that would go on holiday to St Lucia or surrounding countries, come back to London and are surprised when they can find that type of traditional food on their doorstep.
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
“As the pandemic hit as well, people were forced to stay locally. This meant that many more people were on the high street and meant many who didn’t know us before, know us now. We still get the native people who come in and that adds to the authenticity. If people see them coming in, it reinforces the idea that what we are doing must be authentic” he added.
They have been a firm fixture on Kingsland Road and will aim to continue serving their community even as it changes around them. Customers come from all over London even as far as Watford and even from the West Midlands – all for a taste of St Lucia.
I’m Ayokunle (Ayo to most) and I’m a Community Reporter at MyLondon covering community stories around London and positive human stories. I started in October 2021 and since then I’ve covered a range of topics spanning all of London.
Three stories in the last month that I’m particularly proud of are:
I was born and raised in Hackney and I came back from living in Sydney, Australia in 2020 which was a positive but stressful experience (Due to Covid). I do love London but as you can see, I needed to get out after being here for so long and the grey skies.
You can contact me at ayokunle.oluwalana@reachplc.com.
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