Dow’s Bakes. A tribute to a baking sensation, Nanna Dow 🍪
When life gives you lemons, the world’s advice is to make lemonade. Right? Well, it’s easier said than done, but the Curmi family turned Nanna’s legacy into a baked-good sensation, bringing sweetness and cheer to the local foodie community just as she did for all those who knew her throughout her long and loved lifetime. 💗
This is where the baking journey starts...
“Nanna Dow was not your typical nanna,” reminisced Christina, “she was a ‘cool’ nanna who always wanted to know what was going on, she kept herself busy and active and always had time to prepare her home-cooked meals and bakes for her family and friends.”
Nanna Josephine, or Nanna Dow, as she is known by her big family, passed away from COVID-19 at the age of 86 earlier this year. And although the family’s loss was greatly felt, Christina could not let the memories of her nanna dwindle away - she took action and brought the island a collection of homemade baked goods focused on the Christmas season. And we can’t seem to get enough of these top-quality treats. 🥧
Dow’s Bakes is a small baked goods business, run by Christina Curmi, her mother Caroline and kickstarter Steffi De Martino - you'll learn more about her... just keep on reading! 😉
But even though all the baking, creative thinking and logistics are handled by this dream team, their entire family has risen to the occasion in support, to see the heart of their family; Nanna Dow’s recipes live on. 💪
“We’re a big family, and Nanna was always there to make sure we’re fed and taken care of. She was always very involved - I remember spending a lot of time with her. But she was also very independent,” continued Christina. “She loved to teach us her recipes, I still remember making bread for the very first time with her, and another close memory; the first baked sweet I remember making was kwarezimal. 🤤
“I remember spending a summer with her, she had broken her hip, but of course everyone still wanted ‘nanna’s’ food. I would spend most of my time in the kitchen with her, helping her out with all the tasks she couldn’t do herself. Under very close instruction of course - but this is what made me learn and what helped me appreciate the art of baking and cooking in general.”
From what Christina shared, it’s clear to say that Nanna Dow was a woman with a loving and genuine heart, and she shared that love through food and more importantly good food! Whether it was her New Year’s Eve buffet-style spread for over 100 guests or a simple baking session with her grandchildren, Nanna Dow’s values were always vibing. 😊
“I’ve learned a lot from my Nanna, we were very close. Of course, there’s the obvious cooking and baking tips that I’ll treasure every day. But throughout my life, Nanna Dow taught me the value of etiquette, the importance of organisation and ultimately the unity of our family. Nanna passed these values onto my mother, and in my upbringing, she passed them on to me.
“But if there’s one thing I can learn from here it’s this: ‘age is just a number; it’s never time to stop learning’. She proved that every day and through Dow’s Bakes, my mother and I are living by her mantra.” ✌️
How Dow’s Bakes all started
Dow’s Bakes started off as a fluke, a concept that Christina’s friend Steffi, might have had a helping hand in getting off the ground. Steffi now acts as a fundamental part to the running of bakery, she's also the in-house designer, making sure all branding is on point. Amidst the boredom of quarantine, Christina turned to baking, using Nanna Dow’s figolli recipe as her absolute guideline.
She distributed the almondy treats among her friends, which led Steffi to have a heart-to-heart with Christina’s mum and Nanna Dow. The figolli were too good not to share with the world, everyone had to try them. While enthusiasm from all the Curmi bakers was soaring, Dow’s Bakes was always meant to come into full-swing as a legacy project, in honour of Nanna Dow. 🏆
Christina’s baking journey has gone full circle. From her first childhood kwarezimal-baking experience with Nanna Dow’s guiding hand, to their final baking session last year - a batch of kwarezimal is what will forever connect them. Perfect every time; because as the saying goes, tan-nanna, helu manna.
Want some Christmas baked goods?
Dow’s Bakes is currently focused on the festivities, creating seasonal baked good for Christmas, Easter and all the holidays in between. Having baked all these treats before, Christina’s mum’s versions are 100% Nanna Dow approved.
“People seem to like our bakes, my favourite is the Chocolate Log, it’s so moist and rich and of course super chocolatey, just like Nanna used to make it. But the public’s favourite is undoubtedly the Sapori which we serve in bags of 10. It’s quite a lengthy process and we only use the finest ingredients, so we’re glad the people seem to like them!” 🤩
If you’re looking to give your loved ones a homemade treat that’s surely made with love, get in touch with Dow’s Bakes to bring some festive cheer into your life.
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