PHOTO BY AZRIEL DRUMHELLER
On a Thursday, just after 10:30 a.m., inside of the Goleman Library, a line of more than 20 students has formed waiting for the student bakery to open its doors. A group of students walked in, one said “oh wow” and another responded “it’s actually not that bad this time” as they took their place in the growing line.
Up at the front was one student, Berenice Gonzalez, who was excited for the chocolate mousse. “It’s rich and creamy, not [overly] sweet, it’s really good. The bread is pretty good too, the sandwiches are really good, I’m mostly a dessert person,” Gonzalez said.
PHOTO BY AZRIEL DRUMHELLER
Another student, Portia Madayag, was standing behind Gonzalez and replied about the desserts with glee.
“Me too! I like their muffins and croissants,” Madayag said.
By 10:59 a.m., the line of eager patrons grew to more than 75 people
At 11 a.m., Chef Robert Halabicky opened the doors to the Student Artisan Bakery and was met with light applause and cheering from hungry patrons in line.
In a public board meeting, Halabicky, the director of the student bakery program, addressed the administration about the future of the program.
“I’m not trying to toot our own horn, but we are popular. We are popular.
Last Wednesday we had over 400 customers walk through.”
“When I got here 22 years ago the cafeteria was a different place. You know. We had 8 full time employees working with Lori [Aubin], and they had 20 or 30 student workers. And now I’m just assuming that the district can’t afford that kind of payroll anymore, because Lori does the very best she can. But it’s only Lori. So we really see this as an opportunity to be a part of the Delta community serving the community. The people who work here, the people who- the students who come here,” Halabicky explained.
“I come in at 3 o’clock in the morning on bakery days. My class doesn’t start till 8 o’clock in the morning. So I’ve been doing this for decades, and I’m not complaining, but I’m just giving you some background information. And I do it because I love Delta College and I love students. And I love doing this kind of thing, but I feel like, you know, we’re right now- we want to go 3 days a week if possible.”
Halabicky spoke about the program directly to Collegian.
“We pay for everything in here, including some of the furniture. The sales profits go into our foundation,” Halabicky said, explaining that the foundation pays for the needs of the program itself.
The foundation also pays for students to participate in a cooking competition to win a trip to Italy.
“All they need is a passport and whatever spending money they want. The foundation takes care of the rest. I’m not involved in any of the judging,” he explained.
When asked about the funding needed to continue the program and be open for more than two days weekly, he had this to say:
“I met with [Vice President of Instruction Dr. Kale Braden] yesterday. At this point we are said to be moving forward on expansion of days and our footprint here. That is said to happen starting in the next Spring semester,” Halabicky said.
Currently the student bakery is open every Wednesday at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Halabicky hopes to be open three days, possibly Tuesday through Thursday, weekly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Braden has authorized this expansion [to begin] in Spring 2024 and continue through Fall,” Halabicky said.