Poi sellers there are plenty but few with a story as endearing as Joao Menino’s. He makes whole wheat bread and sells almost 450–500 poi, pao and cutlet bread every day. The Godinho Bakery is three generations old and has the biggest wood-fired oven we’ve seen. One sneaky look inside and you’ll know the kitchen (close to Majorda Junction) is spic and span.
Joao runs the bakery from what once used to be his parent’s home. He’s also sweet enough to let you walk and sniff around (ah, the smell of fresh bread!). Once inside, it's not impossible to see how lived-in this cosy place looks. Godinho Bakery has got the biggest wood-fired oven we’ve seen and Joao tells us that the only man in Goa who’d make these ovens got paralysis when he was more than halfway done with this oven. What did Joao do then? ‘Well, I asked the mason at my house if he could complete the oven top for me. He was so used to making domes that after three failed attempts, he finally got it somewhat right. That’s how it started,' Joao tells us.
Unlike a lot of bread sellers, he uses whole wheat and toddy, just like the good ol’ days. He’s also a 70-something man who’s nice enough to tell you his story and show you around at leisure. He's retired from government service and despite doing brisk business, he needs to dip into his pension money to keep the bakery going.
‘I don’t do it for profits. There are none. I do it to keep the family tradition alive,’ he says. No wonder, everything's so slow, sweet and nostalgic here.
