Whether it's adding a bit of punch to a traditional white cake or designing one with a whimsical feel, adding color to your cake is easier than you may have imagined. All it takes is one visit to Danube, one of the Kingdom's leading superstore chains. Danube has always made it possible to make your own cake, with its interactive cakes and pastry section, famous for its customized cakes that give customers the capacity to add bright flowers, sugared or seasonal fruits, ribbons and bows or a burst of unexpected color to their cakes. Customers are bound to be satisfied, knowing that their visit to Danube will turn up with something sensational. Even more, Danube's pastry section works by a strict surveillance system, which regulates health and nutritional related aspects of making your cakes. Mar C. Maghirang, Pastry Chef at the Danube Co. Ltd. branch on Al Rawdah Street, told us that cakes on display are changed with new ones on a daily basis in order to guarantee freshness. “Each bakery produces around 1000 slices a day. With eight branches in town; almost 8000 cakes are produced daily in Danube bakeries. It is quite unusual.” says Maghirang. Untill now, Danube has maintained a stable production rate in its bakeries for almost 18 years, while preserving their reputation as one of the best-priced places to buy high quality pastries and cakes. Prices are affordable, and they will remain within customers' means. All cakes are prepared by pastry chefs using only the utmost quality ingredients, incorporating ultra modern and specialized baking techniques. In order to improve the quality and services, chefs and cooks are sent abroad systematically, on training programs in Switzerland or Germany. Recently, Chef Maghirang was sent on a training trip to Germany in which he learned more on the use of ‘cocoa' and ‘chocolate' in the business. “After taking that course, creating new recipes and unique designs for our cakes became a much easier task”, says Maghirang. Chocolate used in Danube's bakeries is imported from Central America, while all ingredients and fillings come from Switzerland. “We bake all of our cakes from scratch, and we only use fresh ingredients. Every cake comes with our rich and airy vanilla cream filling,” he said. Danube has also introduced a touch- screen system in their Red Sea Mall branch, through which customers can place their orders for cakes, and scanned pictures can be added on cakes. “We are very informative and interactive, listening to customers and meeting their demands as quick as possible” Maghirang added. Danube was first founded in 1993, and today it has three hypermarkets, five supermarkets and more than 16 pastry shops in Jeddah, Madina and Makkah. With a workforce of 1000 qualified and professional personnel and at least six pastry cooks in each pastry section, Danube has surely kept its reputation in the pastry business. __
