Barack to bite down on brown bread baked by self-raised Irish company

A construction worker who lost his job in the recession has baked brown bread which Barack Obama will eat on St Patrick’s Day.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is bringing 20 loaves of brown bread baked by Simon Stenson to the White House this weekend for the US president and his family.

The bread has been made at a bakery in Co Mayo set up by Mr Stenson, who went on a cookery course after he lost his job managing property developments.

“I was out of work for two years, doing nothing,” said Mr Stenson, who was given a voucher by his wife Siobhan for cookery lessons at Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe House in Cork. He then went on a three-week intensive course after getting a loan from a credit union and decided to set up a small bakery in the kitchen of a pub in Ballyvary, Co Mayo, which his family had operated for generations but had closed in recent years as there was little business.

“We started supplying a few outlets and then it started to grow,” he said.

His Cherry Blossom Bakery moved to a new premises last month where he employs 12 people — all former construction workers who lost their jobs.

“We will be taking on another 15 workers in the next four months as we now supply 200 stores and hopefully all of those workers will be people who used to work in construction. It’s my way of giving something back,” he said.

The Taoiseach performed the officially opening of their premises at Brefafy Industrial Park and following that the opportunity arose for Mr Kenny to bring some of the brown bread to the White House.

“Apparently, it will have to be tested and examined by security but we are just thrilled that some of our bread will be eaten by Mr Obama and his family. We can’t believe it.”