TRANSCRIPT
The till is ringing at the iconic Monarch Cake shop in Melbourne’s Acland Street. And, as it has been for the past 90 years, business is brisk. Among the loyal customers, Cristina Ceddia.
“I love to come in here, chat with the family, get a book, and it's a very special part of my day. I love the coffee and I'm addicted to this cheesecake.”
Made with a century-old recipe, it’s just one of the popular cakes based on Polish traditions.
Owner Nikki Laski says other European specialities have developed a cult following – like their chocolate Kooglehoupf.
“The original recipe dates back to Alsace over a century ago. And the way we've been making it is pretty much the way it would've been made back in those days, in the late 1800’s. We use real Swiss chocolate, which we melt and we roll across the pastry and throw into the dough. So, it's very special, it's our biggest seller and people love it.”
The circular cake has a following across the country and around the world, as Ms Laski explains.
“We have been featured on so many international travel guides. People come in here with Korean, Chinese, Japanese, from France, from Germany, they come in here and they've read about us and they want to experience ‘old school’. It’s a great honour. We've managed to survive 90 years and through everything that's been thrown at us over the last few years. So yeah, I'm very proud of that.”
Monarch is the original cake shop in a street that’s famous worldwide for its sweet treats.
Polish migrants first opened the doors here in 1934.
The current owners retained the vintage look and feel.
Its wooden shelves hold books and magazines, the walls are covered with celebrity photos. Ms Laski explains.
“Dozens of people tell us on a weekly basis ‘oh please never change anything’. Y’know we always joke about Monarch cakes being held together with sticky tape since 1934. And yes, there's a lot of sticky tape holding this place together, but y’know it just adds to the honesty and the charm of the place.”
And it’s not just the interior that has stories to tell.
Nikki Laski’s father Gideon Markham still works 60 hours a week, serving customers as he has done since buying the business in 1996.
He’s 86 now, born on the eve of World War 2 in Poland.
“Warsaw was under bombardment and we actually lived in a part that was the ghetto eventually. And at that stage it wasn't locked in yet by the Germans. So, there was still movement around, but conditions were terrible ... shortages of food and er … abuse and diseases. But we managed to be spirited out of the ghetto part of our family. Another part perished, including my father.”
Gideon Markham says his father, Maximilian Mahonbaum, was in the Polish army and is presumed to have died in a series of mass executions known as the Katyn massacre.
“My father was taken by the Russians. He was a reserve officer in the Polish army. And when the war started, he went to his unit on the eastern front. We have no body, we have no grave. He was part of 22,000 Polish officers and intelligentsia who were executed in 1940.”
He later migrated to Melbourne, and in 1966 married his wife Shirley – also from a Polish family.
For 28 years, their beloved cake shop has remained a safe haven for St Kilda’s diverse community, as long-time customer Roy Lange explains:
“I've been coming here for what, the last 15 years or so. I've got to know the family quite well. It's amazing, I really strongly believe what they're doing for the community here. The family in the past has faced a persecution beyond words and for them to keep their sense of humanity intact means a great deal to me and my family.”
Daughter Nikki Laski, who’s worked for half her life in the business, says Monarch’s community focus inspired council to name a laneway after the store.
“We were recognised as the only business in the whole state of Victoria that had a street named after us. So, we're more than a business, we are also a community hub and a place where people can come that are in the area to sit and talk to each other. So they named the street Monarch Lane.”
Even so, times are tough, with one in 11 businesses expected to collapse in the coming year, Ms Laski says coping with rising costs is a challenge.
“Everything has gone up. Our eggs have gone up 15 times and I'm not joking, like doubled in price. Butter has gone up, chocolate's gone up, wages have gone up, everything's gone up. But you can't keep raising the prices because people are already stretched. So, you have to make less money!”
Even so there’s good news, too.
Monarch Cakes is now part of an elite group, recently winning a prestigious ‘La List’ award.
Ms Laski says it’s an honour to be independently selected.
“The French have recognised us and given us an award, which is very, very special. For the first time ever in our history, we are now among the top bakeries in the world, which is a lovely thing considering we're just a small little family business in St. Kilda.”
Despite the many challenges, this resilient family is aiming for 100 years and beyond.
“My hope for the future is that it remains as it is and with the product, the atmosphere, the ambience of the place. But really it is not a money-making exercise, it's just survival and not wanting this to disappear.”
