Chef Alexis Cataldi with his focaccia. | Jaume Morey

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Pan de Mar in Carrer Ample de la Mercè in Palma, has a nonstop line of customers buying the freshly baked bread that’s made with organic flour.

But they’re desperate for an oven and more donations so that they can continue helping the needy in Palma.

Pan de Mar is a solidarity bakery that gives 70 percent of its production to social dining rooms and 35 of the 50 kilos they cook every day is delivered to Zaqueo and Tardor by volunteers.

A group of friends launched the initiative during the pandemic after they saw how many people were queuing at food banks in Palma and Dutchman Jeroen Witteveen is one of them.

“We lack money, we need more donations and we need one more baker on the payroll,” explains Witteveen. “With more hands there is more bread for soup kitchens.”

There are four people on the Pan de Mar payroll and one of them is Alexis Cataldi, a renowned chef who has worked in restaurants with 3 Michelin stars.

After the lockdown his house became a makeshift bakery and now they’ve moved to what used to be a pizzeria.

"We desperately need a proper bread oven," explains Cataldi, who’s hoping that a donor will come forward to help them continue working to alleviate the needs of desperate people in Palma.