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Audio Recording Angella St. Romain interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, 2015-03-30

Audio recording of interview with Angella St. Romain.
Audio recording of interview with Angella St. Romain.

More Resources

View 32 images in sequence.
[ Images associated with interview. ]
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[ Fieldnotes for Baton Rouge Folklife Survey of Bakeries, Cakes and St. Joseph Altar Traditions and Milliners and Hat Wearing Traditions. ]
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[ Log/transcription of interview with Angella St. Romain. ]

About this Item

Title

  • Angella St. Romain interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, 2015-03-30

Summary

  • Angella St. Romain, manager at Joe Gambino's Bakery, Baton Rouge, shares her story of "being chosen by" the bakery business in her hometown, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana; her learning/training process; and about coming to work at Gambino's. She talks about leaving the bakery business for five years to work in finance, and realizing that the bakery business is her passion. She talks about her deep satisfaction with her work and why she loves it so much; the lasting relationships she has made in the business; the importance of good customer service; working with wedding parties to plan and deliver their cakes; wedding cake trends; the Southern groom's cake tradition; Gambino's Bakery's signature items, like the King Cake and Doberge cake traditions; cake construction and decorating techniques and changes in technology and techniques over her 32 years in the business; the importance of cakes and baked goods in people's lives in general, and in the South in particular; passing her knowledge on to the next generation; the need for the next generation in areas of innovation; standards of quality in baking; and the impact of technology and the media on the baking business. She tells some great wedding cake disaster stories and discusses the skills needed to address them.

Names

  • St. Romain, Angella, interviewee
  • Green, Laura Marcus, interviewer
  • Occupational Folklife Project, sponsor

Created / Published

  • 2015-03-30

Headings

  • -  St. Romain, Angella--Interviews
  • -  Bakers--Louisiana--Interviews
  • -  Bakeries--Louisiana--Baton Rouge
  • -  Summer employment
  • -  Supervisors
  • -  Children of working parents
  • -  Work ethic
  • -  Clothing and dress
  • -  Work-life balance
  • -  Working mothers
  • -  Workmanship
  • -  Shop stewards
  • -  Courtesy in the workplace
  • -  Age and employment
  • -  Employee morale
  • -  Employees--Relocation
  • -  Employees--Training of
  • -  Employment re-entry
  • -  Work and family
  • -  Family-owned business enterprises
  • -  Home-based businesses
  • -  Hours of labor
  • -  Humor in the workplace
  • -  Jargon (Terminology)
  • -  Job satisfaction
  • -  Mentoring
  • -  Non-formal education
  • -  Occupational training
  • -  Part-time employment
  • -  Quality of products
  • -  Quality of work life
  • -  Blue collar workers
  • -  Small business
  • -  Business enterprises--Louisiana--Baton Rouge
  • -  Baton Rouge (La.)--Social life and customs
  • -  Baton Rouge (La.)--Commerce

Genre

  • Sound recordings
  • Digital photographs--Color--2010-2020
  • Interviews
  • Oral histories
  • Personal narratives

Notes

  • -  The interview took place in a bustling bakery, so there is ambient sound in the background, which gives a sense of the bakery's atmosphere. The interview took place in the bridal consultation area, at a round table. The microphone was positioned so Laura Marcus Green's voice is faint. The batch of photos attached to this interview record includes images of Miss Eloise Jones, afc2014023_02160, and Miss Patricia A Glover, afc2014023_02200, who also work with Angella St. Romain. Prior to the Archie Green Fellowship, preliminary fieldwork was conducted at Joe Gambino's Bakery as part of an earlier phase of the Baton Rouge Folklife Survey. Some photos taken then (February, 2014) are included with those taken during the 2015 Green fieldwork.
  • -  Recorded at Joe Gambino's Bakery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March 30, 2015.
  • -  Baton Rouge Small Businesses and Trades: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 (AFC 2014/023: 01961) American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
  • -  To honor the memory of Archie Green (1917-2009), a fellowship program was established at the American Folklife Center in 2010. Archie Green Fellowships support new research in the contemporary culture and traditions of American workers.
  • -  In English.

Medium

  • 1 sound recording (01:59:54) : digital, sound, wav
  • 32 photographs : digital, jpg, color
  • 2 manuscripts : digital, pdf, text files

Source Collection

  • Baton Rouge Small Businesses and Trades: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 AFC 2014/023: 01961

Repository

  • Library of Congress American Folklife Center, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC USA 20540 to 4610 https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2020655611

Rights Advisory

  • Duplication of collection materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions.

Access Advisory

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is not aware of any U.S. copyright protection (see Title 17, U.S.C.) or any other restrictions in the material in this collection, except as noted below. Users should keep in mind that the Library of Congress is providing access to these materials strictly for educational and research purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other holders of rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

The individuals documented by the Occupational Folklife Project retain copyright and related rights to the use of their recorded and written testimonies and memories.  They have granted the Library of Congress permission to provide access to their interviews and related materials for purposes that are consistent with the agency’s educational mission, such as publication and transmission, in whole or in part, on the Web. Project participants’ written permission is required for any commercial, profit-making distribution, reproduction, or other use beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

The American Folklife Center and the Occupational Folklife Project fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance. 

Credit line

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Dairy Farm Workers in New York's North Country: Archie Green Fellows project, 2012-2013 (AFC 2012/033), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Doctoring: The Occupational Folklore of Physicians: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2019-2020 (AFC 2019/030), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Domestic Workers United: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2015-2016 (AFC 2015/027), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Ethnic Grocers in the Urban Midwest: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 (AFC 2013/016), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Finding Roots: Asian American Farmers in Contemporary America: Occupational Folklife Project, 2020-2021 (AFC 2020/014), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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Fresh Produce Workers in Arizona: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2015-2016 (AFC 2015/028), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Funeral Services Workers in the Carolinas: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2016-2017 (AFC 2016/037), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Grass-Roots Agriculture in Vermont: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 (AFC 2014/022), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

The Green Book--Documenting African American entrepreneurs: Archie Green Fellows project, 2018-2019 (AFC 2018/029), Archie Green Fellows Project American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Hairdresser and Beauty Shop Culture in America: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2011-2012 (AFC 2012/035), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Homeless Shelter Workers in the Upper Midwest: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2016-2017 (AFC 2016/034), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Hope for Recovery: Peer Support Workers in Kentucky: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2020-2021 (AFC 2020/010), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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Kitchen Workers in Central Ohio: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2017-2018 (AFC 2017/020), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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Multigenerational African-Descended Farmers of the Midwest: Surviving Erasure: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2019-2021 (AFC 2019/028), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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Personal Home Health Care Aides in Michigan: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2017-2018 (AFC 2017/018), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Production Potters of the Midwest: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2018-2019 (AFC 2018/030), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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Ranger Lore: The Occupational Folklore of Park Rangers: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2013-2015 (AFC 2013/014), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

The Ransomville Speedway: Dirt Track Racing in Western New York: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2020-2021 (AFC 2020/013), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Recent Immigrant Workers in Iowa's Meatpacking Industry: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2015-2016 (AFC 2015/026), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Rural Free Delivery: Mail Carriers in Central Appalachia: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2021-2022 (AFC 2021/010), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Stable Views: Voices and Stories from the Thoroughbred Racetrack: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2011-2012 (AFC 2012/034), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Taking Care--Documenting the Occupational Culture of Home Care Workers: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 (AFC 2014/021), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress)

Teaching in Wisconsin Classrooms: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2013-2015 (AFC 2013/017), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Tillamook: Cheesemakers in Coastal Oregon: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2021-2022 (AFC 2021/011), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Tobacco Workers of the Connecticut River Valley: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2014-2015 (AFC 2014/020), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Training the Troops: Military Role-Players of Fort Polk, Louisiana: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2017-2018 (AFC 2017/019), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Trash Talk: Workers in Vermont's Waste Management Industry: Archie Green Fellows Project, 2018-2019 (AFC 2018/031), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

St. Romain, Angella, Interviewee, Laura Marcus Green, and Sponsor Occupational Folklife Project. Angella St. Romain interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, -03-30. -03-30, 2015. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2020655611/.

APA citation style:

St. Romain, A., Green, L. M. & Occupational Folklife Project, S. (2015) Angella St. Romain interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, -03-30. -03-30. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2020655611/.

MLA citation style:

St. Romain, Angella, Interviewee, Laura Marcus Green, and Sponsor Occupational Folklife Project. Angella St. Romain interview conducted by Laura Marcus Green, -03-30. -03-30, 2015. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2020655611/>.