An unusual order for some bread

Laurel Street Bakery takes large order for visiting elephants
It was undoubtedly the most curious order of Hillary Guttman's baking career: 180 loaves of fresh baked wheat bread. For elephants.

"Ringling Brothers just called us randomly and asked if we could do it for the elephants who are in town this week," said the owner of Laurel Street Bakery. "My first thought was, 'You can't get this from the grocery store?' But apparently elephants need bread with no preservatives."

Guttman made the circus animals the same multigrain bread she bakes for her human customers, "but they asked us not to include the seeds. We're actually about to deliver them. They were stacked up in boxes all over the bakery this morning and getting a lot of attention."

Part of the deal included complimentary tickets for Laurel Street's entire staff to see the circus at the New Orleans Arena on Thursday, although Guttman admitted she would have fulfilled the order even without the lagniappe.

"I'm 8 months pregnant. I was in the kitchen 11 hours. I thought I was going to keel over" she said. "But it was such a unique opportunity. It's not every day you get to say you baked bread for elephants."