Sweet treats, inspiring stories

(Part 2 of 2)

MANILA, Philippines - There’s nothing like that psychological kick you get out of hearing about the humble beginnings of a chef or an up-and-coming business that reminds you that anything is possible. That’s quite a cliché all right but it encourages us to at least try. Here are four more interesting start-up stories that hopefully will inspire you to put your apron on and begin your own inspiring tale to a “sweet” life.

Flavored polvoron (P250/dozen) from Postres del Cielo

•Business beat: “My grandmother has been baking for as long as I can remember,” admits Chinie Canivel. “Her specialty has always been Filipino treats, and we have fond memories of waking up to the smell of freshly baked polvoron. Then all of us would gather around, and shape and mold with her. It is a recipe that has been passed down for four generations.” Chinie could have very well kept it within the family. Instead, she gave the heirloom recipe a unique twist and now has people indulging and craving for this familiar sweet treat she has long enjoyed.

•Best-seller bio: “My family’s travels inspired us to elevate Philippine desserts to a level of sophistication that would be at par with those we have seen abroad. Our flavors (cranberry, rose, lavender, kiwi, pineapple, coffee) are distinct and when people hear about it, they are interested to give it a try.”

•Contact information: Visit their website at www.postresmanila.com or get in touch with them through postres.delcielo@yahoo.com, 635-4734, or 0918-8118115.

Custaroons (P550/ box of 24) from Gigi’s Custaroons

•Business beat: In December of 1999, Gigi Gaerlan wanted to give her friends and family something from her kitchen. So she went through her mom’s handwritten recipe notebook and chose macaroons. After the first batch was made, she noticed that they turned out quite different. “I traced back my steps and realized that I added ingredients that were not for macaroons. I asked my cousins and siblings to try them and I got good feedback.” From there, she tweaked the recipe even more and ended up with a beautiful mistake — her very first custaroons.

•Best-seller bio: “From this final recipe, I was able to create cheese custaroons, custaroon poppers and limited edition flavors like Bailey’s Irish cream and peanut butter. It’s a cross between macaroons and custard so you can imagine the smooth creamy texture of custard combined with the chewiness of a macaroon.”   

•Contact info: You can contact Gigi Gaerlan for inquiries and orders, at 0918-8282929 or visit www.custaroons.com.

Macadamia sansrival (P900) from The Kitchen of Gay Vazquez

•Business beat: Baking wasn’t so strange for Gay, who grew up with a mother who always whipped up something sweet in the kitchen. But it wasn’t until she was already working for a multinational company that she started baking. “I supplied my officemates with products that I baked,” shares Gay. She got so into it that her vacation leaves were reserved mostly for baking classes and those who benefited from many of her experiments were friends and relatives who later became loyal customers.

•Best-seller bio: “The sister of my mother-in-law is a well-known baker in Cagayan de Oro and she was kind enough to teach me her sans rival recipe. It took me years to perfect it as oven temperature and baking time were critical. I used macadamia nuts as topping aside from cashew. I gave it as a gift at first then people started ordering.”

•Contact info: From the Kitchen of Gay Vazquez is located at 35 Firefly Street, Valle Verde 6, Pasig. You can place orders at 631-0125 or 0917-3010615.

Nutty Obsession (P1,200) from Sugarush

•Business beat: Friends since college, Rissa has been baking ever since she was a kid (thanks to her mother), while Honey has been a keen observer and willing student of Rissa. “We cooked and baked together for our relatives,” admits Honey. “We experimented with cakes, breads, and cupcakes, among many others. When we decided to open a home-based business in late 2008, our relatives became our critiques. Now, we also make fondant cakes.”

•Best-seller bio: “The nutty obsession was for a relative who really loves peanut butter. This cake, a peanut butter-filled chocolate cake with ganache frosting, is really one of our ‘Aha’ moments since we just got it in one go. We didn’t really expect it to be a bestseller since a lot of people usually ask for chocolate cakes but people who ordered it got surprised since they say it’s not that common.”

Contact info: For orders, you can call Sugarush at 0917-8300338or 0917-8191709.