Filipino Bakeries in Jacksonville
What’s purple, sweet and served at the end of a friend’s dinner party? If your host stopped by one of Northeast Florida’s local Filipino bakeries, chances are it’s a dessert made with ube. As home to the largest Filipino population in Florida, Jacksonville boasts a number of food businesses where adventurous diners can explore baked goods using common ingredients found in the Philippines, including the vibrant purple ube.
A type of yam, ube is a "staple in the Filipino kitchen, and used in many bread, dessert and pastry recipes,” explains Florence Bermudes, the owner of Say So Sweets on Beach Boulevard, a sister shop to Marianas Grinds. It has a unique flavor often described as a slightly nutty vanilla. You can find it in everything from mamon (a Filipino mini chiffon cake resembling a cupcake that is a popular afternoon snack) and sans rival cakes (a Filipino layer cake often served on holidays and other special occasions) to donuts and whoopie pies in several places around Jacksonville.
“I can’t really say why ube is becoming so popular these days – but I’m really not surprised that it is, because it really is delicious,” says Consolacion “Corene” Timmons of Kusina, a café located in Enterprise Park. “I think ube is one of those foods that has the ability to transcend cultures.”
Ariosto Valerio Jr. of The Baker’s Son on Atlantic Boulevard credits social media for the rise in ube’s popularity. “Before, only Filipinos and occasionally, adventurous non-Filipinos, bought it. But now because of its presence in social media, local chefs – both Filipino and non-Filipino – use it in multiple ways.”
Besides sweet treats made with ube, other Filipino delicacies have proven popular in Northeast Florida. “Our ensaymada are our signature product,” says Timmons. “Connie [my sister] has spent years perfecting her recipe … They’re so light and so fluffy that they just melt in your mouth and leave you with the sharpness of the cheese, paired with the sweetness of the sugar. Our ensaymada are very traditional. We know that many Filipino bakeries have experimented with the ensaymada form; but we think it’s better to perfect the original. This way the classic ensaymada still expresses the joy that we felt when we first tasted them.”
According to Bermudes, “Our most requested Filipino baked good – and the one we are known for – is our ube macapuno cake. I personally think and feel that my [customers] are just so attracted to its color, and when you cut into the cake, people are so curious about the flavor. When you finally try it, you just want to keep eating it, because it's not like your typical cake – you just don't get tired of eating it.”
Valerio’s two most popular items are pan de sal and ube basket bread. “Filipinos love their bread and pan de sal has always been popular in the Philippines,” he says. “Due to its social media presence, ube is gaining a lot of exposure and popularity. Now our mainstream customers are eager to try it and end up loving it and coming back for more.”
While items featuring ube are bestsellers at each bakery, other flavors and ingredients have become popular among both Filipino and non-Filipino customers, including sweet corn, avocado, coconut, cheese, mocha, chocolate, vanilla and buko pandan (young coconut strings and pandan leaves, which are quite fragrant).
“The response from the Filipino community has been so quick. We’ve had such a great response with more and more Filipino traffic in the café each day,” says Timmons. “But, one thing that really surprised us – in a good way – was the response from the non-Filipinos who have come to have their meals with us.”
“Part of why we’ve felt so confident in continuing to develop the Filipino side of our menu is the fact that it has been so well received by all of our customers,” says Timmons. “I think that says a lot about Jacksonville and the way that the city has become a place where we can all share this part of ourselves with each other and come together.”
In the mood for some Filipino flavors? Check out Say So Sweets, 11757 Beach Blvd., Suite 3, Kusina, 4190 Belfort Rd., Suite 120 and The Baker's Son, 11957 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 101., all in Jacksonville.
