A few weeks ago, I dropped by a little bake shop in Agutaya street in Makati called Quilina’s bakeshop. I went because I heard about their so-called monthly “bakeshop day” and I was curious about it.
Quilina’s bakeshop day happens every third Saturday of the month. Quilina’s resident cupcake maker, Meilanie Baldeviso explains that during this day, they open their kitchen doors to their customers to check out all their cupcake offerings.
Ordinarily, Quilina’s bakeshop accept orders at a minimum of twelve cupcakes of the same kind and flavor, but on bakeshop day, you can mix and match the cupcakes and purchase them at any number you want.
Meilanie also takes it as an opportunity to get to know her customers and spend time chatting with them. Some of them choose to stay and enjoy their cupcakes at the bakeshop, while others pack up with boxes to take home to their families. Still, many of them linger long enough to talk to Meilanie and meet her family.
The ambiance was warm. I came alone, yet I felt so welcome. When Meilanie was busy attending to another, the rest of her family stepped in to entertain the guests, answering their queries.
Quilina’s bakeshop is a relatively small kitchen that does business online. Their assortment of mouth-watering cupcakes include two of the most delicious chocolatey cupcakes I’ve ever tasted.
Meilanie calls the one with delectable chocolate frosting on top Choco Banana cupcake, and the chocolate frosted one that’s topped with chocolate bits and chocolate vermicelli, Choco Chip Cupcakes.
They also offer Lovely Carrot Cupcake which is a basic carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting, their version of the red velvet cupcake which Meilanie named Velvety Red cupcake, and the Hummingbird cupcake which has a combination of fresh bananas and pineapples in it.
Her banana squares are actually banana cakes in cupcake sizes.
But what caught my attention was the giant cupcake bouquet. It was so pretty, I had to ask Meilanie how she came up with the idea of giant cupcakes.
She said that it all started when she supplied cupcakes for a child’s 7th birthday party and she needed to think of a centerpiece. She humbly admits to have stumbled upon a Great Cupcake video when she went online and tried her own version of it.
It’s become one of her most popular products to date.
I don’t have a sweet tooth and usually shy away from cakes during events, but Quilina’s cupcakes have just the right amount of sweetness that I couldn’t help devouring more than I normally do. The icing is not too sweet and as some of my friends with whom I shared the cupcakes say, the icing and the cake base are a “perfect” match.
Meilanie named her bakeshop after her grandmother from whom she inherited her love for the kitchen. For years, Meilanie assisted her in cooking and baking and learned how to make siopao, pineapple pie, egg pie, and cheese cupcakes from her.
She was first intimidated by baking, but fell head over heels for it after signing up for her first cupcake class. It took years of waiting before she found the right opportunity and the courage to launch her cupcake business. Her family rallied behind her in full support. “My family, relatives and friends are my walking advertisements,” she laughs.
Meilanie doesn’t forget to give back to the community. On June 20, she committed her bakeshop day to help raise funds for a cancer-stricken young man, Xian Cruz.
Proceeds from the sale will be apportioned to Xian’s chemotherapy and surgery.
You can pre-order your cupcakes or walk in on the day itself. Bring your kids, get to know Meilanie and her family, and enjoy her delicious cupcakes.
See you on Quilina’s bakeday!
Quilina’s Bakeshop
2654 Agutaya street, Pinagkaisahan, Makati City
0908-899-4125
www.facebook.com/qbbake
