Bakery Fair, one of the metro’s major food events, took place on 6 to 8 March. Organized by the Filipino-Chinese Bakery Association Inc. (FCBA), the annual event brings together bakers and chefs not just from Metro Manila, but from nearby provinces and other metro centers in the country.
Showcasing the latest trends in food and ingredients that are available in the market today and those that can be expected to arrive in the months to come, Bakery Fair 2025 saw cooking and baking demonstrations taking place at the booths simultaneously. Celebrity chefs such as Jackie Ang Po, Myke “Tatung” Sarthou, Jill Sandique and Dorothy Ferreria, conducted such demos, drawing crowds of enthusiasts to watch and learn new recipes and techniques in cooking, baking, presenting and serving freshly baked goodies. They also got to sample the finished products. Chef Jackie Ang Po was among the busiest, conducting demos for Peotraco Food Inc., California Raisins and Global Pacific Distribution Network over the course of three days.
Aside from the blockbuster demos, Bakery Fair 2025 also served as the venue for a number of competitions, including Peotraco’s Sugarlyte Bake-Off Competition, whose winners were the Baking Momshies Desiree Dawn Mazon and Glady Soriano (Gold), the Crazy Duo Henzel Sabile and Giezcel Ruiz Mendoza (Silver), and the Cakepreneur Moms Joanne Bravo and Meleth Catherine Salvador (Bronze).
Then there was the Saf Baking Competition — The Perfect Crust: Artisan Bread Challenge. Masa Madre Bakehouse’s Chef de Partie 2 Lenard Sabellano won Silver here, with his Baguette, Free Style Artisan (Couronne Bread) and Savory Sandwich entries. This was just one of the three medals which Masa Madre won during Bakery Fair 2025. Sabellano had one month to prepare, but trained by one of the best mentors, Masa Madre’s head honcho Chef Kris Edison Tan, he was destined to win.
Masa Madre’s second award came from Chef de Partie 1 Brian Paolo Rañeses, who bagged the Silver in the Flour Masters: Bread Baking Competition for his Sourdough Bread, Biscoff Cream Cheese Brioche and Ensaymada de Bulacan entries. He also had only a month’s preparation time, but with Chef Kris’ mentorship, he went straight to the win.
Masa Madre’s third win was courtesy of Chef de Partie 1 Honesto Salvador III, who brought home the Gold in the American Croissant Challenge. He made Croissant, Pain au (Candied Dayap Frangipane) and Danish (Mango Cheesecake and Raspberry Top).
On all counts, Bakery Fair 2025 was a huge success.