M is for magnificent
The iconic M Bakery opened its doors yesterday
The year was 2000. The world was awashed in pastel. It was on the lips of girls who just got out of the emo phase of the ’90s, career women who’ve said their goodbyes to their Avril
Lavigne phases. It was in the sunshine yellow skinny jeans, on whimsical fedoras with jaunty lavender feathers, and in the Big Apple, in the light pink tutu of a blossoming superstar named Sarah Jessica Parker aka Carrie Bradshaw in that iconic opening scene of Sex and the City.
Pastel was the color of hope as the new millennium broke. 9-11-2001 had yet to happen, and the greatest city in the world was enveloped in the aura of sweet positivity.
Over at Bleecker Street, in the West Village of Manhattan, a new trend was being baked in the kitchen of two friends Jennifer Appel and Allyssa Torey, whose beautiful and dainty cupcakes—colorful, of course—symbolized all that was good and pure in the world. The cupcakes, still a novelty when they first started doing it, were being created in a small kitchen of a bakery unassumingly named Magnolia.
For four years since it started in 1996, Magnolia Bakery basked in the glory of being a neighborhood favorite. The two friends would come in early, baked into the afternoon, moved with a pace that was slow and deliberate and enjoyable. With an abundance of time and an outpouring of creative genius, the two girls created their pretty cakes with its signature frosting swirl, done with a flourish, executed like a signature.
And then, in 2000, Season 3, Episode 5 “No ifs, ands, and butts” of Sex and the City, happened. It was nothing overt, just a 30-second scene of Carrie and Miranda chitchatting outside the pretty little bakery, licking the frosting off their pretty little cupcake. Carrie talked about her crush for Aidan while mindlessly eating a “vanilla cupcake with pink vanilla buttercream frosting.” The day after the episode aired, Magnolia Bakery’s two owners found a long line forming outside their bakery.
And the line hasn’t really moved since, especially because the bakery has become a stop in the Sex and the City tour, and fans try to order the same kind of cupcake SJP ate on the show.
Eighteen years and many other pop culture references later (the cupcakes were also discussed in
the Devil Wears Prada), Magnolia Bakery has circumnavigated the globe, opening stores in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seoul, Mexico City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, Riyadh, Amman, and Doha.
Yesrerday, after years of painstaking negotiations, the Philippine branch finally opened.
Located at the lower ground level of the still being constructed One Bonifacio High Street Mall, the 100square-meter, eight-seater M Bakery has a charming vintage vibe, still looking very much like a neighborhood bakery, replete with its trademark open kitchen layout where you can view the bakers working on their delectable creations. (Due to “branding” issues, Magnolia Bakery has chosen to be called M Bakery in the Philippines.)
Here, everything is made on site, so freshness is always guaranteed. The aroma of the baked sweets waft in the air, and the display area has a dizzying array of any of the 250 handmade creations. (Check back often, seasonal favorites will be offered.)
While cupcakes are the top selling category, the banana pudding is, hands down, the single most popular menu item. In the US, about 3,000 tubs of banana pudding are sold a day.
Made with layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas, and creamy vanilla pudding, this is absolutely the fan favorite. It also comes in a chocolate version, where layers of Oreo wafers, creamy chocolate pudding, and chocolate shavings replace the vanilla wafers and pudding.
Stewart Ong, the managing partner of Phil Jacobe Ventures, Inc., the M Bakery franchisee in the Philippines, says he brought over the bakery to the Philippines after falling in love with the banana pudding after a visit to one of their branches. “I was in New York a few years ago and a friend told me to try Magnolia Bakery, so I went to the Rockefeller Center branch, and tried the banana pudding. The next day I was back again. The day after that, too. And then the day after that. I was there every day I was in New York.”
M Bakery is Stewart’s first food venture, but his family has been in the franchise and import business for years. “I think they gave the franchise to us because they saw how much I loved the brand, plus we have a solid background in bringing global brands to the Philippines.” He continues, “I think M Bakery is a perfect fit for Filipinos because we love giving pasalubongs,and we love celebrating life’s special moments.”
For pasalubongs, on offer are six to nine-inch cakes for advance order: Confetti, Banana, Caramel, Flourless Chocolate, and Lemon. Yum.
To make sure that the Philippine branch stays loyal to the worldfamous taste (and appearance) of the Magnolia Bakery treats, a team from the US headquarters have been flown in.
“We’ve been here three weeks, and we’re telling each other, this feels right,” says Erick Larios, director of Franchise Operations. “We’ve just been feeling the vibe, and we see how Filipinos love eating out.”
Erick came with Chef Kiran Shetty, the regional executive pastry chef who’s been standing guard over the bakers to make sure that the cupcakes are baked just right; director of franchise training Minh Quyen Ngo, who’s made sure that everything passes quality control, and Joely Anderson, who is the master cake icer (and Chicago production manager for Magnolia Bakery.)
Chef Candy Lu, who is also a managing partner for M Bakery, trained in NYC for six weeks.“From the aroma of freshly baked cookies coming out of the oven to the cakes and cupcakes being decorated in full customer view, M Bakery will be much more than just a bakery—it will be an experience,” she promises.
Stewart shares that they took great lengths to source the ingredients. “It took us a year to decide which ingredients will have to be sourced abroad and which we can get locally. That’s how dedicated we were to maintaining the integrity of the original taste and flavor.”
Yesterday, the first five people on the line as M Bakery opened got get a yearlong supply of banana pudding. The lines for the next few weeks may be postSATC levels, but what’s another two or three hours waiting on top of the 18 years since we first saw—and dreamed of—that pink vanilla cupcake? Plus, Carrie Bradshaw would have told us that it’s time to make new pastel-colored memories. Pink tutu, optional.
“I was in New York a few years ago and a friend told me to try Magnolia Bakery, so I went to the Rockefeller Center branch and tried the banana pudding. The next day I was back again. The day after that, too. And then the day after that. I was there every day I was in New York.”