On a Memory Mission
As a child, when Martha Naguiat-Ebro watched her grandmother make ensaimadas, she never thought that years later, she’d be trying to perfect them herself. In fact, although she loved the taste of them, she had little interest in the process. But, as she says, “Everything happens for a reason.”
Ensaimadas are a popular Filipino pastry, featuring a briochestyle dough, traditionally topped with an edam-style cheese.
“Nothing really compares to her ensaimadas… It took all day [to make them],” Naguiat-Ebro recalls.
She admits that as a child, she didn’t understand the need for the amount of effort that her grandmother put into the tasks associated with their preparation. But somehow a seed was planted. Later, after training as a pastry chef at Vancouver’s Dubrulle International Culinary Arts and working in the Philippines as a pastry chef, her formal training and experience enlightened her understanding of the recipe.
“My foundation skills kicked in,” she says, explaining that “it’s loaded with butter, which makes it heavy, so it needs to be mixed longer… The sponge [in a process akin to using a sourdough starter] makes it light.” The dough is rolled into spirals, proofed and then baked before being topped with cheese and other ingredients.
Naguiat-Ebro made it a mission to recreate that recipe and rediscover the ensaimada she remembered. She called it The Ensaimada Project and that’s what morphed into Heritage Baking in 2021.
The ensaimadas are available in a variety of flavours — from the classic, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano, to one made with the ube (purple yam) and aged gouda. Rich salted egg yolk and dulce de leche also make an appearance. The socalled “Bad Boy” is named lovingly for her son Antonio. It’s made with charcoal derived from coconut and has a distinct black appearance, topped with pork floss — savoury, sweet, dehydrated pork with a cotton-candy texture — and togarashi and sriracha. Naguiat-Ebro’s daughter Angela, who now works as an employee of the bakery, helped create the Nutella ensaimada. “They are flavours that remind me of home,” Naguiat-Ebro says.
The business truly is a family affair. Naguiat-Ebro’s husband Raymond Ebro and her brother Miguel Naguiat help with baking and business and at the farmers’ markets, where Heritage Baking sells its delights. The business has built a following for ensaimadas, but also offers favourites such as lemon loaf and the cruffin, which features cinnamon and sugar and has been quite popular.
Naguiat-Ebro has taken opportunities to collaborate with other producers and source some of the fruits B.C. offers, including black plums from Mandair Farms, used in a compote to fill pastries. In the summer, Heritage Baking can also be found at Athiana Acres, a regenerative farm in Steveston, which hosts weekly Saturday markets.
After 22 years as a pastry chef, Naguiat-Ebro says she’s learned consistency is key.
“You have to be consistent in all things — in your product, in your work ethic. That’s how we earned our customer base.” It’s something she reinforces with her daughter — why she’s meticulous about the methods they use and the way they present their products.
When asked if she’s finally reached the heights of her grandmother’s recipe, Naguiat-Ebro says she knew she was on the right track in 2016 when her mother tried a batch and gave her a thumbs up. But when asked if she’s finished? Her answer is, “I’m continuously improving it.”
Heritage Baking Inc.
Unit 150, 1507 Powell St., Vancouver, B.C.
heritagebakingvancouver.com | 604.729.4273
@heritagebakingvancouver
Order for pickup at Coho Commissary in East Vancouver.
