Cakes are not just desserts. They are also a symbol of celebration or expression of strong feelings such as love, adoration, or gratitude. For some people, cakes are special not only for the taste but also for the personal meanings or stories they carry in their lives.
These are some of the sweet people and delightful stories that popular cake brand Conti’s Bakeshop and Restaurant have served these past 25 years.
For Mary Buensuceso’s mother, the iconic Conti’s Mango Bravo captures one of the best things that her hometown is known for. “Taga-Guimaras siya, so every time na kinakain niya ‘yung Mango Bravo pakiramdam niya nasa Guimaras sya. Na re reminisce nya ‘yung pagkabata niya. Kaya favorite talaga niya ang Mango Bravo.”
That’s quite an endorsement from a native of what’s considered the home of the best mangoes in the Philippines. The cake has become a favorite of Mary and her brother, too, and they look forward to enjoying it as a family on their mother’s birthday. “Talagang na sa satisfy kami,” Mary stresses.
More than that, Mango Bravo has become special to them because it’s “like the celebration of the life of our mom every year.” Mary’s mom is a breast cancer survivor and, knowing full well that the illness can recur at any time, the family is overjoyed at every birthday she gets to mark.
For university professor MyeIcamina-Maravilla and her family, the Mango Bravo has been a part of birthday and other celebrations for over a decade now. She became an instant fan on first bite in 2009. “Wala kasing ibang ganung klase ng lasa ng cake at ganung klaseng creation,” she notes.
The move initially came as a surprise to their guests at the wedding, but it did not take long for the closer relatives to realize how it made perfect sense for Mye and her husband as the Mango Bravo has been part of all their celebrations.
Sharing special occasions with family was also at the heart of young Conti’s fan Anjanet Panelo’s unforgettable 21st birthday. It marked the first time the family celebrated a birthday with a cake, after years of having pancit and ice cream.
Being a new professional, it was also the first time Anjanet took care of the handa herself.
“My first job. Hard earned money ko,” she notes. “It was also our first time eating Conti’s cake.”
What made the Mango Bravo they shared more special was that it was a gift from her older sister. Anjanet was so touched because, like her, her sister had also just started her career.
“Kahit kaunti pa lang ang ipon, ‘yung best seller talaga ng Conti’s ang pinili.”
For Dane Austria had some sort of a similar surprise from her sister last year. The student was not exactly in a celebratory mood when she woke up on her 19th birthday.
But when she got out of the shower, her sister asked her to go to the dining room right away. She got a big surprise when she saw her family there, and with them, her favorite cake. “I was surprised and overwhelmed seeing them,” Dane recalls. ”They really turned my gloomy day into a bright and colorful one.”
From an intimate birthday meal with family to a big wedding party, Conti’s make all kinds of celebrations more delightful with its one-of-a-kind cakes that are all baked and crafted with love and suited to the taste of Filipinos.
