It was in 1975 when Ju.D Lao started selling fruitcakes. A two-pound loaf of fruitcake at the time was P50. The Philippine population was at 35 million. The average salary was maybe a bit more than a hundred pesos a day. Through the years, Ju.D’s business has endured the scarcity of imported ingredients, rotating brownouts, devaluation of the peso and all sorts of calamities.
Her classic recipe, which took six months to develop was inspired by a trip to Switzerland where she was introduced to fruitcake that she enjoyed. “I’ve never attended cooking classes, but I love to read cook books. I do a lot of experimentations on recipes that catch my fancy. And since I’m from a big family, we’re never short of guinea pigs or should I say, brave and curious souls,” explains Ju.D who has authored two Vegetarian cookbooks for the TzuChi Foundation which are available in the different TzuChi chapters all over the world.
In the 1980s, Ju.D came out with fruitcake cookies which she has called “Chewy Chewkies”. The kids of her customers loved them because they tasted like fruitcake but without the brandy. In the 90s, Ju.D experimented some more and worked on different flavors for fruitcakes giving birth to Ju.D Gold- with apricots and red cranberries; Ju.D Blue- Blue Mountain Coffee fruitcakes; and Ju.D Coffee Prune Cake. Her box of mini fruitcakes offers a sampling of the different flavors.
For orders and inquiries, you may call (02) 633-1188 or (02) 633-0260. Products may be picked up from #50 Greenmeadows Avenue, Quezon City. They can also send via courier.
