Valerie’s Kitchen has a stunning Strawberry Dream Cake, a buttery and crumbly Apple Pie, and more classic cakes that will make you and your family nostalgic.
Inspired by the women in her life, Valerie Sotto was known for being a budding baker in her circle then. She would recreate classic desserts that would make her customers reminisce about their childhood. Years later, she has turned her hobby into a business and began offering classic favorites like ensaymada, cinnamon rolls, and food for the gods on special occassions.
After more than a decade of occasionally offering these goodies during the holidays, Valerie’s Kitchen which was just a passion project got even more successful when her daughter Trish Sotto started marketing their business in 2017. In the same year, they joined their first bazaar and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, on top of direct orders, they supply to selected Shell Select stores in the metro, the Polo Grounds Café and Manila’s Best Shop at the Manila Polo Club from their home kitchen in Alabang and Makati.
While newer bake shops explore daring flavors and give classic desserts a twist, Valerie’s Kitchen focuses on classic, no-frills, and nostalgic cakes and pastries and they actually do it well. “We at Valerie’s Kitchen champion old favorites, urging people to rediscover and fall in love with cakes that rightfully own the title classic,” shares Trish Sotto. They specialize in traditional American desserts and draws inspiration from recipes handed down from Valerie Sotto’s American grandmother. On top of that, they also do custom cakes and cupcakes that don’t sacrifice quality over aesthetics. Their custom cakes uses the exact recipes as the cakes on their regular menu which makes for excellent quality cakes.
Much like other businesses during the pandemic, Valerie’s Kitchen had their own fair share of difficulties, mostly on ingredients sourcing. However, they quickly got through it as many of their neighbors turned into entrepreneurs overnight — selling produce from their farms, bringing strawberries from Baguio, and turning their garages into mini-groceries. “Although every week a new slew of challenges appeared, with newfound agility we in turn came up with solution after solution – surprising ourselves with our own creativity,” Trish recounts. “Of course, the situation has long since improved — the early days of the lockdown now thankfully a somewhat distant memory. But the resilience and creativity it taught us will always remain!”
According to Trish, there are many exciting things in the works for Valerie’s Kitchen. They’re keen on expanding their custom cake business and are currently working on a commissary expansion to prepare for it. They also have new desserts that they will be rolling out: Lemon Meringue Pie, Mississippi Mud, and more. In the future, they plan on opening kiosks, a physical store with dine-in, and a dessert catering service.
For exclusive updates and offers, visit their Instagram. For orders, visit their order link.
