All Hail Ube Challah
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Sugar & Grace Bake Shop
Ube White Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Ube Biko Yema Cups
Bea’s Filipino baked goods come from Sugar & Grace Bake Shop. Adaeze Nwanonyiri, 40, who co-owns Bea’s with her husband Lenny Rosenberg, 55, saw a partnership with Sugar & Grace as an opportunity to add to their predominantly Jewish customer base. She had already seen success in expanding her bakery’s choices beyond traditional Jewish goods. “Some non-Jewish customers felt excluded. That’s when I brought up the idea of making Bea’s multicultural,” she recalls. “We started with Red Velvet Kola Nut Cake. The kola nut symbolizes peace, unity and kindness in my culture.” The success of the Nigerian baked goods made further expanding Bea’s global reach with Filipino products an easy decision. It helped that ube desserts from the Philippines were already gaining converts from coast to coast.
Ube’s purple color has enhanced its international appeal across generations. Ms. Nwanonyiri saw the eyes of the kids light up when they noticed the “purple stuff” at the Bat Mitzvahs and Bar Mitzvahs Bea’s catered. “They learn ube is a purple yam and associate it with the Philippines. The delicious taste and the geography lesson is a win-win for everyone,” says Ms. Nwanonyiri.
Ube recently entered an even larger market than the 4,000 square foot bakery in the Valley. Ten cafes on the University of California, Los Angeles campus added Sugar & Grace baked goods to their fare. “I met with the administrators in charge of the food system. They tasted some of our treats and fell in love with ube.” She also received unanticipated support from faculty and students who are accustomed to the best campus food in the nation. “Filipinos told the administrators that they have to carry our goods,” she says of grassroots campaign that has extended to all corners of the campus, including UCLA Medical Center.
Ube Colossal Cookies
A Facelift at Sea
Ms. Baral is aka Dr. Baral. Her previous profession was cosmetic surgeon on cruise ships. “I performed aesthetic medical procedures so that passengers could look refreshed after a long cruise,” says the graduate of University of the East Medical School in Manila.
In 2020, the pandemic had paralyzed the cruise ship industry. She was pregnant with her second child and was launching Sugar & Grace in her home kitchen with a Los Angeles storefront. Over the next three years, a transformation counterbalanced her irksome predicament. Ms. Baral outgrew her kitchen within a year. She leased a commercial space that also became too small, too soon. Her father-in-law, Robert Baral, conceived and helped foster the partnership with Bea’s Bakery. This year, Sugar & Grace began sharing Bea’s spacious kitchen and her baked goods became available in the store.
Ms. Baral’s baking skills were self-taught with an assist from undergraduate Chemistry studies at University of the Philippines—Diliman in Quezon City. Using her Brown Butter Ube Oatmeal Cookie as one example of putting science into the oven, she relates, “Brown butter adds complexity. The nutty, caramel, smoky taste contributes a layer of flavor.”
It’s Got to Be Real
Working on cruise ships exposed Ms. Baral to new techniques and flavors from around the world, but the foundation of her baked goods has always been traditional Filipino ingredients. “I know the taste of authentic ube products from growing up in the Philippines,” she says. “I saw that much of the ube products in America used artificial ingredients. All they have in common with ube is the purple color.”
Often when American bakers attempt to use natural vegetables, she notices, “There is a tendency to substitute taro root for purple yam because they come from the same family of vegetables. Ube is superior in taste because of its sweetness.”
Ms. Baral started her business with the primary goal of pleasing Filipino palates like her own. She appreciates the candor of her community. “I must be doing something right if Filipinos are fans of my ube,” she believes. “Filipinos have high standards. They will tell you if they don’t like something. But they also will suggest modifications, such as sugar-free or gluten-free desserts.”
Ube Streussel Milk Buns
Regardless of her growing business commitments, she stays in touch with her customers. “My customers text me and follow me on social media,” she says. “It’s a more personal relationship than you might expect.”
Inspired by a mother from Pangasinan and father from Bulacan, Ms. Baral stays active in her community through the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles and supports Filipino charities. At home, she and husband, Mitchell Baral, are raising their two children in her Catholic and his Jewish faith traditions. “Our Christmas tree has a Star of David on top.” Regarding their children’s meals, she observes, “Our two cultures have introduced them to different types of food.”
She blends the two traditions with ceremonial baked goods like ube challah. “Challah is special in its own right. Adding ube gives it a different twist.” But it also represents a hurdle for a kitchen chemist. “Flavoring bread with ube is challenging because ube has a delicate taste.” She explains, “I have to put just enough ube in the challah for it to shine.”
Ube Challah
Viewers can get to know Ms. Baral and meet other innovative bakers by watching Ms. Nwanonyiri and Mr. Rosenberg’s new show, It’s a Sweet World, streaming on JLTV (Jewish Lifetime Television), Amazon Prime and Xumo. Be sure to tune in on December 15th and 16th for two episodes that feature Ms. Baral. In the weeks ahead; she’ll be announcing giveaways and special offers on Instagram @sugarandgracebakeshop.
Anthony Maddela is a Staff Correspondent based in Southern California and is pleased to devote more time to writing and rewriting. He enjoys interviewing creative Filipinas like Grace Baral, who are dedicated to promoting the best aspects of their culture. He urges Positively Filipino readers to support Fil-Am businesses like Sugar & Grace.
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