KAPAMPANGAN pastry chef Krisna Verna Sanchez is one to watch.
At a young age of 24, she is making her mark in the local culinary scene by introducing artisan cakes and pastries made by 100 percent natural ingredients. She curates and sells these daily in her homegrown venture called Sancakes Cakeshop Cafe.
The emerging cakeshop slash cafe, since its opening last year, continues to garner consistently good reviews and attract slew of diners because of Sanchez’ out-of-the-box concept.
In an interview with SunStar Pampanga, she shared that as a young pastry chef, she was inspired to innovate and reinvent classic desserts by accentuating farm-fresh produce in her culinary creations.
Her most notable specialties are her very own Calamansi Cheesecake and Barako Cheesecake—both are free of preservatives, artificial flavoring and coloring—and are only flavored using organic ingredients like locally sourced calamansi and Barako coffee.
Sanchez noted that the reason behind her all-natural advocacy is her desire to present her culinary masterpieces in a way that she uses natural ingredients.
“As an artist, I want to create different colors, tastes, and textures by using chemical-free ingredients. If I want the color of my cake to be brown, I am not going to use a brown food coloring, hence explore other creative options that are local and natural,” she said.
She added that she has loved this freedom of artistic expression, which she had rarely exercised during her previous career.
Sanchez, who is a culinary graduate, had her first taste of kitchen action as an apprentice at The Peninsula Manila Hotel and quickly set her sights on carving out a future in the pastry field while working as a pastry cook at the prestige Hyatt City of the Dreams Manila.
However, she admitted that along the way, she felt that opening her own pastry shop was her true passion and calling.
With her meager savings, her parents’ support, and armed with experiences from her former day job, she was able to put up her now booming business in the City of San Fernando.
She shared that she feels fulfilled in embracing the laid back atmosphere of the countryside and feels right at home in the province, as she added that with her return, she aims to provide her kababayans high-quality desserts that are made healthier and exquisitely tasty through organic ingredients.
“The people of Pampanga deserves better products, and I aspire to be one of the young Kapampangans to give back to our province by advocating and promoting naturally-made and consciously-prepared cakes and pastries that we can all be proud of,” she relayed.
Evident to her success is having been recognized and invited by the Department of Trade and Industry as an exhibitor to its various trade fairs in the region.
Sanchez said she is grateful for the many opportunities, and that she is not resting her laurels.
“I will improve myself, so that I can better serve my customers who I deeply value. I plan to learn new recipes and introduce more other than desserts and pastries in my shop, so diners will have more choices. Of course, these meals will also be cooked using 100 percent organic seasonings and ingredients. I can’t wait to share it to everyone,” she quipped.
Currently, Sancakes Cakeshop Cafe offers a wealth of Sanchez’ memorably delicious cakes and desserts that bear her trademark style, as well as tasty sandwiches, and hot and cold beverages.
Sancakes Cakeshop Cafe is located at Margaret Building, Don Ramon Village, San Agustin, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. For inquiries, call (045) 436 5772 or 0916 991 2183.