Baking is in my DNA, Bread is our Family's Legacy
My father would always say
“Make Good Bread and They Will Come”
Coming from 3 generations of bakers it is with pride and humility that we offer a new generation of Filipino Americans a new way to enjoy their baked goods and breads that stays authentic to our roots yet at the same time reaching out and going mainstream to cater to thrill-seeking, adventurous eats-young generation.
– Jun Valerio
Early Beginnings
Jun comes from the Valerio family with more than 30 bakeries all over the West Coast.
As a young boy he says “ my earliest memories of baking was when I was about 6 or 7, I would go downstairs to my grandfather’s bakery (we fondly call him Tatay) and grab one of those big log of wood used to crush old dried up bread to make bread crumbs to use for our pan de sal. Then I would help with mixing up the pan de sal dough that we cut up and roll in those breadcrumbs.
After school, we would put hours on the bakery that lasted through almost midnight and a 12-14 hour weekends. That took a toll so I decided to join the US Navy at the age of 19. It was during those years in the military that I realized how much I miss baking and selling the bread and hear the compliments coming from customers, friends and out of state families of our very own customers. So, on my off-time I would come in on weekends and work at the bakery.”
Running and Managing Valerio's in California, Seattle and Canada
In 2000 I left the Navy and started working for my dad again in Carson and co-run the bakeshop with my brother.
Year 2002 I was sent to Union City, CA where I had my first taste of opening a bakeshop all the way from planning, architectural design to establishing and managing the bakeshop on my own.
From there my wife, Kathleen and I quickly opened locations in Milpitas, Hayward, Seattle and Canada.
Throughout my 20 years plus of baking experience, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded with people who have inspired me by selflessly giving me hands-on baking tips or just by being an inspiration by pushing me to be better and do better especially my wife Kathleen who is not just my no.1 critic, but my no.1 supporter as well.
What makes our bread special?
It’s the amount of work we put in and the wealth of experience from the generations before me. There is a proven quality due to the experience and years of servicing our customers and listening to their criticisms and improving on it. I take pride in waking up at 3 a.m. and start my first batch at 4 a.m. making sure that our early morning customers get their bag of hot pan de sal and our famous bicho-bicho.
Our Secret to our
Success
There’s a saying in our line of field that just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it taste good. So, we test out multiple brands of ingredients and use them in our recipe to make sure they complement the product. Lastly, we test them out to our customers while constantly asking for their feedback.
Our Vision
When we designed the store - we had the younger generation in mind. We knew that the core products will bring in our tatays, nanays, lolos, lolas, titos & titas, but we also want to attract the curious millennials and adventurous gen Z. So, we've also added products like Taro Buns, lots of Ube-flavored breads, pastries and our very own signature beverages.
What makes us different is our ability to engage the customer by sight, smell and taste. How?
First, we bake fresh daily in-store – there’s nothing like the smell and taste of fresh baked breads.
Second, we use quality ingredients that’s sourced locally whenever available.
Third, we keep our prices low and we’ll always do due diligence to keep it so.
Jacksonville, FL is our first store and we plan to branch out in other parts of Florida and the rest of East Coast, the Midwest and eventually circle back to West Coast.
But in the end, we just want to reach out and serve the Filipino-American community using a combination of sweat, perseverance, determination and the belief that as my father says “Make Good Bread and They Will Come”.