DETROIT (WXYZ) — It was an exciting day in New Center on Thursday, as Detroit's only Filipino bakery – JP Makes and Bakes – celebrated its grand opening.
The owner is a first-generation Filipino-American and tells us he's been dreaming of opening a bakery like this his whole life.
Jonathon Peregrino took us inside the bakery, filled with Filipino rolls, Bibingka, pan de coco and more.
"This is probably one of the biggest hits that I have here which is ube brownies. Ube is sort of like a purple yam that is very prevalent in the Philippines," he said.
All of the treats are from his Filipino recipes that he's been making for years and is now selling inside the bakery.
"I'm first generation Filipino-American. My parents are both Cavite, which is just outside of Manila and I just really wanted to start making things that I missed that I grew up with," he said.
Thursday was the grand opening of the bakery, and Peregrino said his parents, Myrna and Ariel, traveled in from Seattle to help him bake his first batches.
"It’s because of them that I’ve gotten to where I am now," he said.
Peregrino is starting the bakery with the help of a Motor City Match Grant. He's been living in Detroit for 10 years, working as a pastry chef at highly-revered Detroit restaurants Oak and Reel and Le Supreme.
He said he's been dreaming of opening his open Filipino bakery like this for his entire life.
"There’s no Filipino bakeries between Chicago and Toronto so a lot of times, I would be traveling to one of those cities to get something I grew up eating on the West Coast," he said.
On the shelves, customers will find familiar American classics like brownies, but with Filipino ingredients. It's even in the drinks!
Wrapping up the grand opening, Peregrino said the local response has already been incredible.
"There have been people that have come in here just like, 'thank you for bringing fresh pandesal, fresh bread,' fresh treats that they grew up with to the area," he said.
He can't wait for what's to come, and wants "to try to expose people and broaden some horizons through food."
