A Lagunense has successfully brought a slice of one of the province’s famed delicacies to Canada.
IN the past years, buko pie has become one of Laguna province’s most iconic local products.
For vacationers, a trip to the province will not be complete without sampling the delectable pastry from roadside stores lining Laguna’s national roads.
The best buko pies, according to locals, come from San Pablo City and Los Banos municipality where buko pie making has evolved into a fine art.
Now, Canadians can get a taste of Laguna’s famed delicacy with Verna’s Laguna Special Buko Pie, located in Toronto.
The pie shop is essentially a “mom-and-pop” store operated by spouses Silverio and Myrna Mundin, who came from Laguna province.
Silverio’s family had owned a pie shop in the province, and “he wanted to bring a slice of Laguna to Toronto,” CBC News’ Suresh Doss reported.
“Silverio says that growing up there were rows of buko pie stores in his hometown. And his family ran a bakery where they specialized in these pies, creating variations of them with other types of tropical fruit,” Doss said.
The reporter added that the buko pie is “essentially a remix” of the American apple pie – and he’s not far off from the truth.
Local stories in Los Baños credit Soledad Pahud, who worked as a domestic helper in the United States, as the creator of the classic buko pie.
Pahud had learned to make apple pie during her stay in the U.S. and when she returned to the Philippines in the 1960’s, she and her sisters decided to recreate one of America’s favorite desserts.
However, as apples were then scarce in the Philippines, they decided to experiment with local fruits until they came up with the perfect recipe, using shredded young coconut as a filling.
When Silverio joined Myrna, who worked as a caregiver in Toronto, he decided to make buko pies in Canada as he couldn’t find them there.
Laguna’s buko pie reaches Canada Photos by Silverio Mundin, Facebook
When they started sharing their pies with colleagues, they soon found themselves swamped with orders of buko pies, until they decided to step in and turn their hobby into a business.
Aside from the classic buko pie, Verna’s also offer other classic Filipino pies like ube pie, ube macapuno, and egg pie, which the CBC reporter described as a "a mix between a flan and a cheesecake."
“What impresses me about this strip is that it's a place in Toronto where you can find regional Filipino food that goes beyond the ambassador dishes because it's tailored to the local community,” Doss said.
(JV/With report from CBC News)
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