About Us
“A girl who decided to just go for it. From the passion of a home baker a dream was born. She trusted in the magic of her basic ingredients to work: experience, passion, focus, determination, resilience and staying power. And now, the novice has become the Boss.”
– Mom
How it all started..
Everyone has something to tell, a piece of family history and traditions to share. Ours has always been one forged in the kitchen through the love for food and pastries. My love and fascination in the art of baking started from a “fresh out of college” education at the Dubrulle International Culinary School in Vancouver, Canada and was honed through various employments in the hospitality business and international short courses. Out of this passion was born “The Weekend Baker and The Ensaimada Project, a home-based baking business literally done on weekends and spare time only. It was during the pandemic that I started to do this fulltime. With the encouragement of family and friends, backed with 22 years of experience as a Pastry Chef, The Heritage Baking Vancouver came to light. A variety of baked goods, now available online, are all inspired by our heritage and family traditions.
Meet My Lola Ella
Lola (Filipino word for Grandmother) Ella is our inspiration behind The Ensaimada Project. She makes the softest and fluffiest ensaimadas. It was always a treat to get the first bite fresh from the oven. I remember her making it from scratch and lovingly shaping it one by one done the old fashioned way. No heavy mixers, proofers and ovens back then! It was just unfortunate that she was not able to pass down the recipe before she passed on. After culinary school, I made it my mission to come up with a recipe that is as close to hers, hence the name The Ensaimada Project. Now that this challenge has seen the light of day, I mustered all the guts and confidence to take it to the next level. It gives me and my family so much pride and joy that we can bring a part of our childhood memory to your home in every gathering or celebration. Cheers to all our Lolas!
Our Team
Martha Naguiat-Ebro
At the helm of the company is Martha Naguiat-Ebro, an award-winning Pastry Chef from Manila, Philippines. Way back from her home country (before migrating to Canada) she was the Baking Program Director of Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy, an instructor at the Center for Culinary Arts and Pastry Chef at Red Ribbon Philippines. She participated and coached various international competitions in Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vancouver. She was also a Jury Judge competitor at the Asian Pastry Cup in 2010 where her team placed 5th.. Until recently, before she decided to take the leap to open her own business, she was the Pastry Chef of Hyatt Regency Vancouver. When not cooking and baking, you would often find her around the city, searching for new cafes, bakeries and food trucks with her husband Raymond and kids Angela and Anton. Aside from food, she has a passion for photography and travel.
Miguel
Miguel brings with him 17 years of banking experience and has passionately pursued a career in the banking industry. Prior to moving to Canada, he has worked in some of the Philippines’ top financial companies and made him cultivate the skills needed for efficient loans booking, monitoring and collections and credit underwriting. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management and has also taken financial courses and investment funds here in BC. (He knows his numbers!) His work experience has taught him the value of embracing challenges, consistent hard work and accountability. He handles the accounting operations of the Company. When he is not busy counting numbers, Miguel is often seen in the gym, playing golf or running. He considers the beach as his happy place and enjoys picnics and barbeques.
Raymond
Raymond is the all-around guy at Heritage Baking…he does everything from purchasing, delivering, sales and even baking! A real Star Wars and Lego fanatic, Raymond’s training hails from an international banking institution wherein he worked various roles to hone his skills in sales, operations and customer service. His first job in Canada was working as a barista in a local café. Aside from learning how to make a mean Espresso and Cappuccino, Raymond’s customer service was recognized that led him to a Supervisory position. He currently still works at a local credit union while making sure that Heritage Baking is well supported. Raymond enjoys the great outdoors, running marathons, and loves to go camping with his family. He considers reading Sci-fi and Techno-thriller novels as a good way to decompress.
Angela
Angela is our baker apprentice and the creator of our Nutella Ensaimada. She makes a mean Spanish Bread in addition to baking our cookies and salted caramel pecan bites. When not in the kitchen she can be found at either a bubble tea place, a craft store or vintage store. A really talented and hard-working young lady, she hopes to travel to Paris someday and eat all the pastries and Viennoiseries she can get her hands on.
