Chef Edward David Mateo has always answered to the name Cake Prince, a title bestowed upon him by the food media because he’s an excellent pastry chef who whips up awesome cakes and pastries effortlessly. But now, he is also a kakanin master because his main business, La Royale Patisserie, has spawned another successful business concept called Minatamis PH, a specialty shop for kakanins, or native delicacies. And while Minatamis PH used to be a cloud kitchen, which operated online, it has recently opened a physical store at 23 D. Tuazon, Barangay Don Manuel, Quezon City, due to popular demand.

It is a milestone, considering that Minatamis PH has always fared well since it began operations in 2021. Since that was the time of the lockdowns because of the pandemic, it kept its operations online. Initially accepting orders only on weekends and assigning only certain kinds of kakanin per day, Minatamis PH is now open every day of the week to cater to the kakanin needs of its clients.

Every day, the most common and popular choices of kakanins — biko, sapin-sapin, cassava cake, kutsinta, palitaw, Maja Blanca, and ube kalamay — are always available. They are freshly made every day, and any leftovers at the end of the day are discarded, so that a fresh batch of kakanins can come in the next day.

Aside from these mainstays, certain kakanins are added to the menu, but there is no regular cycle for that, as the schedule changes from time to time. “What customers can do is to pre-order the kakanin that they want two days before they need it so they can just pick it up from the store on the day itself,” advises Chef Edward.

The other kakanins on the Minatamis PH menu are bibingkang Ilocos, bibingkoy, ginataang mais, ginataang munggo, halayang ube, inutak, palitaw sa latik, suman cassava, suman cassava with buko, suman sa lihiya, and ube ginataang halo-halo. They come in large tubs and in prices ranging from P180 to P420, depending on the kakanin.

Also on the menu are desserts like buko pandan salad (in square or round containers), leche flan and minatamis na saging; cakes such as the Original Tres Leches, and Ube and Custard Trifle Tub; and breads like Spanish bread (box of 14) and Cheese Bread (box of 13). Then there is egg tart (in box of six), plus ampalaya, singkamas at mangga achara.

All of these delicious creations have been developed by chef Edward, who continues to spend hours in the kitchen putting together new recipes for Minatamis PH customers to enjoy.