PROFILES mother and father to create distinctive pastries, starting with phyllo dough made by hand. "You can't fake good quality," Melvyn Jr. says. "All that labor of love comes out when you make it by hand. It's labor intensive, but it really shows in the quality. We really wanted to go away from market-style cakes. We really, really try to make sure our quality line is better." He points out that BakeMark plays an influential role in helping them create uniquely flavored pastries and cakes that their customers love. "BakeMark has been great," Melvyn Jr. says. "They have always helped us out. BakeMark provides the base for great taste and we add our own flair to it all." Miguel adds that America is amidst a resurgence in appreciation and interest in hand-crafted foods. "Quality is really making a resurgence," he says. "People want craft and quality. It's worth it to them to pay a little more. And food fusion has a taken on a new contemporary presentation of traditional items." On the bakery side, another unique item is called the Florentina. "We had gone to a BakeMark class where they made a little Florentine biscuit and added fresh fruit to it. We decided to make a large version. We buy the Florentine paste from BakeMark and make a large tostada shell and put an eight-inch Cubanstyle sponge cake inside of it. Then we make our own Bavarian crème and cover it with whipped cream and top it with fresh fruit." MARCH 18 | PANADERIA 41