MARIA'S

My lola (grandma), Maria, was widowed when my mom was only six years old. She had to fend and provide for her three daughters on her own. A great lover of cooking and baking, she began to make homemade sweets and other treats and started selling them in her hometown of San Ildefonso, Bulacan. She became well known for her delicacies and their popularity enabled my lola to put her daughters through school, and even through college.

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Ka Mareng, as she was known in San Ildefonso, made the best pastillas de leche EVER! Realizing that, till this day - after living in New York for more than twenty-five years, inspite of having so many Filipino stores to shop from - I still have yet to find anywhere, the pastillas of my youth... made me want to change that. I sought to find ways to make authentic Bulacan pastillas available and accessible, not only for myself, but for ALL lovers of pastillas everywhere! And as I honor the memory of my beloved lola, I offer some of her other favorites here too. From me to you.

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- Maricris

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