General Manager Arie Cuerva Kidder shares the story of their beloved brand and why their mango torte is such a multi-generational favourite
If you have enjoyed a meal or celebration in any of the lovelier homes within Metro Manila, chances are that you have had a slice of Cuerva Bakeshop’s legendary mango torte, their most recognised dessert. That golden disc studded with fragrant ripe mango balls simply bordered by piped whipped cream. Beneath it lies a layer of sweet mango sauce that adds depth of flavour, supported by the chewy, nutty meringue crust. The perfect bite should have all those components that deliver just the right balance of fruitiness, sweetness, and texture. It is a dessert that has lived through three generations, several presidents, numerous natural disasters, not to mention the worst pandemic of our lifetime. Yet, Cuerva’s mango torte—along with the equally popular honey cake and the rest of their mouthwatering desserts—continues to endure.
What for the rest of Metro Manila is a celebration dessert, is simply grandma’s cooking for Aria Cuerva Kidder. The current general manager of Cuerva is the granddaughter of its founder Paz Unson Reyes-Cuerva and daughter of Paz’s second of three sons, Tony. The Ateneo graduate pursued further studies in the US where she took up Culinary Arts in 1995, which unfortunately was also the year her grandmother—whom she called abuelita—passed away. Still, Kidder would visit Manila annually for product development and train the bakers. Upon her return in 2015, she finally took on the role of general manager while her father Tony remains “involved in the big picture of the business.”
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Kidder seems to have been groomed for this part. “I grew up baking alongside my grandmother in her house in San Lorenzo Village since I was very young,” she says. “In high school, I started helping her with decorating cakes and during the busier holidays.” This home business started back in the early 1950s when her abuelita won a mixer during one of their bingo nights with some American friends. The mixer, a Sunbeam, was what Paz used to bake for family and friends, putting her Home Economics degree from the University of Santo Tomas to good use.
When her growing family moved to San Lorenzo Village in 1954, Paz started accepting orders for her baked goods. Soon, her macapuno rolls, ensaymada, cinnamon rolls, and mango cake were receiving a lot of attention and was getting featured in various publications. The famous mango torte was an innovation born out of practicality. “My grandfather’s family farm in Bulacan had an abundance of mangoes at the time, and so my grandmother had to find ways to utilise the extra mangoes that were sent over,” Kidder explains. Their spectacular honey cake, in turn, was something Paz developed after a trip to Europe and having discovered new pastries while she was there.
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