At only 26, Kris Edison Tan already has the kind of well-rounded baking career many professionals dream of.
Graduating from Lyceum of the Philippines University with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts and Kitchen Operation back in 2016, he worked his way up to become the head baker for a big restaurant group as well as the sous chef for breads and pastries for a commissary. A year after graduating, he began teaching at Modern Culinary Academy.
Tan challenged himself further by joining and winning in local competitions. He was invited to represent the country at the prestigious Mondial du Pain in France in 2017 and 2019.
“There are two people who influenced me in baking,” Tan says—Chef Dan Basilio, his instructor in college, and master baker Peter Yuen, who Tan believes makes the best laminated doughs. “Being mentored by both of them when I was just 19 was such a blessing for me. I consider them the greatest at what they do. They motivated me to be the best version of myself.”
Pursued dream
Their guidance and the wealth of experience he has accumulated over the last few years gave him the courage to pursue his dream of opening his own shop and studio.
“I’ve visited France and Taiwan and I’ve tried their breads. I don’t want our country to be left behind. I also want to serve quality breads here in our country.” This drove him to launch his own brand called Masa Madre, which is Spanish for mother dough. It’s barely a month old and his bronzed beauties are already gaining quite a cult following.
His items are not only polished and picture pretty, but they are also exquisite. They are very close to the ones found in Parisian boulangeries.
Tan has laminated breads such as croissant, pain au chocolat, kouign amman, and the cheese pie, which is his own take on a gallete de rois from France. He also sells sourdough baguette and brioche loaf.
To guarantee good quality, Tan only uses pure butter. You won’t find any margarine or butter compounds in his baking kitchen in Caloocan. “We also use levain in all our breads to enhance their flavors and give them longer shelf lives. It is the secret to our baked items.”
He adds, “We always go back to the traditional way of making bread. My mentor always told me that we have to know our technique by heart. I guess the passion, our levain, and my love for breads make a difference.”
Follow them in Facebook and Instagram, @MasaMadreBakeHouse.
Angelo Comsti writes the Inquirer Lifestyle column Tall Order. He was editor of F&B Report magazine.
