Good Shepherd Café is now serving pasalubong-inspired treats in Baguio
There's a new food spot to visit in Baguio: Good Shepherd Café is now serving its pasalubong-inspired treats at the Baguio Cathedral.
The café, which launched with a soft opening on July 20, is set to delight guests with its creative twists on bestselling Mountain Maid products made by Good Shepherd Baguio.
Robbie Pantaleon, the coffee shop's owner, shared a glimpse of what to expect at Good Shepherd Café with PhilSTAR L!fe.
"While ube is the star, we're also using other Mountain Maid staples—like strawberry jam, lengua de gato, and peanut brittle—and turning them into drinks, pastries, gelatos, and spreads," he said.
Among the treats they can try are peanut brittle crunch bread, ube cinnamon swirl, Baguio longganisa bun, ube ensaymada creme brulee, and peanut brittle and ube crinkle gelato.
The café is also serving up refreshing drinks like Shepherd's Latte, made with cereal milk coffee from Everything Nice's popular ube flakes.
Among the savory dishes available are rice bowls, pasta, salads, and sandwiches made with locally sourced ingredients like kiniing.
'Everyone's welcome!'
"Diners can expect a warm, locally grounded experience," Pantaleon told L!fe. "I want people to feel like they belong here, that they can afford something on the menu, and that they're part of a bigger story. The Good Shepherd has always stood for community and inclusivity, and we're building the café around those same values."
Pantaleon, the shop's independent owner, got the Good Shepherd Convent in Baguio's full blessing for the café. The convent is not involved in the daily operations of the Good Shepherd Café.
The entrepreneur first collaborated with the Sisters of Good Shepherd Convent in 2022 through Everything Nice Café when they created ube crinkles, ube flakes, and chocolate flakes.
Good Shepherd Café is located in a space that used to be a religious gift shop beside Baguio Cathedral. To honor this, Pantaleon shared that the café has a small pasalubong corner for rosaries, keychains, and simple religious tokens.
A portion of the café's proceeds will also support economically challenged scholars, pediatric cancer patients, and other beneficiaries, according to Pantaleon.
Good Shepherd Café is now serving daily on soft opening from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Baguio Cathedral.