That line uttered by Willy Wonka (played by Johhny Depp) in 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was most befitting as we prepared to enter the Cake City on Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Keep calm and sniff on.
With lab gowns and hairnets on, we were at ground zero of production for the mammoth Goldilocks brand. Even before you enter the facility, a familiar, tummy-stirring, sweet-rich aroma well-loved by Filipinos around the world since 1966 wafted in the air and filled our nostrils—surely making everyone feel like a golden-ticket winner.
Indeed, Willy Wonka must have dropped in when Goldilocks conceived its cake plant (or at least its present iteration). Designed for kids of all ages, it is awash in colors and features trivia on walls. Huge glass allow unencumbered viewing of the frenetic activity within. Talk about being doubly lucky, our small group of media practitioners during our Cake City tour had celebrities as guides—Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo and husband Ryan Agoncillo, both Goldilocks lovers and endorsers.
The Goldilocks Cake City adventure begins with the Egg Room, where over 200,000 fresh eggs are cracked open daily. The demand is so high, in fact, that both man and machine are conscripted to the task just to be able to meet it. Goldilocks claims that the resulting goop of a year’s worth of eggs (some 5,400,000 in total) can fill an Olympic-size pool.
The Filling Room is where the familiar and favorite Goldilocks-trademark fillings are created. “We make our own whipped cream, the G (for Goldilocks, of course) Cream, and as well as our own butter, the G Butter,” marketing director Pinky Yee says. “We blend (these) with regular flavors for that distinct Goldilocks taste.”
On the same floor is the Dairy Room, where the staff prepare all kinds of frosting.
Some interesting sights to behold: workers swiftly rolling the (what else?) cake rolls by hand as the latter pass in an assembly line and in slabs on wax paper; deft hands applying icing to premium cakes; huge machines that remind us of an industrial factory. There’s no doubt about the massive scale of operations within—and yet Cake City only services Metro Manila’s sweet-toothed patrons.
The Cake Decorating Room is where the company’s trademark Celebration Cakes are created. Almost anything is possible as Goldilocks has secured exclusive rights to locally present popular international brands such as Disney, Warner Brothers, Marvel Studios, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon.
While viewing the busy Icing Room and Premium Cakes Room (where 8,000 premium cakes are made 24 hours a day, seven days a week), the Agoncillos shared just how long the brand has been a part of their lives.
“My cake for my 18th birthday was made by Goldilocks,” Judy Ann recalled. “For every occasion, we have always turned to them for our cakes.”
“Just yesterday, we requested them to make a cake for our daughter’s birthday,” Judy Ann shared, referring to their daughter Yohan.
Ryan shared, “It had a One Direction theme and she loved it so much she asked us if she could sleep with her cake!”
Judy Ann added with a laugh: “Of course we told her she couldn’t. So she gave each one of them a kiss, and went to sleep.”
The Agoncillo household is just one of the millions served by Goldilocks. Each week, the company churns out up to 56,000 cakes—enough to pave the floor of four basketball courts! The massive total of 4,400,000 cakes they whip up each year can form a line from Tawi-Tawi to Taiwan.
This already considerable production rate ups in December to accommodate increased demand. “It’s our peak month,” Yee says, “and it’s a good problem to have.”
As early as mid-November, Goldilocks prepares for the Pinoy holiday celebration. This year, the company collaborated with Judy Ann to create a Goldilocks Limited Edition Cake, the Goldilocks Chocolate PB (Peanut Butter) Banana Supreme.
“I love bananas and I love chocolate!,” the actress declared. “When I was pregnant, I would bake and make sure there were peanut butter and Nutella, as these were the flavors I was craving for.
“When Goldilocks invited me to design my cake and showed the materials I could play with, it was a dream come true! As I entered the Goldilocks Cake City, I saw everything needed by someone like me who loves to cook in there.”
No stranger to kitchen work, Judy Ann was eager to learn more. “Even after taking up culinary classes, I knew there was a lot more about baking that I could learn. The Goldilocks team showed me flavors I could experiment with. I did not want to pass up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I thank the Goldilocks team for helping me come up with this cake,” she says.
At her cake assembly and decorating demo, Judy Ann took everyone through the step-by-step process in making her cake.
“It’s a combination of original Goldilocks cake recipes: banana butter cake, vanilla and peanut butter fillings, and cashew. If you’re wondering why I chose cashew, there’s a story behind that too,” Judy Ann narrates. “I grew up in Antipolo, and when I was younger, I would get a handful from the vendors outside the Antipolo church after school.”
Aside from the cashew pralines, the Chocolate PB Banana cake is also fringed with milk and while chocolate slabs.
Yee added that the Judy Ann is a natural when it comes to her icing skills. “She had an easy time learning. When our team taught her how to work with icing, it took her only one attempt and she got it right,” she shares.
“This cake has a little bit of my childhood, a little bit of my pregnancy…a little bit of me,” Judy Ann said proudly, eagerly striking a pose with husband Ryan and, of course, her signature cake.
The Judy Ann Celebration Chocolate PB Banana Cake will be available starting November 15 and will be on Goldilocks shelves throughout the holiday season.
Cake City Tours can be booked by contacting the Goldilocks marketing team. The tour is free and optional cake decorating activity can be had for a fee. Visit goldilocks.com.ph for more information.
source: interaksyon.com
