Welcome to Projekt Blend Café, a fresh addition to Langley, BC, where they blend modern pastry trends with the rich flavors of Filipino specialty treats. Owned by a passionate husband-and-wife duo with 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, the café offers a unique fusion of sweet creations, from decadent macarons and artisanal croissants to irresistible ube cheesecakes, treats and leche flan.
The entrepreneurship journey of Nora and Dennis Vacalares has been amazing. A young couple in business, husband and wife team have chosen to be business owners in Langley, whose Filipino population is slowly growing in numbers. Their clientele, however, is a combination of many diverse cultures and they have been featured by bloggers of different ethnicities because of the flavours they introduce in their coffee and food.
Nora and Dennis were born in the Philippines, growing up and studying in Metro Manila, Nora finishing with a degree in Physical Therapy at Fatima College University in Valenzuela, and Dennis graduating from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila with a degree in BSHRM. Their careers took them both into the hotel and restaurant businesses and their passion for food was a natural outcome of their exposure to excellent cuisine
“When my husband and I came to Alberta in 2007 from Dubai, it was a really difficult time for us since we came from a very warm country, and being in Alberta at that time was really a challenge.” They overcame the challenges, however, and started their family. Their first born son was born in Red Deer while their daughter was born in Regina, SK, as they had to move from one province to another to get their permanent residency.
It was in 2016 that they decided to move to BC, and they have never looked back.
As with many families, 2020 was a challenging year. They had just moved to Langley in 2019, and Nora wanted to open a Filipino convenience store because there wasn’t one close by.
During the pandemic, they got laid off from work and they finally decided to start their first business which is Pinoy Spot Asian Mart in Langley.
“It was tough at the beginning but I wanted to open the store,” Nora shares. She asked Dennis to do the marketing plan while she took care of the other details.
From opening the store, she saw the diversity of Langley, and her love for Filipino food and products inspired her to open another business.
“I think what gives me the drive to open another Filipino business is that I want the other cultures to try and to love our food,” Nora adds. “It’s how we introduce the food to them, as they see and taste it in Filipino parties and the feedback especially with non-Filipinos was overwhelmingly good.” Nora says that she always wants honest answers since Filipinos know the real taste of Filipino food, and so she wanted non-Filipinos to have a taste and to give her their feedback. As expected, lumpiang shanghai, pancit bihon, pork skewers and even turon are always the go-to favourites.
“I have no culinary background but I do lots of home baking,” shares Nora. Her inspiration for her croix waffles, croix cookies, ube tiramisu, ube cinnamon bun and other Filipino-relatable fare which includes a longganisa burger with a sunny side egg on top, are the things they observe are trending. They also have a gut feeling on what cafe goers look for and what Filipino flavours to introduce to the menu, thus, they also have their calamansi black tea. Nora’s pastries are masterpieces, and their customers see the care and love she puts into all of her baked creations.
The next thing Nora and Dennis plan to do is to join Filipino food events so that they can showcase their food more and for their store and cafe to be places that everyone will frequent.
“I would love to join Filipino food events if I get invited. I think that would be a great help for us small businesses to be known and to showcase what we are good at,” Nora says as she smiles and offers me a delicious decaf latte.
Nora and Dennis are truly inspirational, as these young entrepreneurs show us the way to our hearts through our stomachs. Whether you’re looking for a cozy spot to enjoy a cup of coffee or a place to savor one-of-a-kind pastries, Projekt Blend Café is your new go-to destination for delicious, expertly crafted bites in a welcoming atmosphere. And if you need a pack of sinigang mix on the way home to make dinner for your family, Pinoy Spot is just a few doors away.
