NYC’s Famous Gluten-free Bibingkas
in Manila from April 21 to 24

Bibingka-esk's delicious bibingkas, clockwise from top: Too Much Chocolate Bingky, __, Chocolate Chip Bingky, Queso de Bingky, Ube Bingky

Bibingka-esk’s delicious bibingkas, clockwise from top: Too Much Chocolate Bingky, Queso de Bingky, Chocolate Chip Bingky, Strawberry Swirl Bingky, Ube Bingky, Turon Bingky, and Blueberry Bingky. Center: My Original Bingky

FOR Filipinos who are feeling homesick in New York City, they have found a taste of home in Bibingka-esk’s line of gluten-free bibingkas (rice cakes). Americans and other foreigners who have had a taste of the Filipino delicacy have also taken a liking to it because it’s a unique kind of treat for them—not a cupcake, not a muffin, not a cookie, but a rice cake.

Available in fairs, county markets, flea markets, expos and pop-up stores in Manhattan and Queens, Bibingka-esk’s bibingkas were concocted by former Human Resources executive Eileen Formanes. Leaving her job as senior vice president to follow her dream of baking and making Filipino desserts famous in New York City, Eileen reinvented the bibingka, gave it her own spin, experimented with different flavors, and focused on the gluten-free aspect of the rice cake so that more people could enjoy it.

Eileen Formanes, founder and head baker of New York City's Bibingka-esk, at the pop-up store on the 5th Level of Shangri-La Plaza

Eileen Formanes, founder and head baker of New York City’s Bibingka-esk, at the pop-up store on the 5th Level of Shangri-La Plaza

She first served her bibingkas to customers in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2013, and the unique treat became an instant hit. Now she makes them available to customers in fairs in Manhattan (including The Hester Street Fair, Bryant Park, Grub Street, Taste Asia and Sweet Spot Festival) and in Queens (Long Island City Flea and Food, Queens County Market, Astoria Nights and Queens International Night Market). There’s also a pop-up store in Brooklyn.

Bibingka-esk likewise participates in specialized expos, such as the Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expo at Disney World, Orlando, Florida; and the Washington DC Gluten-free Expo in Bethesda, MD. Through online sales, though, her bibingkas have been enjoyed by people, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, in different parts of the United States. She is also often called upon to cater to events organized by the Philippine Consulate.

My Original Bingky

My Original Bingky

Take your BIngky pick, clockwise from top left: Turon Bingky, Too Much Chocolate Bingky, Queso de Bingky and Blueberry Binky

Take your pick, clockwise from top left: Turon Bingky, Too Much Chocolate Bingky, Queso de Bingky and Blueberry Binky

Original Bingky, Chocolate Chip Bingky, and Strawberry Swirl Bingky

Original Bingky, Chocolate Chip Bingky, and Strawberry Swirl Bingky

Eileen has successfully created 16 flavors of bibingka. From her Original Bingky, which is the size of a cupcake, she has perfected the formulation for Queso de Bingky, Turon Bingky, Blueberry Bingky, Strawberry Swirl Bingky (she makes her own strawberry jam), Cinnamon Sugar Bingky, Banana Bingky, Chocolate Chip Bingky, Pumpkin Bingky, and Too Much Chocolate Bingky.

Ube Bingky

Ube Bingky is Bibingka-esk’s new best-selling flavor

It took her quite a while to finally launch the Ube Bingky because she wanted to hit the perfect formulation, and now it has overtaken the Original Bingky in popularity.

Bibingka-esk’s bibingkas also come in Assorted Mega (a box of eight different flavors of bibingkas in cake slice shapes or sizes) as well as in Mega Bingky (a whole round bibingka the size of a cake) and Ba-bites (bite-sized mini muffins) that you just pop in the mouth.

Bibingka-esk's Assorted Mega consists of eight cake slice shapes of bibingkas

Bibingka-esk’s Assorted Mega consists of eight cake slice shapes of bibingkas

A Strawberry Swirl Bingky surrounded by assorted Ba-bites

A Strawberry Swirl Bingky surrounded by assorted Ba-bites

Wanting to give her countrymen a taste of New York City’s famous bibingkas, Eileen decided to put up a pop-up store on the 5th Level of Shangri-La Plaza for a limited time only, specifically four days—from April 21 to 24, 2016. So, everyone, you’ve got this weekend to head for Shangri-La Plaza for a taste of Bibingka-esk, the Filipino dessert that has taken New York City by storm.

Category(s): FoodBiz
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