When my grandparents, Victor Valerio, Sr., and Milagros Valerio, started the first Valerio’s Bakeshop in San Diego back in 1979, they were first-generation Filipino immigrants with a passion for bringing people together around great food. Their passion for creating community and sharing their culture was magnetic. Their children—including my dad—took up the legacy, opening locations across North America.

Across multiple generations, the Valerio family expanded our legacy. We opened dozens of stores, bringing beloved tastes and comforting scents of home to Filipino communities nationwide. Each store is proudly owned by a member of the Valerio family, ensuring that every time you step into a Valerio’s, you’re warmly welcomed into a piece of Filipino heritage.

I learned everything I know about the bakery from my parents, Victor Valerio, Jr., and Maria Luisa Valerio. After my dad served 21 years in the U.S. Navy, he opened up a branch in L.A. My love for food and different flavors started here. My earliest memories smell like freshly baked flour, ube, and cream cheese. Watching my dad work hard shaped me. I remember waking up in the early hours to go in, sitting on bags of flour while he experimented with different flavors and my mom served each customer like they were an old friend.

I never expected to open a bakery, but it kept calling my name. After serving in the U.S. Air Force and having two amazing kids with my husband, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way the bakery brought everyone together. It was what I was truly passionate about. Now, with children of my own, I want to raise them in the light of that legacy—knowing their neighbors, taking pride in their heritage, and creating lasting memories that smell like fresh-baked bread.