Pâte Puffs & Pastries: Making special occasions better

Pate Puff & Pastries is located along Tun Joaquin Road in Chalan Kanoa on the highway going up to Fina Sisu. (MARK RABAGO)

A father-and-son tandem are making special occasions on Saipan more exceptional by creating one-of-a-kind cakes at Pâte Puffs & Pastries.
Raul Mojica, who used to work at a bakery and local deli, said the business was established in July 2021 by his son, Cyril, together with his wife. 

“Pate Puff & Pastries is a family business that focuses on assorted pastries and cakes. We opened our doors in July 2021 right after the pandemic, where the majority of the community received government financial aid which gave a boost to our sales,” he said.

A sample of one of their more intricate custom birthday cakes. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Aside from their intricate custom decorated cakes “tailored to the customers’ imagination,” the Mojica family business has also become quite known for their assorted cream puffs.  

The 55-year-old and his son opted to open a custom cake and specialty pastries bakery because “there’s no way they can compete with the many commercial bakeries on the island.”

Since opening nearly two years ago, Pâte Puffs & Pastries has gained a small but loyal following.

Pate Puff & Pastries custom cake artist Raul Mojica. (MARK RABAGO)

“Due to the quality of our work we provide to customers, we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the community. Some of the best feedback we’ve received is that our cakes are actually as delicious as they look while not being overly sweet.”

Mojica, who hails from Mandaluyong, Philippines with over 30 years of baking experience, said his custom cakes range in price from $80 to $180 and can take as much as a week to bake and assemble.

“The customer will send us a photo of the design they want and we always try our best to copy it. Honestly, we can really copy 80%-90% of the likeness of what our customers send,” he said.

As of now, Pate Puff & Pastries, unfortunately, remains just a takeout store that can also take orders online.

“The bakeshop space isn’t enough to house dine-in customers. However, it’s big enough for a customer to walk in and place an order of their liking,” added the elder Mojica.

Aside from opening a business during the pandemic, Mojica admits the rise in the cost of baking ingredients like eggs, milk, flour, etc. has also been challenging.

Being located inside the village and not in the main roads of Saipan has also been limiting, but Mojica and his son have rectified this disadvantage by making their unique and tasty cakes and cream puffs speak for themselves, which in turn has spread the bakery’s reputation through word of mouth.

Pate Puff & Pastries is located along Tun Joaquin Road in Chalan Kanoa on the highway going up to Fina Sisu. They’re currently open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am-2pm. You can reach them at patepuffpastries@gmail.com, call them at (670) 286-8946, or on their Facebook account.