Images: Provided.
A Filipino couple has turned cravings for comfort food into a tiny Adelaide microbakery serving everything from ube-loaded scrolls to an unexpected smoked fish and burnt honey creation.
What began with small batches of buko pie (a creamy Filipino coconut pie) made for close friends has since grown into a home-based microbakery, with the couple officially launching Crumbs and Comfort on social media and opening their DMs for orders.
“It all began with a craving for something familiar, a food that feels comforting and nostalgic. That was the buko pie,” Nicholette said.
“My friends began saying, “You should sell this.”
“It started from there. Even having one person who believes you can do it encourages you to try providing it for them. If they like it, that’s really good.”
While the buko pie started it all, scrolls are quickly becoming Crumbs and Comfort’s signature, with a brown butter and banana cinnamon scroll currently the crowd favourite.
Rather than starting with one standard cinnamon scroll and simply changing the toppings, Nicolette says each flavour is developed from the inside out.
The ube-loaded scroll carries the purple yam flavour through its filling, while the pistachio version has its own pistachio filling.
“It’s not a case of using cinnamon in every scroll and just changing the topping,” Nicolette says.
“We prefer to preserve the individual flavour from the topping right through to the filling inside.”
The range has also expanded into savoury territory, including a cheesy garlic scroll that has become a particular favourite with the couple’s daughter.
But it is the tinapa scroll that may be Crumbs and Comfort’s most unexpected creation.
Tinapa is Filipino smoked fish, and the couple’s version combines a homemade smoked fish filling with a creamy topping and burnt honey, bringing savoury, smoky and sweet flavours together.
“It’s savoury and smoky, and then he adds a hint of sweetness with burnt honey,” Nicolette says.
“All the flavours contrast with each other and explode together.”
The recipe is Mark’s creation, drawing on his professional chef background, having worked at Penfolds, and his love of pastry, desserts and experimenting with savoury flavours.
“He loves making food look beautiful,” Nicolette says, explaining that even the smallest details matter, right down to making sure the chives scattered over each scroll are cut to the same length.
“He used to work in fine dining, so he loves beautiful food presentation,” she said.
For the couple, however, the tinapa scroll represents more than an unusual flavour combination and presentation.
With August marking Buwan ng Wika, or National Language Month, in the Philippines, Nicolette and Mark wanted to create something distinctly connected to their culture.
“It will be very unapologetically Filipino,” Nicolette says.
That connection to food and culture runs through the wider Crumbs and Comfort range.
Growing up, Filipino gatherings meant tables filled with food and people sharing stories over a meal.
“There’s a story behind every food we make, and we want to share those stories with other people, not only Filipinos and not only our friends.”
It is an idea reflected in the name itself, with the couple hoping their baked goods provide exactly what it promises.
“Food shouldn’t be just about sustenance,” Nicolette says.
“Sometimes you don’t only want food to fill you up. You want something that feels good to eat and puts a smile on your face.”
Crumbs and Comfort
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