Meet the Top 3 Filipino Vendors at Sweet City Fest

Asian-owned businesses stole the show as more than 100 vendors gathered at Sweet City Fest held at Stackt Market—a shipping container shopping centre—in Toronto from February 9 to 19, 2024.

During the 10-day festival dedicated to celebrating all things sweet, Auntie’s Supply and Barkada Mrkt., both Filipino-owned companies, joined forces to curate the vendor market, featuring 17 local Filipino-owned vendors.

These businesses highlighted the best of the Philippines, presenting a great blend of nostalgic and modern elements that offers the established Filipino community a comforting taste of home.

From vendors serving up tusok-tusok to modern Filipino desserts, Sweet City Fest catered to every kababayan’s (fellow countryman) cravings.

While the event featured numerous amazing vendors, here are some standout new local Filipino businesses that are worth highlighting:

Tito Parley’s

Craving Filipino dessert? Check out Tito Parley’s!

Parley Manuel and his partner, Shermaine Buencosejo are the creative minds behind Tito Parley’s Premium Silvanas and Sans Rivals.

These premium frozen cookie sandwiches are crunchy, delicious, incredibly addicting, and truly reminiscent of Filipino culture.

In fact, it was a trip to the Philippines in 2020 that inspired these creations.

Eager to bring a taste of the Philippines to Canada, Manuel and Buenconsejo started creating these luxurious Filipino desserts with a twist, featuring inventive yet classically Filipino flavours like calamansi, pandan, and ube latte.

Highly recommended is their Yema Silvana, where rich buttercream, pecans and sea salt blend beautifully to create the perfect dessert.

Beyond the delectable taste of their silvanas, what makes Tito Parley’s special is their commitment to using locally sourced and premium ingredients, while consistently creating new and innovative flavours like Tiramisu and Toasted Sesame with Red Bean.

Currently, the Tito Parley’s store is in Whitby, but you can often find their desserts in specific Toronto restaurants such as Tinuno.

They’re also active in the pop-up market scene across the GTA.

Don’t forget to check out their instagram for upcoming events and new flavours!

Tama Tama

As a first-generation Filipino immigrant accustomed to frequent relocations around the globe, Tama Tama creator, Chelsea strived to discover a sense of home through cuisine.

Inspired by her experiences as a ‘third culture child’, she began creating dishes that embrace traditional Filipino flavours while incorporating cultural twists.

Tama Tama showcases a variety of innovative Filipino dishes, desserts, and drinks, offering a seasonal menu that ranges from Sinigang Udon to Bibingka Soufflés.

Along with her expanding menu, her specialty pandesals stand out as a definite highlight.

Soft, fluffy and perfectly sweet, these pandesals will transport you back to a panaderia back home.

Tama Tama offers a variety of delicious pandesal flavours such as Spicy Tuna with kewpie mayo and Ube Halaya.

Founded in 2023, Tama Tama is an upcoming local business primarily found in the GTA pop-up market scene.

With a menu constantly in rotation and development, be sure to keep an eye out to see what exciting new dishes Tama Tama will offer at the next popup.

Kalamansi Collective

Kalamansi Collective is an emerging and trendy label founded by Kris Pangilinan.

With a journalism background, Pangilinan understood the importance of Filipino representation in mainstream fashion.

When creating his pieces, he emphasizes on the importance of preserving Filipino culture while paying homage to immigrant families.

The brand’s aesthetic is characterized by a stylish, clean, and simple look that incorporates quintessential Filipino phrases such as ‘hello ma’am sir’, and ‘oh my gulay’.

Kalamansi Collective’s best-seller, a tote humorously stating, ‘This bag contains Filipino Party Leftovers’ is not only on-trend but also incredibly relatable to a younger Filipino generation.

The brand’s fun pieces have gained attention on platforms like TikTok, with viral Filipino influencer @otakoyakisoba spotted wearing their creation.

These cool and proudly-Filipino tees and hats are the perfect addition to your wardrobe.

Visit Kalamansi Collective’s website to check out their current pieces.

And if you missed Sweet City Fest, don’t worry. You’ll have a chance to enjoy some of these Filipino businesses at the Enchanted Lights Festival on Saturday, March 2, right in the heart of North York.

Follow Barkada Mrkt to see when their next pop-up events are.

Velika is a writer, creator, digital strategist and full time explorer. She has travelled to over 38 countries and works with local businesses to help create the content of their dreams. To get to know Velika, follow her adventures on Instagram: @Veleeks.