Melody Lorenzo remembers that after Christmas mass every year when she was growing up in the Philippines, vendors would gather outside the church to sell steaming hot bibingka—coconut rice cakes baked over charcoal, in terra cotta pots lined with banana leaves. The vendors would top the cakes with butter, salted egg and freshly shaved coconut. “You’d eat it hot and fresh,” Lorenzo recalls. Now the proprietor of @sweetcondesapastries, an Oakland-based pastry and dessert business, Lorenzo wanted to bring that childhood Christmas memory to life for her customers—especially Filipino customers who haven’t been able to travel back to their homeland during the pandemic. But instead of serving the traditional rice cakes, Lorenzo will work in her chosen medium this holiday season: She’s making graham cracker–crusted custard pies inspired by the flavors of bibingka and other classic Filipino holiday treats like queso de bola. Read more through the 🔗 in our bio. ✍️: Luke Tsai/KQED 📸: Rezel Kealoha