Heads up, foodies! There’s a new bistro-bakery quietly brightening up Bonifacio Global City, and it’s hard to miss. Sitting along the Verve Tower 2, Flour Pot feels like a burst of sunshine with its cheerful yellow exterior and a warm, inviting dining space — one that immediately tempts you to linger. Whether you’re dropping by for a cup of coffee paired with a beautifully made pastry or settling in for brunch, lunch, or dinner, Flour Pot is designed for easy, comforting moments around good food.

Behind the counters of delicate cakes and sweet pastries is Chef Rhea SyCip, the woman who brought Flour Pot to life. In an exclusive interview with The Beat Asia, we sat down with the mind and heart behind the brand to talk about how it all began, what diners can expect from its evolving bistro-bakery menu, and why sustainability isn’t just a buzzword here, but a core value that shapes how they source ingredients, work with local producers, and approach food as a whole.

From a Small Seed to a Sweet Spot

Chef Rhea’s journey with Flour Pot grew from a passion for cakes and one that — like bread — took time to rise. She built an impressive career in culinary operations, serving as corporate chef for Dome Café Philippines, where she became the youngest corporate chef at just 23, and later as Food & Beverages Director at Discovery Primea. Baking was something she always came back to, a quieter passion she now calls her “love language.”

“Baking has always been an escape for me. I was an introvert, so I would really prefer to be in the kitchen rather than outside entertaining. Baking is my love language for my family and friends, and that was kind of how it evolved. I started taking lessons when I was seven or eight years old. Then, while I was working in the hot kitchen, I was baking on the side at home.”

Chef shared with The Beat Asia how she thought of the name for Flour Pot alongside the idea for the award-winning Signature Butter Rum Cake way back in 2011, but it wasn’t until five years later that she began developing it. The brand was born in 2017 when she began selling her cakes online.

“It was when I got exposed to the farms and got to talk to the farmers,” she explained. “In the first edition of Flour Pot, I used artisanal butter from Bukidnon. It was organic. Every week, the butter flew in from Bukidnon. Then we had to stop because they didn’t have enough volume for it. That’s when I realized I really have to keep talking about it. It’s really more in the sustainability aspect of it.”

Flour Pot has since evolved into a bistro with the opening of its first restaurant in Manila last Dec. 10. From the moment you step into the bakeshop, you’re greeted by a colorful spread of pastries and desserts. On each side of the store are the dining spaces, which evoke warmth and cozy vibes, perfect for your brunch meets or afternoon tea.

More than just a bakery, Flour Pot offers hot dishes too, which we got to sample during the opening. Some of the dishes that caught our attention were the Smoked Duck Salad made with house-smoked EDL Duck, fruits in season, an assortment of greens, and Bignay vinaigrette; the Roast Chicken Curry made with their signature curry sauce, Biohogs' roast chicken, and Lychee; and Lambsagne, which has roast lamb shoulder, bechamel, and lasagna.

On the bakery side, the chef shared that 80% of their pastries were created for the restaurant. They also added a new cake to the spread: the Rose Cake, which sits prettily alongside their signatures like the Strawberry Shortcake, Carrot Cake with Burnt Butter Cream Cheese, and the Hummingbird Cake.

Browsing through the menu, it’s evident that the sustainability aspect shines through with most of the offerings made from organic products sourced directly from local farmers.

“My husband and I are advocates for farmers and anything local. That hasn’t changed. It actually matured. Before, I was just scratching the surface, and now that I meet the farmers, that’s a different story. The sustainability aspect of Flour Pot evolved to what it is now, and I’m very happy that in this setting — seeing the products in the display case — I can pinpoint who the people are behind these ingredients. I know it’s me making them, but it also has to start with good ingredients.”

Chef Rhea shared that she has a forager and would often come up the mountains to forage with them whenever there’s an abundance of certain fruits like wild raspberries.

“I’m just happy that I have this venue to introduce it to more people,” she said.

When asked why she chose to expand her offerings beyond cakes and pastries, Chef Rhea simply replied that it has more to do with how Filipinos love to eat.

“There are times that comfort food is cake, but there are also times when comfort food is pasta or fish. I felt that I had to go back to my roots,” she expressed. “Being identified as a pastry chef just evolved when I started Flour Pot. Before that, I was a Food and Beverage director. Fifteen years ago, I was a hot kitchen chef, and I wanted to showcase that — to show people that I can also do hot food. I have the patience to wait for a cake to bake, but I also have that kind of rush in coming up with hot food.”

The chef also shared that most of the recipes were influenced by their personal travels and by what her loved ones liked to eat. When asked if there was a dish she would recommend, she named the Roast Chicken Curry, which is made from the freshest ingredients and a curry paste she had developed herself.

“We lived in Bangkok for a few years, and it came to a point that I’m more comfortable cooking curry than cooking Adobo!” She shared. For the cakes, she recommended the Signature Rum Butter Cake as it was the cake that started it all.

More than just a place for desserts, Flour Pot is Chef Rhea’s thoughtful vision of food that’s intentional, comforting, and deeply rooted in care for both people and the planet. The chef talked about how it’s both a passion project and a way for her to work with the people who believed in her. It wasn’t something she thought of on a whim, but a carefully seeded plan that took years to bloom.

“I really wanted to come up with something that I — and hopefully my family and friends — will enjoy. Back then, I told my friends that I was not selling because nobody would buy it. I know the cost is very high with using free-range eggs and artisanal butters, for example. But I guess it’s a reception that made me believe that there’s something more to it. That I could do more,” she said.

“I have line cooks here with me who were my line cooks in 2005. My general manager used to be my banquets manager in a hotel. As soon as they learned I was opening Flour Pot, they joined me. It’s a kind of homecoming. They just wanted to be part of it. It’s a family that we’re building here.”

Flour Pot has every intention of remaining true to its vision of providing delicious food and cakes that champion local farmers and produce. Chef Rhea shared that this would make their menu ever-changing as they’ll highlight new dishes and pastries in between seasons, whenever there’s an abundance of vegetables or fruits that are available.

When asked what sets it apart from other bakeries in Manila, she replied, “I guess it’s the heart behind it. Our vision and our mission were very clear from the start: that it’s about sharing what we can do and the heart behind it. What will set us apart is how we do things. We did not develop recipes because we wanted to come up with a business. The cakes came before the business. It’s the same thing from the start. I hope people can see and taste it in each of the creations we’ll be serving.”

And if there’s one thing we could learn from her journey, it’s that patience truly is key when building something lasting. The chef cleverly compared it with baking and how patience is something every baker should have in mastering the craft.

“It’s a science, yes, but everyone starts from somewhere. And most of the time, for bakers, it’s usually a disaster,” she said. “That’s how I started, too. It took a lot of patience until I got it right. And then once I got it right, that’s when I started to understand the science behind it. If I weren’t patient enough, then I would’ve given up. It took me like ten times to make an icing, and I thought I was doing everything wrong. But it turns out I just needed one more minute to make it come together.”

You can look through their bakery menu on their website. For updates Chef Rhea SyCip on Facebook and Instagram, or stay tuned on Flour Pot Bistro & Bakery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous Yes Chef! profiles here.