Page 9 - •• ManilaUp Vol4#2 single pages

COVER STORY

ome sugar, a little spice, and a heaping dash
of nice – these ingredients come together in
the perfect culinary culmination, but not in
the form of a puff pastry. Rather an aspiring
Spastry chef. Alyssa Sandra Guevara is a
fulltime student at Long Beach City College where she
is currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Baking
and Pastry Arts. The school’s website touts, “The
Baking and Pastry Arts program provides students
with the fundamental knowledge of Baking and Pastry
principles and techniques to prepare our graduates
for employment in Retail, Hotel, and Resort Bakery
and Pastry kitchens”. In pursing this degree Alyssa is
preparing herself for a career path that may potentially
lead to airline catering, convention center and cruise
line menus, supermarket sales, as well as restaurant,
institutional, and hotel-type food operations. To get
where she is now has not been a cakewalk though; it
took grit, strength, and stepping-out of her kitchen &
comfort zone.

THE SUGAR
Alyssa is the daughter of immigrant parents who
came to the United States from the Philippines.
Her father resided in Naic, a municipality in the
province of Cavite, while her mother is from Manila.
During high school, Alyssa was highly involved in
an organization called Key Club, a student-led non-
profit. The club focuses on teaching and spreading four
core values: leadership, character-building, caring,
and inclusiveness. With her fellow members, they
would often participate in community service through
volunteer work. Her propensity for helping others is
likely what lead to her next endeavor.

THE SPICE
In 2017 Alyssa was discovered by the producers
of MPUSA (Miss Philippines USA). In her they saw
great potential and ultimately convinced her to join the
pageant. It was during this first-ever pageant of hers
that she was honored with the crown of Miss Young
Philippines USA Ambassador, in addition to placing
Second Runner-Up. The first-timer’s performance
did not go unnoticed. After competing, Alyssa found
herself receiving many invitations to participate in
fashion shows.
Initially Alyssa’s dream was to become a pastry chef,
and one day she intends to own her own bakery. “Ever
since I was a kid, baking has always been a passion of

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