Judy Lao’s home had the distinct smell of Christmas.
I was welcomed by two adorable schnauzers and an invitation to have a cup of coffee when I first met her in late November.
It immediately became clear to me that the “Fruticake Queen” is no kitchen diva, she is casual and warm like a favorite aunt or a close friend’s caring mom.
Judy Lao has been making fruitcakes for forty one years now. She has baked her way through modern Philippine history: from martial law to rotating brownouts, from import bans to numerous natural disasters. Her famous fruitcakes have never missed a single Christmas since 1975. They’re consistent and dependable, perhaps not unlike like Judy herself.
She has an impressive clientele including Vilma Santos, Charlene Gonzalez-Muhlach and Jamie Rivera. Over the years, she has gathered a treasure trove of stories from celebrity-clients-turned-friends.
In the seventies, the only fruitcakes that reached our shores were the ones from America. Packed with pecan and rhum, they were considered inedible by many. For Judy, this all changed during a trip to Switzerland, where she was first able to try a slice of fruitcake which she genuinely enjoyed. European fruitcake, she said, was very different.
Judy had one goal in mind.
“I just wanted to introduce this edible fruitcake to the Filipinos,” she said, emphasizing that she never had the intention to milk money out of her lil’ hobby.
Even if she has baked thousands of fruitcakes over the years, she still considers this fruitcake business a “seasonal hobby” instead of a money-making venture, which is perhaps why she could still talk about it with passion and enthusiasm.
Judy came up with her recipe through trial and error, and without the help of Google. She studied different cook books and her relatives acted as her guinea pigs when she was still testing out her products.
“It wasn’t easy. I remember it was my brother who told me, it should come to a point that you are selling to people you don’t know, that’s the time you’re considered successful,” she said.
Judy compared the early days of her fruitcake business to selling encyclopedia. She used to knock on the houses of friends and relatives to offer her sweet delights. It was only after fifteen years or so when “success” came.
Now, Judy hires a seasonal crew of about ten employees who help her pack the goods. She makes it a point to hire people who might need a little extra during the Christmas season like out-of-school-youth or moms of scholars of the Tzu Chi Foundation, an international humanitarian organization where Judy volunteers.
“It takes patience… it takes a lot of time,” she said when I asked what makes her a successful homebaker.
Judy tried to train people in baking, but no one was successfully able to replicate her award-winning fruitcakes. So she handles all the baking by herself with the help of her three trusty ovens.
Her current line has four variants: Classic Fruitcake, made using Judy’s original recipe. Ju.D’s Blue Fruitcake, inspired by the Starbucks craze, made with Blue Mountain coffee and Kahlua liquor soaked into the cake. Ju.D’s Gold, an apricot and cranberry fruitcake baked with honey and orange. And Ju.D’s Prune drizzled with coffee. She also has kid-friendly, non-alcoholic fruitcake cookies called Chewy Chewkies.
Judy’s life goes back to “normal” every January, when people “forget” about her business, but, Ju.D’s fruitcakes are something you never forget.
And really, Judy Lao will always be the “Fruitcake Queen” no matter what time of year.
For more information, you may call 633-1188 or 633-0260. You may also check out her Facebook page.
