Culture Through Cookies with Cafe DOCHI
There are the usual ingredients: eggs, flour, butter and sugar. Then, the Ube Halaya for flavoring makes its way into the mix. Maybe add a bit more.
Regilyn would look into the bowl and make notes about the measurements in their head, all in an attempt to find the perfect balance between the combination of Snickerdoodles and Ube flavors in the batch of cookies.
22-year-old CSULB alumn Regilyn Catanyag celebrates their Filipino-American identity by blending classic American cookie flavors with traditional Filipino ingredients in the treats for their successful small business Cafe DOCHI.
Photo courtesy of Cafe DOCHI.
“I just called it ‘Ubedoodle’,” Regilyn says with a laugh. “When I'm making these fusion flavors, I don't want it to become too ‘whitewashed’. I don't want it to come across as like, ‘Oh, this is gentrifying a certain thing in the Filipino culture.’”
With the desire to honor their roots with respect, Regilyn always found themselves turning to their mom for advice, looking to their family, relatives and Filipino community for guidance whenever they experimented with new recipes.
“Being a baker, the thing that best represents you is the baked goods itself,” Regilyn says.
Regilyn discovered their passion for baking in high school through socialization, as they started sharing homemade cookies with friends during events, using food as a way to bond and build community among peers.
It wasn’t until 2021 towards the end of COVID lockdowns that Cafe DOCHI was officially established, gaining more traction online and taking orders more regularly. Named after a dog they adopted in 2019 called Dochi, Regilyn’s furry friend helped them develop the small business’ brand, graphics and logo.
“But I'm currently fixing up the logo, maybe focus[ing] more on our baked goods, because people keep mistaking it for dog treats,” Regilyn adds, grinning.
Despite being established in 2021, Regilyn only fully grasped the rise in popularity of Cafe DOCHI when they began to do pop-ups in markets in August 2023. They started with very small markets in Costa Mesa, but eventually began driving to Los Angeles and Orange County markets for their Filipino-inspired goods to reach more people.
Photo courtesy of Cafe DOCHI.
“And the more people tried my stuff, the more people were like, ‘Oh my god, this is like, really good.’ And then they started asking the questions like ‘Oh, what is Ube? What is Pandan? What is Bibingka?’ So it's really nice to also be that person where other people find out what these Filipino flavors are,” Regilyn says.
Regilyn continues to echo community as a big part of their business’ rising success. At CSULB, they served as the coordinator of Tinikling, a traditional dance team in the Pilipino-American Coalition (PAC). Much like their high school socialization, Regilyn shared their baked goods with the members, promoting Cafe DOCHI during college through these contributions at meetings, practices and events.
Regilyn's generous and food-driven connections persisted even after graduating, enabling Cafe DOCHI to vendor at club events, including the latest one at PAC's Pilipino X-mas Festival.
Earning their design degree in spring 2023, Regilyn creates all the graphics for their brand, including flyers, business cards, stickers, and stamps. They also edit food photos and occasionally assist with the interior of Teofilo Coffee Company, a Filipino coffee company in Los Alamitos where Cafe DOCHI's treats are also sold.
Photo courtesy of Cafe DOCHI.
Like Teofilo CoffeeCofee Company, Regilyn aspires to establish a permanent cafe, as they currently work mostly from home in their kitchen.
“It's like a lifelong dream that I've always had ever since I was little,” Regilyn says. “I always wanted to open a cafe because I've always liked how a cafe atmosphere operates, how communities are always brought together … One day I want to open a cafe named Cafe DOCHI and just sell Filipino goods that I've made.”
This year, Regilyn aims to donate 10% of Cafe DOCHI’s annual profit to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, the Filipino Migrant Center and spcaLA. The three organizations have causes very close to their heart and passions, particularly spcaLA and its dedication to animal cruelty prevention since it was the very place Dochi was adopted from.
“I really love giving back to organizations because as someone who's a person of color and also part of the LGBT community, I understand the struggles that come with being in very impacted communities as well,” Regilyn says.
Photo courtesy of Cafe DOCHI.
Regilyn faced initial skepticism from their traditional family when they came out as queer. However, over time, their parents embraced their identity. Later, Regilyn similarly defied their parents’ expectations by choosing a career in baking instead of medicine. As time passed, they also grew to trust Regilyn's choice and now became strong pillars of support for Cafe DOCHI, regularly trying and appreciating their baked goods.
“At the end of the day, they want me to succeed and to like be happy with my life going forward, with what I'm trying to offer and trying to achieve,” Regilyn says. “And baking makes me very, happy so they always support what I'm doing.”
Now, Regilyn looks toward the future of expanding Cafe DOCHI by further improving their recipes and techniques, as they currently attend the Culinary Arts program at Long Beach City College. Regilyn is also looking to get more experience working for other bakeshops to learn how to further elevate their business, especially because of the competitive market.
“It's going to be like a long road ahead of me and it scares me, but at the same time, it's exciting for the future when I finally start establishing my own physical business,” Regilyn says. “My love for the community really amplifies whenever I'm in a cafe. So I've always wanted to give back that love I've gotten whenever I can.”