At the heart of Silang, Cavite stands Cafe Agapita, a charming family-owned dining spot that has developed a loyal following despite opening in the middle of a raging pandemic in 2020.
“Most of our customers are from Metro Manila,” said Trish Baranda, who runs the cafe with her dad and her brother, and her cousin Gian who is also a chef.
“We became known through word of mouth. We have bikers’ groups who come here during weekends, and runners’ groups, too. It helps that we have a huge space and al fresco areas so during the height of the pandemic, people felt safe to dine with us and have fun bonding moments with their family and loved ones,” Baranda said.
The young entrepreneur credits the ease of mobility afforded by the Cavite-Laguna Expressway or Calax as it has significantly cut the travel time from Metro Manila to its southern neighbors.
“Calax is really a big help. Before, those who come to Cavite are those who have homes in Cavite. But now people are coming here because they want to explore what we have to offer,” Baranda added.
In September, the Calax Silang-Aguinaldo interchange is set to open its barrier-less booths for quicker access to Silang and Tagaytay, according to Arlette Capistrano, MPT South’s Vice President for Communication.
Construction manager Wilson Bontigao said the new subsection of the expressway is expected to serve an additional 5,000 motorists daily on top of the 40,000 daily capacity at present.
He said the Silang-Aguinaldo Interchange will add about four kilometers more to the operational subsections of the expressway starting from the Greenfield-Mamplasan toll barrier in Biñan, Laguna.
“This expressway will create job opportunities, attract investments, and stimulate economic activity, especially for MSMEs like Cafe Agapita that has a become destination in itself,” Capistrano added.
Aside from its rich-tasting coffee drinks and home-baked bread, pastries, and cakes, the cafe’s showstopper is the Agapita Bun, an homage to Baranda’s grandmother, Nanay Agapita.
“I think we are the only ones who offer this kind of bun. It is unique because it is filled with menudo — the dry kind that our grandmother has become known for, serving the dish during fiestas,” Baranda said.
She recalled that their household was open even to random visitors during fiestas.
There’s bagnet aglio olio that is worth every sinful bite, as well as the twice-cooked adobo and beef tapa flakes.
Other dishes “proudly feature” ingredients that are sourced from Silang, Baranda said, such as their focaccia bread with herbs and edible flowers and their piña shortcake.
As for Capistrano, success stories of businesses, such as Cafe Agapita, that benefitted from Calax make the literal journey worth it.