Early next year, what was once B & Q Art Gallery at 3900 E. 4th Street in Long Beach will officially become San & Wolves Bakeshop. For now, the cute corner space that shares a wall with Pearly Nails is being transformed into a purple (ube) paradise fit to pump out Filipino-inspired creations like cornbread bibingka and pandan cinnamon rolls.
The vegan pop-up turned brick-and-mortar is owned by Kym Estrada who started the business back in 2017 out of her Brooklyn apartment. Humble beginnings turned to energetic happenings once customers got a taste of Estrada’s pastries, both sweet and savory, and now the young dough puncher is excited to add to Long Beach’s diversified community with a localized outpost.
What Now Los Angeles had an opportunity to chat with Estrada about landing on Long Beach for her first stationary endeavor, which menu item she’s most stoked on, and what her plans are for further expansion. Here’s what she had to say:
WNLA: Why Long Beach?
KE: Any other city was just not an option for us. My agent presented other locations outside of Long Beach and I did give them a six-second thought, but it was just important to me that Long Beach was the home of our brick-and-mortar.
I’ve lived in many places all around LA County and even New York. Long Beach is where we moved to (and still live) when we came back to Cali from New York. Long Beach is also where my partner was born and raised. He was the one who actually made the case for us to move here, and I’m so happy we made that decision. We have the most support here. We know a lot of our customers personally and we just needed our brick-and-mortar to be here — for them. They deserve it.
I grew up in a very ethnically diverse neighborhood. Across the street from me were Malaysian, Filipino, and Jamaican families. Next door to us were Mexican, Salvadoran, and Peruvian families. We were close to all of them. Being around a diverse community is where I feel most comfortable and safe. I love the diversity in Long Beach. Oh, and the Filipino community here is just vibrant and beautiful.
I will say that I’m not blind to the fact that our location is in a pretty white neighborhood of Long Beach, but I do think it is important for us to take up some of that space, especially in a high-volume passerby area. A sign that says “vegan Filipino bakery” in Belmont Heights? I’m gasping at the thought.
WNLA: Which menu item is most dear to your heart and why?
KE: Pan de coco. It was the first Filipino recipe I veganized to feed my partner (who is also Filipino and was newly vegan at the time). I just wanted to show him that being vegan doesn’t mean you can’t eat your culture’s dishes and that he didn’t have to give up Filipino food. I didn’t know it then, but it was the start of creating San & Wolves.
WNLA: Any plans to keep expanding?
KE: Yes, expansion is in the plan.
