14 April 2014. – Deputy Consul General (DCG) and Acting Head of Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles Imelda Panolong witnessed the official Opening ceremony of the Leelin Bakery & Café branch in Cerritos, California on April 8.
The Leelin Bakery & Café was founded by Manuel and Teresa Leelin of Goldilocks, and the Cerritos branch is the 7th branch in Southern California. The Leelin family has been in the food business for 37 years specializing in Filipino cuisine and currently employs over 300 employees.
In her address, DCG Panolong noted that the opening of Leelin’s 7th branch in Cerritos coincides with the commemoration of the Araw Ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), when the whole nation remembers the Filipino and American soldiers who fought side by side in Bataan against the Japanese in World War II.
She said that today, a different battle is being fought in the Philippines, and that is the battle to eradicate poverty. The Leelins, she continued, are one with the Philippine Government in fighting this battle. By proudly sourcing many of their ingredients from the Philippines, the Leelins help farmers and fisherfolk improve their livelihood. Leelin coffee uses native coffee and coco sugar from the Philippines while Leelin pastries use the “ube” or purple yam imported from the Philippines. END