Ube dessert pop-up opens first store at historic Loyola Building in Union City
Ube dessert pop-up Macs By Icky opens first store at historic Loyola Building in Union City | Photos from @macs.by.icky/Instagram
Just when we think ube in the American zeitgeist has reached its apex, Filipino dessert pop-up Macs By Icky with its viral and ingenious ube creations lands its first-ever physical store in Union City.
The concept that began as a home kitchen project by Victoria Sablan and her husband Frank is opening a cafe inside the Loyola Building, a historic building for local Filipinos, on Jan. 13.
“It feels right because it’s what we know, what we grew up around,” Sablan told San Francisco publication KQED. “We are grateful for the community that stands behind us. [The Loyola Building] is truly a gem in Union City. It’s a historic Filipino building in our city and we wanted to keep that history going.”
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Known for their unique take on the Filipino favorite ube, like the ube ice cream taco, ube cannoli, and ube muddy mix, Sablan’s Macs By Icky started in 2019 as an act of goodwill to pharmacy staff during National Nurses Week.
From there, demand grew, which eventually fueled them to do a regular pop-up series at Union City’s Birdhaus also known as “UC The Vibes.”
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Fans of Macs By Icky can expect favorites during the opening day as well as new items. These include ube-vanilla swirl soft serve, dragon fruit lemonade, espresso drinks, tocino Spam sliders, calamansi iced tea, and cinnamon sugar croissant waffles. There will also be quintessential Filipino treats like halo-halo and pandesal breakfast sandwiches.
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Macs By Icky first tried to acquire the space in September 2023. One thing led to another and three months later, before the end of the year, they were already doing a sneak peek of the soon-to-open location.
The Jan. 13 grand opening will also include a selection of merch, a live DJ set, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Union City government.
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