Happy Mac, Pastries, & More: From Their Home to Yours

Joy Alegria and Mark Vizcarra know that the best pastries are homemade, and if you can’t make them yourselves, then they’ll teach you how. The two are owners of Happy Mac, Pastries, & More, a small family catering company specializing in Asian-fusion pastries and desserts.  

While originally from Chicago, the two business owners were influenced by their Filipino heritage and other surrounding cultures and cuisines. Happy Mac, Pastries & More started out with a menu of traditional Filipino desserts and then ventured into French macarons and croissants. To keep the momentum going, they added a number of gluten-free options including mochi donuts.  

Joy’s experience in catering began with her mother who taught her how to make traditional Filipino desserts. After college, Joy dove into a career as a data analyst and found less time to bake.  

“It was not until I had my daughter that I missed the breads, cakes, and desserts my mom used to make,” Joy said. “Luckily, my mom gave me some of her recipes and I started to teach myself how to make siopao (steam buns) and pandesal (sweet rolls).” 

As Joy explored the world of baking, she documented her journey online and found a community with similar interests. She was soon approached to teach cooking classes and did so for eight years. Now, Joy uses her small business to share both her delicious baked goods and the skills she uses to create them. 

“During the pandemic, we made the decision to start catering on a larger scale,” Joy said. “We started as a cottage food operator and expanded to a caterer in the last year.” 

Now, the home-based business is adding savory items to the menu and plans to share them at various festivals, events, and pop-ups throughout the year.  

“Our goal is to spread the Filipino flavors to multiple cultures by creating recipes outside of the traditional Filipino cuisine,” Joy said.  

After relocating to the Bay Area from Chicago, Joy and Mark then decided to move their family to the Sacramento region in 2021. Here, they found a new home to explore and a new small business community to find support in.  

“We are new to the area and we appreciate the support we have received in the last couple of months,” Joy said. “I can’t wait to meet you all!” 

Here’s where you can support Happy Mac, Pastries, & More: 
Website: happymacsandmore.com 
Facebook: @happymacs_more 
Instagram: @HappyMacAndMore 
TikTok: @happymacs_more 

Read more stories about Filipino-owned small businesses in Sacramento:
Felicitá Wine Company: Happiness in a Bottle
Taloa’s Bakery: The Best of Both Islands
A Piece of Paradise from Pineapple Co. Art & Design