Behind the Bread

Rise Artisanal was founded in October 2020 by Mai Mislang while hunkering down during the pandemic.

"I love good, healthy bread, but the nearest artisanal bakeshop was 30 minutes away by car. At the time, the rate of COVID-19 infections was still high. I didn't want to risk contaminating our household just because I needed a bread fix."

"I figured, how hard can it be to make your own bread? We have this oven, hardly used, and time that was once a luxury. So I searched online for an easy, bread recipe. When the outcome was surprisingly better than what I was used to, I decided to keep practicing as a way of feeding myself and my family well."

"Then a friend started raving about sourdough - the pandemic hobby that shook the Internet. I was so curious as to what made it special, so I started creating my own starter from scratch. It took me three months until finally, my friend helped me out, the starter was live, a decent loaf I made with my own hands rivaled that which I had tasted in San Francisco, and the rest, as they say, is history. I have been baking sourdough since."

Before starting Rise, Mai worked as a speechwriter and Assistant Secretary/Chief of Staff of Presidential Communications during the term of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. After a career in government spanning nine years, she went on her own as a communications advisor, a role she continues to perform to this day. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism from the University of the Philippines and a Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard Kennedy School.

She is also the lead singer of Manila-based blues band, The Blue Rats.

Aside from baking, her interests include books, poetry, classical piano, and spending time with her dog.