Saif Manna was just eight when he started cooking and baking alongside his grandmother, dreaming of one day opening his own storefront.
“Throughout my childhood, I was always like, ‘I want to have a restaurant or a bakery.’ My mother knew that, my father knew that, my brothers knew that,” Manna told What Now Philadelphia.
The dream was always there, but Manna initially took a different path, playing Division I tennis and earning a political science degree at Temple University. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic during his junior year that his passion for cooking resurfaced, rekindled with the help of his then-girlfriend, now wife, Stefaniya Surikova.
“We had a lot of time on our hands. I had food pictures on my phone, and she was like, ‘You’ve never made me cookies.’ So I went ahead and baked some. She said, ‘Why aren’t you selling these?’ She sort of reignited that childhood dream, where I was thinking of starting a business,” Manna said.
Shortly after, Manna began selling baked goods around Temple’s campus, generating buzz not just on campus but across Philadelphia.
The attention led to pop-ups at various cafes, and soon farmers markets reached out to him personally. He started appearing at markets in Germantown, Northern Liberties, Headhouse and Rittenhouse.
“People started to love the stuff, and I got more popular. We would have lines a block or two long of people waiting to try our pastries. People would even stand in the soaking rain,” Manna said.
With a growing following, Manna decided it was time to take a leap of faith and fulfill his lifelong goal. He will open Manna Bakery at 110 W. Berks St. in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood this spring.
“Fishtown is a wonderful, beautiful area. It’s got great energy. It’s got a lot of great restaurants,” he said. “I will now be a neighbor to them. We all tend to unite, support each other, and keep each other inspired and creative.”
Manna Bakery will continue serving pop-up and farmers market sweet and savory favorites, inspired by Levantine culture and his grandmother’s recipes.
“We make a variety of brioche buns and cardamon buns, cookies that are different flavors, lots of different cakes, as well. We will also start laminated pastries like croissants. Everything that I make tends to be a recipe straight from her, passed down from her, or inspired by the things she made growing up. What I make is inspired by nostalgia and memory,” Manna said.
All pastries will be made from scratch.
“We do not cut corners. We do not have shortcuts. Everything is made in-house from the dough to the fillings to the toppings. It has to be perfect. That’s how I am and that’s how my grandma was,” Manna said.
To complement the pastries, Manna Bakery will feature a full coffee program and a selection of other unique drinks.
“There’s a traditional drink called Sahlab, and it’s a milk pudding drink topped with pistachios, coconut, and cinnamon. Another one would be cardamon tea latte. It’s black tea scented with cardamon and milk, and lightly sweetened. It’s a very traditional tea,” Manna said.
He continued, “We’re going to make a spin off of my grandma’s orange blossom lemonade by combining it with cold brew to make a refreshing caffeinated drink for spring and summer. We’re going to go all out to bring innovative and unique drinks to the Philadelphia cafe scene.”
Manna describes the new storefront as a “big space” with “a lot of seating,” and he is eager to welcome both returning customers and new faces. Once open, he plans to host workshops and supper clubs, with hopes of eventually offering dinner service in the space.
“The space is a place for human connection, for social gatherings, for a morning coffee and pastry, for a midday snack or lunch and eventually for a satisfying dinner at the end of the day. It’s a space for people to fully experience and embody the spirit of Manna Bakery, which is all about food that tells a story. A story that people can connect with,” Manna said.
He reflects on his early days doing pop-ups and realizes how far he has come, while looking ahead to what’s next.
“It just seems like yesterday, where I showed up at my first farmers market with a six foot table and some pastries. I was basically baking everything in the morning, and then setting up and selling. I had no one to help me. I’ve come a long way. A lot of effort has been put in,” he said.
Manna Bakery plans to debut in April. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for updates on the grand opening.
