Her name has become synonymous with the best cheese rolls and ensaimada in the metro, but the dream began in her own kitchen. Mary Grace Dimacali was a homemaker and mother of five when she conceived the idea of selling ensaimada baked in her home, and idea that stemmed from her natural love for selling and baking.

She set out on her venture in the business in 1994 by selling ensaimada in bazaars. Her very first was at the Polo Club, which she found scary in the beginning but nevertheless ended up selling all 30 boxes she had brought. This encouraged her to keep joining bazaars from September to December.

Though Mary Grace trained to be a psychologist, her dream drove her to the United States to study baking at Pierce College in Los Angeles. Upon her return, she furthered her credentials with a Master's Degree in Business from the Asian Institute of Management, from where she graduated in 2001. Soon, her participation in food fairs and bazaars took a step up to opening Mary Grace kiosks in shopping malls.

Mary Grace brought home a store of recipes for American pastries from the U.S., but she wanted to create something that Filipinos will love. And so she perfected her recipe for ensaimada, and soon her cheese rolls also gained a following. While her ensaimadas are made with the sharper-tasting queso de bola, the cheese rolls are made with cheddar, making it more kid-friendly.

In 2006, she opened the very first Mary Grace Café in Serendra, which she says was inspired by the requests of customers who wanted to enjoy their ensaimadas and cheese rolls with coffee or tsokolate. The cafés are different in design from the kiosks. While the kiosks are more modern, the cafés are cozier and reflect who Mary Grace is. She got help in its design from her sister-in-law Marites and her daughter, and architect Mike Chan.

One of Mary Grace's influences in developing recipes is Italian cooking. However, she would love to explore other Mediterranean cuisines, and one of her dreams is to take an Italian cooking course. Also in her future plans is to include soup and a few entrées to her menu. She believes that the keys to good food are a balance of flavors, the freshest ingredients, technique, and a sense of health. Some of her favorite items on her menu are a tomato and herb pasta, a mango and papaya salad with prawns, rich hot chocolate, and of course, a grilled ensaimada.

Mary Grace encourages women to pursue their dreams, in whatever form it takes. She uses the success of her business as an example that women can do what they want if they are good at what they do. Like her, they all have the power to succeed.