Brunch and Merienda Drag Shows? Check Out This Quezon City Bakeshop
If you’re a fan of enthralling drag shows but don’t have the time or energy to stay out late on weekends, you might be more of a brunch crowd. Start your engines, Squirrel Friends, because Butterboy Bakeshop in Quezon City has just the kind of space you need.
Owned by partners Hilder Demeterio and Jayson So, the local bakeshop offers a spectacle of food and artistry through their “Drag Brunch” and “MerienDrag” shows hosted on Saturdays. It’s perfect for drag enthusiasts who are not into the quintessential nightlife drag culture. What better way to bask in the glitz and glamor of drag than in broad daylight?
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Depending on the number of performances, reservations are priced starting at P1000, which already includes a choice of meal (their bestseller is the BBC: Butterboy Breakfast of Champions), a drink, and dessert. And the shows usually last for approximately three hours, beginning at 9 a.m. for Drag Brunch and 3 p.m. for MerienDrag.
Also accompanying the dining experience are two sets of performances and a screening of the most recent episode of Drag Race, of course. Some of the regular performers, whom Hilder and Jayson graciously shower with praise, are Naia, Pura Luka Vega, and Tita Baby (who performed her first ever lip-sync performance at Butterboy!). Oh, and the superstars of Drag Race Philippines themselves: Marina Summers, Eva Le Queen, Precious Paula Nicole, Brigiding, Viñas Deluxe, Minty Fresh…the Butterhall line-ups are sickening.
Butterboy’s Herstory
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It all started in 2019 when the pair first met each other, Hilder, an architect, and Jayson, a doctor. They were both outsiders to the food and beverage industry, but Jayson loved recreating some of the dishes they’ve tried in restaurants, contrary to Hilder, who was still intimidated by cooking at the time.
Being the typical competitive “Pinoy gay” (Jayson’s words, mind you), Hilder eventually began exploring the kitchen. Turning it up from level one to level five in an instant, he decided one day to try baking croissants. “He was so obsessed with the art and science of it,” Jayson says. What started out as a hobby that helped build a deeper connection for the two eventually turned into a small social media business, with the aid of Hilder’s friends and former colleagues who made him realize the product had potential.
“What inspired us to start the baking business was faith in our product talaga…aside from the fact na I love croissants and I see na sa Philippine market merong lack of awareness and parang sobrang intimidating ng croissants for the average Filipino,” Hilder adds. They recall wanting to take croissants off of the “fancy cafe item” pedestal and make them more accessible to the general public.
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Fast-forward to 2021, the “Pastry Gays”—as they jovially labeled themselves—opened a small commissary in Sampaloc, Manila before moving to the Quezon City bungalow where they now host the drag shows. Having a cafe had been a dream of the couple since they started the baking venture, but the idea of incorporating drag culture into the mix was nurtured, little by little, as they prepared their space for the opening.
“When we had the headspace na ‘okay guys, we can open our cafe’, we wanted to celebrate opening it in Basa. Tapos we wanted to celebrate it with a fantasy, and what better fantasy than with a drag queen diba,” Hilder stresses. Luckily, their friend, who worked for marketing in Butterboy, knew Naia, their first guest performer, a patient-zero of sorts.
While far from perfect, that first Drag Brunch with Naia encouraged them to pursue the concept altogether. After receiving positive reactions from their customers, Butterboy decided to open more seats for people with MerienDrag. As Hilder explains, “Drag Brunch is the offspring of fantasy and MerienDrag is the offspring of necessity.”
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A Safe Space for C.U.N.T. (Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent)
Beyond coffee and croissants, the Butterboys have envisioned creating something that serves as a safe space for the queer community, considering that they personally witnessed their favorite safe spaces bear the brunt of the pandemic. And as long-time fans of the art of drag, they wanted the cafe to serve as a platform for queer talent. “We also hire baby queens, drag kings, drag performers na are just as talented pero not as appreciated yet by the drag community in the Philippines. So what we do is we introduce them, we give them a stage.”
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The two passionately talk about how their business transformed their appreciation for drag artistry and made them realize that there was an abundance of talent just waiting to be given the spotlight. “Our queens are so talented, pero there’s sobrang limited na space and time for them. In effect, nalilimit din yung audience nila,” Hilder said. Jayson claims: “Gusto lang rin talaga namin maging opportunity for them to show kung ano sila, ‘yung talent nila.”
In their efforts to elevate drag culture, Butterboy has also managed to foster a community of drag appreciators. Drag Brunch and MerienDrag have sometimes become a family affair, too, with parents bringing their children to watch the shows. Even the titas of Manila are not immune to the charms of the drag fantasy. Jayson mentions a group of amigas who have become their patrons, as well. Suffice it to say, people of all ages (and SOGIE orientations) are welcome to get a taste of the perfect brunch recipe: talented drag queens and a Butterboy croissant.
Butterboy Bakeshop is located at 81 Basa, Quezon City.
