“If you want to enjoy yourself, all you have to do is spend a summer in New York,” is the chorus of the song of the season by Puerto Rican pop sensation Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny.
“NUEVAYoL,” (phonetically spelled after the way Hispanics say New York,) is a remix of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico’s 1975 anthem, “Un Verano En Nueva York/A Summer In New York.” Bad Bunny’s version hit number eight on the Hot 100 Billboard charts this year, and the music video, which dropped on July 4, is causing a stir at a Bronx bakery in Hunts Point.
Filled with nostalgia and fashion from the late ’70s/early ’80s, the video revolves around a quinceñera, a traditional party in Spanish-speaking cultures which marks a girl’s 15th birthday. It opens on a pair of feet in flip-flops walking in the snow. It’s Bad Bunny. He steps into a limousine where teens are sitting and smartly dressed for a party. He’s wearing a bomber hat and a t-shirt depicting the island of Puerto Rico. He takes a beat and in Spanish exclaims, “And this cold? When does it end?” Music starts.
Some scenes were shot on the campus of Bronx Community College, where Bad Bunny dances in a turquoise-colored leisure suit. In another scene, an old boombox radio plays a Donald Trump impersonator announcing how essential immigrants are to the tapestry of the United States, with an emphasis on migrants from Spanish-speaking countries, the same who are being targeted in the ICE raids currently taking place across the country.
It’s a celebration and all celebrations call for cake. This one in particular is a white three-tiered confection with pink frosting accents, surrounded by smaller similar ones, like one you’d see at a wedding. Inside sit five layers of goodness; two of airy, whipped cream filling and three of angel food cake, dyed a soft blue-green color, much like the leisure suit Bad Bunny wears in his video. Valencia Bakery dubbed it, the “Benito cake.”
“People come in for the slice and then they come back and order the bigger one,” said Stephanie Valera, daughter of owner Raul Valera.
The cake can be purchased by the slice for $7, the mini cake for $35, medium for $49 or large for $57.
History
Founded in 1948 by Jose (Joe) Ripoll from Valencia, Spain, the original location opened on 116th Street in Spanish Harlem, where the Puerto Rican population would boom and give rise to famous Salseros like Eddie Palmieri and Marc Anthony. The bakery moved to the Bronx in 1952 and the factory at 801 Edgewater Road was opened.
Upon entry, one sees plaques on the wall dedicated to Ripoll. One awarded the WWII veteran with a Purple Heart in 1994. Another from the Committee for Assistance to Needy Children presented him with the Humanitarian Award in 1977. They hang alongside vintage photos featuring a large, festive cake as the centerpiece, presumably one from the bakery itself.
“When we took over, the store was in disarray and those were in the back,” said Valera’s brother-in-law, who helped re-establish the business when Valera purchased it about six years ago.
After a little more than 60 years in business, the family-owned business began to struggle and was ready to close up shop when long-time worker, Valera, offered to buy the business and run its several locations; three in the Bronx, one in Manhattan and the other in Brooklyn, where according to Valera, the request for the Bad Bunny cake was originally made. The order was then sent to the headquarters in Hunts Point where customers were in and out.
Today
“I saw the video the other day and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s an honor, like wow, Valencia is in a Bad Bunny video,” said Nadine Torres, 54, who has celebrated with Valencia cakes since her first birthday, and was in the bakery on a recent Friday buying a cake for her mother’s 73rd birthday. “It’s a staple in the Latin community.”
The cake that garnered the bakery its reputation is a five-layered cake with three layers of angel food and two layers of pineapple fruit filling sealed with a thick but airy whipped cream frosting. It has been the centerpiece of Bronxites’ birthday parties for decades.
“I’m buying a cake for my wife’s birthday,” said Frank Warner. “She’s been coming here since she was a kid.”
While most angel food cakes may be dry with a cloyingly sweet frosting, the one at Valencia is moist and well-balanced, like a cloud on the palate.
“I just hope this brings people in,” Valera said with a smile.
Since the launch of the music video, bloggers, influencers, news outlets, and celebrities have visited and posted photos and videos of the storied bakery on social media, inviting the world to a sweet taste of the Bronx.
Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @amnewyork
