They quickly landed on a name for this new snack: the “victory roll,” a double entendre nodding to both Melanie’s scratch-made dough spirals and her favorite follicular flourish. But there’s another factor in play here, one that’s less obvious but far more intimate: the ube, or purple yam, that gives the treats their Instagrammable hue. It’s a popular ingredient found in the desserts of the Philippines, one that many non-Asian bakers are just beginning to discover. In spite of her own Filipino heritage, Melanie has always felt like an outsider, too. Flow State is her chance to change that — at her own pace, on her own terms, and in a language that anyone with a sweet tooth already speaks. To join the conversation, all one needs to do is swing by on a “Filipino Friday.” That’s the one day a week she sets aside to find out who she is, in a way that makes sense to her.