Bringing a basket of goodies
Friday - December 14, 2007
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When I first discovered Panya Bakery about seven years ago, I was impressed by both the food and the hard-working owners, Annie and Alice Yeung.
The first time I met the sisters they’d been up until 4 a.m. baking gingerbread men and packaging gift baskets for the holidays.
“We expect to be busy during the holidays,” Annie said with a smile. Seven years later, the sisters have built a reputation for creating sweet holiday treats that offer something more than just the usual cookies or festive cakes - and nowadays they get so busy that regular customers know to place orders well before the hectic holidays begin.
With seasonal decorations imported from Japan and a talent for creating cakes that look almost too good to eat, Panya Bakery offers some truly special seasonal goodies. From traditional yule logs to picture-perfect Christmas cakes, there’s a taste of the season from a variety of cultures. The traditional Yule Log ($28) comes smothered in piped white and dark chocolate with a rich mocha and coffee butter cream center inside a chocolate sponge. On top (depending on the cake) sits Santa surrounded by a variety of Christmas decorations that include miniature books, reindeer, sleighs and Christmas trees. There’s a Christmas Gift Box ($30) wrapped in sugar and tied with a gift bow of butter cream icing - and if you prefer your holiday treats to have something a little different, then try the Christmas Crme Puff Tower ($40), a magnificent towering treat of choux pastry balls piled atop a fresh cream mountain of strawberries and blueberries, then drizzled with chocolate.
The Yeung sisters take their baking seriously. They learned their trade in Japan working under a master baker, and their talent is evident in the unusual lightness of their breads and pastries. Attention to detail is paid to even the smallest cake.
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“We have small traditional cakes, like German stollen, Italian panatone and gingerbread, that are wrapped in holiday packaging,” says Annie, “and our customers also can pick items and have them packaged in gift baskets.”
Baskets filled with freshly baked items, including stollen and pana-tone, also may contain hand-decorated gingerbread cookies, short-bread cookies, Russian tea cookies, coconut maroons, chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies. A selection of corporate baskets start at $50, and all of the breads and pastries, including the traditional European cakes, are baked in the lighter Japanese style. “Panya means ‘the bread house’,” explains Annie, “and we want to offer a European style with a Japanese influence.”
And Panya isn’t just about holiday desserts and decadent pastries. The restaurant has garnered a loyal following for those anxious to avoid the extra stress of cooking large family meals.
“Our holiday meals to go have become incredibly popular,” says Alice.“We now offer two kinds of Christmas Eve dinners to satisfy the requests of our customers.” One ready cooked meal offers a succulent honey-glazed roasted turkey stuffed with Panya’s signature mochi rice and lap cheung, the other is a honey mustard-glazed bone-in ham. The complete meals include a selection of appetizers, sides and dessert.
For more information on holiday specialties, gift baskets or complete meals: www.panyabakery.com
Panya Bakery, Bistro & Bar, Ala Moana Center
Phone: 946-6388 Fax: 808-946-6988 Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
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