Lovin’ the Treats at Larry’s

Whoever coined the term “a little slice of heaven” undoubtedly was talking about Larry’s Bakery’s White Chantilly Cake ($13 for an 8-by-8-inch cake).

“We created the cake for people who cannot have chocolate,” explains Iris Yafuso, who co-owns the bakery with her brother, Lance. But even chocolate fiends will find this one unbeatable. Light, fluffy and moist, the delectable treat is filled with a white chiffon frosting and sprinkled with macadamia nuts on top.

While this may be one of the bakery’s most well-known concoctions, it’s certainly not all Larry’s has to offer. Larry’s has a vast menu of treats, including pastries such as Cinnamon Twist ($1.40) and Apple or Coconut Halfmoon ($1.40); pies such as French Apple ($11), Pear ($11) and Coconut Custard ($10.50); and cakes such as Haupia, Guava and Dobash.

Larry’s has been a family-run operation since the late ’60s, when Yafuso’s father opened it. Yafuso and Lance have been in charge for about the past decade. But they haven’t strayed too far from their roots as they still use old-school, baking techniques and still offer up customer favorites that people remember from back in the day.

“We brought back a whole bunch of stuff that we did years ago,” says Yafuso. The Long John ($1.30), for instance, returned to the menu after customers kept asking about it. “The nicest compliment that we get is when customers say, ‘The pastries still taste like they did when I was little,'” Yafuso says. Another blast-from-the-past pastry is the Butterhorn Danish (99 cents), one of Yafuso’s favorites. “I had that every day before school when I was a kid,” she recalls.

The resurrection of original favorites upon popular request exemplifies Larry’s Bakery’s unwavering commitment to its customers. This kind of customer involvement is everyday fare for the bakery — Yafuso and her staff will work with customers to conjure up specialized desserts, including cookie lei, customized birthday cakes and hand-decorated cookies, for any occasion.

“We can personalize the order to what you want,” says Yafuso. “We do a wide variety of cookies — jungle animals, fish, honu, baby bottles.” The personalized items are popular for graduations, baby showers and birthdays. Plus, Larry’s designs treats tailored to each holiday, most notably, pumpkin-shaped shortbread cookies for Halloween and cupcakes with red frosting for Christmas.

Larry’s daily menu also includes Lilikoi Loaf Cake ($5), Apple Cinnamon Bread ($5), Chocolate Brownie Packs ($5) and breakfast items such as Bentos with egg, sausage or bacon, and white rice ($3) or fried rice ($3.50).

And because they’re so good, Larry’s treats are also available at several stores, including Don Quixote and Tamura’s.

Yafuso enjoys the collaborative process of helping her customers celebrate special occasions. “It’s fun because you get to grow with the customers,” she says.

Larry’s Bakery