Jo Y.
Yelp
Who remembers those delicious and colorful guava, lilikoi and rainbow chiffon cakes from Dee Lite Bakery that were used for many birthday celebrations? Dee Lite Bakery first opened in Honolulu in 1959. St. Germain Bakery, which opened in Honolulu in 1977 and expanded to four locations in Kahala, Waipahu, Beretania, and Dillingham; it subsequently acquired Dee Lite Bakery in Feb. 1990. St Germain continued to offer these signature cakes, as well as Japanese-French style of breads and pastries; however, St Germain closed in Aug. 2018 due to a tough economy and a downturn in business. Several employees of St. Germain, who total 100+ years of baking experience, decided to continue its legacy by starting a new bakery, Epi-Ya Boulangerie & Patisserie.
The bakery's new name reflects two cultures: "Epi" from pain de'epi, is the French name for wheat stalk bread, which is one of the bakery's specialties; and "ya" is the Japanese suffix for a food shop. Epi-ya is headed by Regina Lugue, General Manager and owner, who worked for St. Germain for 24 years in retail sales; and head baker, Yoshikazu Sato, who had 38 years of work experience at St. Germain. Epi-Ya opened in Mar. 2019 at St. Germain's former location on Beretania Street next to Times Supermarket.
Epi-Ya continues to be a successful venture, as it offers Artisan breads, French-style pastries, pies, cookies, and sandwiches. While it had hoped to offer the signature chiffon cakes from Dee Lite and St. Germain bakeries, it has not. The original owners of Dee Lite Bakery, Sue and Herbert Matsuda, created the recipes, including the guava chiffon cake, in the 1960's; however, both have passed on, with their secret recipe that was never shared with family or friends.
Some of my favorite items are:
* Shio butter roll. The crust is slightly crisp and flaky, and the inside soft and chewy, and topped with a sea salt sprinkle. So very addictive!
* Arabiki roll. The roll is soft and chewy, which contrasts with the crispy skin of the arabiki hot dog, giving it a nice crunch.
* Ham roll. A slice of ham is intertwined with round onion slices and mayo in this soft and fluffy roll. Delicious!
* Butterflake roll. A light flaky roll coated with a sugar glaze that is not overly sweet. You can taste the freshness of the roll, as it breaks up in layers.
* Raisin sticks. Soft and chewy bread sticks that are loaded with raisins!
* Jumbo shumai roll (new item). The soft buttery bun has a Japanese-style shumai as its filling. Got the last one, and it was very tasty!
Epi-Ya's offerings are extensive and include sausage rolls; muffins; fruit tarts; danishes; an pan; melon pan; croissant; cookies; butter topped dinner rolls; cute little pizzas; sandwiches (pastrami, roast beef, deviled egg, turkey pesto); turnovers; and more. They also offer their popular pies (custard, pumpkin, custard/pumpkin, apple) that are high in demand during the holiday season, and you can buy them by the slice or whole pies. And their top selling breads (Family or white, raisin, whole wheat, French, butter top) are very popular, being soft, light and fluffy, which are baked throughout the day at certain times with the option of slicing them in thicknesses that you desire.
As you enter the bakery, grab a tray, line it with paper, grab your tongs, and grab what you want. Simple! However, note that at times, the pay line can get rather long and will meander within the bakery. Almost all items are ready for purchase a few hours after the bakery has opened. Breads are out of the oven at different times of the day, with a time schedule posted. Popular items sell out by the afternoon, and although some items are replenished, some are not; so best to go mid-morning if you want your favorites.
Employees are efficient, friendly and willing to answer any questions.
Hours of operation are Wed to Mon 6a to 6:30p, Tues closed. Free parking is available in the private lot that is shared by Times and other businesses.
I love that the baked items are so fresh and are not overly sweet. Epi-Ya is one of my favorite bakeries that I often have cravings for. Only wish that they could revive the chiffon cakes of the Dee Lite Bakery era and perhaps, that day will come. In the meantime, I always look forward in returning to try their different pastries and breads.