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Kanemitsu Bakery

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Kanemitsu's Bakery
Kanemitsu Bakery counter selling lavosh (Molokai, Hawaii)

Kanemitsu Bakery in Kaunakakai on the Hawaiian island of Molokai is a bakery known for its baked goods and the "hot bread" served out of its back door at night.[1][2][3][4][5]

Kanemitsu Bakery serves a "hot bread" described as a "pillowy loaf" late into the night.[6] The loaves are split open and slathered with jelly, cream cheese, butter, cinnamon or sugar.[3] The bakery also serves "melt-in-your-mouth Krispy Kreme-like glazed doughnuts".[7] A New York Times story on the island noted, "With a stop at the deceptively derelict-looking Kanemitsu Bakery (whose papaya bread and sweet bread made fabulous toast), we always had the makings of a feast."[8]

The bakery was founded in about 1935 by the brothers Shigeo and Fred Kanemitsu and is still owned and operated by George S. Kanemitsu, the son of Shigeo. It was originally located in Manila Camp, a half-mile to the west, but relocated to its present location in Kaunakakai town in 1945.[9]

In 2018 the bakery was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award in the Outstanding Baker category.[9][10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Night life? That would be the bread run, nightly except Mondays, at 10:30 p.m. at Kanemitsu's Bakery in Kaunakakai, which has been in the same family for nine decades. Locals line up in the alley to get bread hot from the oven, slathered with jelly, butter or cream cheese." Beverly Beyette Aggressively laid-back page 2 Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 21, 2007 Hartford Courant website
  2. ^ "It is also in Kaunakakai that the island's most popular nocturnal activity can be found. Every night from around 10pm onwards a steady stream of residents and curious visitors make their way along a dusty alleyway behind the Kanemitsu Bakery. Knocking on a wooden door, they are rewarded by the night shift baker who hands out fresh bread that is baked with the filling of their choice." Danielle Demetriou Jewel of the Pacific May 22, 2004 The Independent
  3. ^ a b Loafing Around; A dark alley, a graffitied door, and Molokai's freshest bread Word of Mouth Conde and Nast
  4. ^ Behold Hawaii's last frontier Fort Worth Star-Telegram Mar 31, 1991 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  5. ^ Molokai's Big Empty; Enjoying the wide-open... Hawaii Special Issue Mar 11, 2001 Los Angeles Times
  6. ^ "Eating Kanemitsu Bakery's Bread right from the oven might be one of the Islands' most sublime culinary experiences. However, buying the bread, on sale from 10:30 p.m. to approximately 3 a.m. in a dimly lit alley behind the bakery, ..." Choo, David K. Molokai: Kanemitsu hot bread. Publication Date: February 1, 2006 Hawaii Business
  7. ^ Gene Sloan Molokai cocktail: Fresh air, stunning vistas, few people September 30, 2004 USA Today
  8. ^ Susan Allen Toth Secluded Molokai March 28, 1999 New York Times
  9. ^ a b "Longtime Molokai baker just got the surprise of his life". mauinews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  10. ^ "JBF Awards | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2021-09-02.