Sweet Things at Three Wailuku Bakeries

Four Sisters is on Vineyard St.  Susan Halas Photo.

By Susan Halas

Three different styles of baking in one small town

Four Sisters  – Filipino Style Baked Goods

Everybody raves about the butter rolls and they are good. At Thanksgiving the pie buyers back traffic up for a block, so you have to believe this bakery has a following especially with Mauians of Filipino descent and their relatives, guests, and kids.

This is one shop that is open early Sunday morning, in fact it seems to be just about always open.

In addition to baked goods they carry some Filipino groceries and magazines, a few veggies and condiments. But mainly, it’s a long established ethnic bakery.

Aida Guerrero-Balon shops for baked goods at Four Sisters in Wailuku. Susan Halas Photo.

The butter rolls are $8 a dozen. Buy them. Take them with you to brunch. Sweet and soft and the butter is already in them. They deserve their reputation.

Be careful when you park as there are apt to be pedestrians, dog walkers, bike riders, skate boarders, children, dogs, chickens in the immediate area. Look both ways before you back up.

Four Sisters Bakery,1968 East Vineyard Street  Wailuku  244-9333

Hours:Weekdays 5 am -6 p.m., Sat 5-4 Sun 5-11. Closed: Christmas and New Year’s Day

Jose Krall is a master baker. Susan Halas Photo.

Maui Bake Shop & Deli – French Style Bread & Pastry

Owners Jose and Claire Krall are the driving force of this very good French bakery at the corner of Vineyard and Church in Wailuku. You wouldn’t expect a boulangerie to exist in this neighborhood, much less flourish. But it’s here anyway.

The bread is excellent, made fresh daily. This is tradition at its best and it’s been around for years.

Chef  Jose does the honors.  His custom cakes are justly famous. You need to make an appointment and they can be pricey but they are truly one-of-a-kind. He is also very talented in chocolate, but you have to specifically ask for it and usually order in advance.

On a day-to-day basis, buy the bread. Buy the boule, the small round white loaf and use it for sandwiches and soups. Order and eat the chocolate muffin and sample the other baked goods. They’re not cheap, but good and definitely French.

Valentines Day is coming soon. This is the place where Chef Jose (for a price) will make you anything you want and that includes puff paste swans filled with strawberry and whipped cream. His specialties include boxes made of chocolate filled with chocolate truffles. These are all made one-at-a-time by hand.

Jose’s wife Claire is creative and inventive as well. She staffs the take-out side including cold lunches, sandwiches and assorted other offerings.

The high spot of their kitchen is its antique wall oven. The dining room has recently been remodeled and substantially expanded. It’s more comfortable and bigger than it used to be.  Sometimes service is slow and the tables are untidy, but the trade-off is plenty of free daily papers including the Wall St. Journal and the Maui News.

Parking varies – sometimes easy, sometimes not. For people in the neighborhood it’s not a problem, they just walk. Those who drive, beware. The parking is strictly enforced in this area. The parking limit in Wailuku is two hours and they count it to the minute. Likewise, seat belt tickets are now $92. Remember to buckle up before you turn the key.

 Maui Bake Shop and Deli, 2092 West Vineyard Street, Wailuku 242-0064

Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mon-Sat , Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Closed Sundays

Eat indoors or on the lanai at Stillwell’s. Courtesy photo.

Stillwell’s – Bakery, Coffee, Snacks and Lunch

Though it’s on the main drag heading into Wailuku, the entrance to Stillwell’s is a little out of the way. Look right, just before you go under the bridge, spot the sign and make a hard right turn. There you are.

Owner Roy Stillwell has been there a long time. So long, in fact, the  the old place burned down and has been rebuilt as a clean and friendly bakery with lunch service. It’s a good place for a soup and sandwich; the corn chowder is delicious.

The bread and cookies are highly rated. Many of the on-line reviewers mentioned cream horns as one of the specialties of the house.

Visiting Stillwell’s, you’ll met lots of people from nearby Kaiser Clinic and Maui Memorial Medical Center. Parking is seldom a problem, but the getting out can be tricky, especially if you want to turn left. Look both ways.

Stillwell’s Bakery, 1740 Kaahumanu Avenue,  Wailuku  243-2243

Hours: 6 a.m.  to 3 p.m. for lunch. 6 a.m.to 5 p.m. for bakery.