Leonard's Bakery is a Portuguese

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, known for popularizing the

malasada ''Malassada'' is a Portuguese fried pastry from the Azores. It is a type of doughnut, made of flattened rounds of yeasted dough, coated with sugar and cinnamon or accompanied with molasses. The name is often used interchangeably with . Howeve ...

. The fried pastry, slightly crispier and chewier than a doughnut and with no hole, is known as a

cuisine of Hawaii The cuisine of Hawaii incorporates five distinct styles of food, reflecting the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the Hawaiian Islands, primarily originating from Polynesian, North American and East Asian cuisines. In ...

. Though Portuguese immigrants brought the malasada to Hawaii at the turn of the 20th century, Leonard's opened in 1952 and brought it to a wider audience. Leonard's is a household name in Hawaii and is well known in the

continental United States The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America. The te ...

and internationally. A franchise location opened in Japan in 2008.

Background and history

Margaret and Frank Leonard Rego Sr. opened Leonard's Bakery in 1952. Rego's mother had encouraged him to sell

malasadas ''Malassada'' is a Portuguese fried pastry from the Azores. It is a type of doughnut, made of flattened rounds of yeasted dough, coated with sugar and cinnamon or accompanied with molasses. The name is often used interchangeably with . Howeve ...

, a holeless Portuguese

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

with a "crispier" outside and a "chewier" inside. Portuguese plantation workers brought the dessert to the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

when they

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

at the turn of the 20th century. Leonard's is known as an "old-fashioned, plain-Jane bakery" that popularized pastries and desserts in

Portuguese cuisine Portuguese cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of cooking in Portugal. The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dish ...

, like

Portuguese sweet bread Portuguese sweet bread refers to an enriched sweet bread or yeasted cake originating from Portugal. Historically, these sweet breads were generally reserved for festive occasions such as Easter or Pentecost and were typically given as gifts. Howe ...

and pão doce meat wraps, sometimes with a Hawaiian cultural borrowing like

haupia Haupia is the Hawaiian name for a traditional coconut pudding found throughout Polynesia. History and other similar coconut puddings are a variety of traditional Polynesian pudding. Puddings made in the Pacific islands generally consist of tw ...

, coconut, and guava filled malasadas. As of 2011, the bakery remains a family business owned by Leonard Rego Jr. whose own children participate in its operation just as he once did. Andrew McCarthy of the ''

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by National Geographic Partners, NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slov ...

'' wrote that the bakery is an institution that "anchored" its neighborhood. In Hawaii, Leonard's is a "household name". Residents from the other Hawaiian islands often bring home Leonard's malasadas as an '' omiyage'' (

souvenir A souvenir ( French for 'a remembrance or memory'), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and trans ...

gift). The fried doughnut-like item may be unique to Hawaii, but are well known both in the

and internationally. The Honolulu bakery is a point of interest on at least one island tour. In 2012, the ''

Honolulu Star-Advertiser The ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser'' is the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, formed in 2010 with the merger of '' The Honolulu Advertiser'' and the '' Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' after the acquisition of the former by Black Press, which already owned ...

'' reported that the bakery sold over 15,000 malasadas daily, or over 160 million since its opening. Rego Jr. opened a franchise location in Japan's Yokohama World Quarter Shopping Center in December 2008. The location only sold cinnamon and sugar malasadas at first, but later added malasadas with fillings. Japanese investors Forest Inc. first asked Rego Jr. about licensing the brand in March 2008, and Rego Jr. felt that the timing with the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.

"couldn't have been more perfect". The deal was completed three months prior to the opening, and the owner flew in to train the staff for a week and a half. Rego Jr. plans to open more franchised locations in Japan and on the other islands of Hawaii. In 2009, the company employed 60 people between three stores (two in Oahu and one in Yokohama) and two Oahu

food trucks A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van or multi-stop truck) or trailer equipped to store, transport, cook, prepare, serve and/or sell food. Some food trucks, such as ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food, but ...

Reception

The bakery's malasadas were ''Foodspottings top "Hawaii food find", and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' described the doughnuts as having become "a Hawaiian icon". ''Sunset'' recognized Leonard's for making the sweet a "Hawaiian classic" that is now served at Honolulu restaurants from drive-ins to

Chef Mavro George Mavrothalassitis is a chef and restaurateur known as one of the cofounders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine in the early 1990s. Mavrothalassitis is particularly known for individual pairings of wines with each dish in a multicourse meal. Life M ...

, "the city's classiest restaurant". Vinnee Tong of ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative Online newspaper, news website and former newspaper based in Manhattan, Manhattan, New York. From 2009 to 2021, it operated as an (occasional and erratic) onlin ...

'' wrote that Leonard's was "a required stop for foodies and ... dessert addicts".

Frommer's Frommer's () is a travel guide book series created by Arthur Frommer in 1957. Frommer's has since expanded to include more than 350 guidebooks in 14 series, as well as other media including an eponymous radio show and a website. In 2017, the com ...

calls it a "Honolulu landmark", and ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'' lists Leonard's malasadas alongside

poke Poke may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Poke (Ender's Game), Poke (''Ender's Game''), a fictional character * Poke (game), a two-player card game * Poke, a fictional bar owner in the television series ''Treme (season 2), Treme'' * The ...

Spam musubi Spam ''musubi'' is a snack and lunch food composed of a slice of grilled Spam sandwiched either in between or on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with ''nori'' in the tradition of Japanese ''onigiri.'' Inexpensive and portable, Spam ...

and

shave ice Shave ice or Hawaiian shave ice is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and flavoring it with syrup and other sweet ingredients. On Hawai‘i Island, it is also referred to as "ice shave". In contrast, a snow cone, a similar Ame ...

as "must try" Hawaiian cuisine experiences. It is also profiled in

Mimi Sheraton Miriam "Mimi" Sheraton ( Solomon; February 10, 1926 – April 6, 2023) was an American food critic. Early life and education Sheraton's mother, Beatrice, was described as an excellent cook and her father, Joseph Solomon, as a commission merchan ...

's critical food book ''1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die'', and John T. Edge's ''Donuts: An American Passion''.

Notes and references

Notes References

External links

* {{good article 1952 establishments in Hawaii Bakeries of the United States Food and drink companies established in 1952 Doughnut shops Food trucks in the United States Portuguese cuisine Portuguese immigration to Hawaii Restaurants in Hawaii

Background and history

Reception

See also

Notes and references

External links