Imagine, a bakery full of fresh, handmade, delicious cream puffs right here in Hilo. Have you been to Puff City yet?

Its slogan: “Converting dieters, one bite at a time.” The bakery is open on Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until they sell out — and sometimes they do, so go early.

Puff City is located at 1348 Kilauea Ave., Hilo. Phone is 961-6964.

It’s no ordinary bakery, that’s for sure, and I speak from personal experience. Owner Fran Morales specializes in cream puffs, and you’ve gotta love that. Current flavors:

Vanilla custard with powdered sugar,
Vanilla custard with chocolate ganache,
Chocolate custard with chocolate ganache,
Chocolate custard with chantilly icing,
Vanilla whipped cream with powdered sugar,
Coconut whipped cream with chocolate ganache,
Liliko’i whipped cream with white chocolate/liliko’i ganache.

The liliko‘i ones are amazing.

She also makes cinnamon sugar/pecan/butter crescent cookies, brownies, scones, cinnamon rolls, blueberry muffins, etc.–about 2-3 sweets every day in addition to the different flavors of cream puffs.

And for Christmas, they have gingerbread with white chocolate ganache and gingersnap crumbles, and peppermint with chocolate ganache and candy cane slivers.

Need a sandwich? Pick up a roast turkey or ham sandwich on anoat/cranberry/walnut bread made there, or a roasted eggplant/goat cheese/arugula sandwich on an 18-percent wheat mini-baguette that they bake.  They also sell coffees, hot teas and Kona Blue water.

You can special order any dessert or cakes with at least a two-day advance notice. They sell dessert platters and mini-cream puffs for parties as well.  

There are pictures of the cakes at the Puff City website. And consider becoming a fan of Puff City at Facebook, for daily updates on what is made fresh each morning.

Cream puffs are, in my opinion, inexpensive dreams that can only improve one’s life.

Want to know more? Here are some links to stories about Puff City, from its website:

Our first printed article was in the Big Island Weekly.

Sonia Martinez, a local food wrtier, cookbook author and blogger, recently sat down and had a Q&A session with Fran.  Read her conversation at gather.com.

Arnold E., a food blogger on yelp.com√Ǭ†came by√Ǭ†on a recent trip to his wife’s grandpa’s house right up the road.

More pics from bigislandgrinds.

Alan Okami stopped in to visit.

As did Kuhao Zane.

And let’s not forget our friends√Ǭ†overseas.

- Leslie Lang