Last Call for Dee Lite-Full Guava, Liliko‘i and Rainbow Cakes

Saint-Germain Bakery to close Aug. 7 after 41 years.

PHOTO: @IOFDABHOLDER VIA INSTAGRAM

Just one more day. Yes, the news broke in June that Hawai‘i’s Saint-Germain Bakery was closing in months, so we were able to get one more pink slice of our childhood favorite: Dee Lite Bakery guava chiffon cake.

In early June, the summer stretched before us and August seemed far away. But now the closing week is here and we have moved from grief to denial and back again. Somehow, we hoped a sweet savior would swoop in. Surely, someone craved the liliko‘i chiffon enough to buy that recipe? Could this be the end of the rainbow cake: with its three layers: guava, liliko‘i and lime, topped with enough confetti decorations to qualify for a mini parade?

To help get through this week, we asked those who’d listen for their favorite memories of Saint-Germain. And while the cakes ranked high—especially the rainbow—there were many who raved about the custard pies and the pumpkin pies.

And it wasn’t all sweetness, many of the fondest sighs came from folks remembering the ham rolls, the mozzarella rolls and the other cheesy treats that they’d bought while shopping or working near one of the Saint-Germain counters since 1977.

Did you have a go-to order from Saint-Germain or Dee Lite Bakery? Let us know!

This article appears in the August 2018 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.