LIHU‘E — To say Sandy Poehnelt has come a long way in two years is an understatement. Poehnelt, the owner and baker of The Right Slice, was among the 30 vendors at the Kaua‘i Made/Kaua‘i Grown Wholesale Tradeshow, Friday. “This
LIHU‘E — To say Sandy Poehnelt has come a long way in two years is an understatement.
Poehnelt, the owner and baker of The Right Slice, was among the 30 vendors at the Kaua‘i Made/Kaua‘i Grown Wholesale Tradeshow, Friday.
“This is the first time I’ve been to this event and didn’t really know what to expect,” Poehnelt said on one of her ventures out of The Right Slice’s new digs in the Puhi Industrial Center.
Open just several months now, the new bakery at 1543 Haleukana St. grounds this master pie baker, who has added a line of pot pies, namely homemade chicken and shepherd, which customers can pre-order for pick up fresh. Allow at least an hour for preparation.
Last Saturday, The Right Slice celebrated its second anniversary, coming a long way from the day Sandy and her husband showed up at The Community Market hosted by Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau at the Kaua‘i Community College.
“She was so nice, I thought we would give it a shot,” said Melissa McFerrin of the Farm Bureau. “The first week, she and her husband only had cards to distribute, but the second week, she showed up with her butterfly covers and the rest is history.”
Poehnelt said she couldn’t help showing up with nothing because the health department had not completed the processing of her certification papers.
From that humble beginning, Poehnelt has grown to have her staple pies of mango lilikoi, tropical banana, macadamia nut, blueberry pina colada, chocolate coconut macaroon, lilikoi cheesecake and haupia purple sweet potato (featuring locally-grown potatoes) available at the bakery as well as at different locations on each day of the week.
Her representative bakers are at the Kukui Grove Market from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Waipa Farmers Market on the North Shore from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, the Gourmet Market at The Shops at Kukui‘ula from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, the Hanapepe Art Festival from 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and the Community Market at KCC from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
During the appearances at the satellite locations, pies are available either as individual slices, baby (four to six servings) and large pies.
As the days passed from her initial appearance, Poehnelt has added to the line of pies, her most recent offering, a bento-style mixture of mini, or what she describes as “Menehune,” individual pies packaged with a nice ribbon in a see-through container.
Befriending several of the vendors at the different locations, The Right Slice has added a line of Pie Pops, or a slice of pie on a stick a la lollipop as well as an assortment of Lotus Blossom pies, or individual-sized pies.
In addition to taking care of the island through her network of satellite locations, Poehnelt accepts orders for weddings and other special occasions with at least a 24-hour notice.
“You have to come in and sample the pot pies,” the master baker says with a cheerful smile. “Come and visit. I’m at the bakery from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.”
The Right Slice is on the Internet at www.RightSlice.com, Facebook at TheRightSlice, Twitter at KauaiPieBaker, or simply by calling 212-8320.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
