There is no shortage of caffeine, baked goodies and friendly chit chat when visiting Sweet Marie’s gluten-free bakery in Lihu‘e. When it comes to beverages, there are few choices on the menu. Marie Cassel offers coffee, housemade iced tea, almond
There is no shortage of caffeine, baked goodies and friendly chit chat when visiting Sweet Marie’s gluten-free bakery in Lihu‘e.
When it comes to beverages, there are few choices on the menu. Marie Cassel offers coffee, housemade iced tea, almond milk and water. That is it.
But when it comes to a delicious cup of Joe, Cassel says her customers have three choices — “girly, not-so-girly or manly.”
“I’m so over the lattes. I’m so over the espressos,” she says. “I just want a darn good cup of coffee.”
Sweet Marie uses Lion Gold Coffee, a classic light roast coffee from O‘ahu that goes perfectly with breakfast, one of her other specialties.
“The cat is out of the bag, literally,” she says. “It’s Lion’s.”
A girly cup is “sweet and creamy”, while manly is served “black, straight up,” says Cassel, adding that “it’s okay to let your feminine side out.”
Order a cup and Cassel will bring it to your table and ask whether you write with your right or left hand.
“I set the cup on the table how they pick it up,” she says. “It’s important.”
Judith Dome, of Denver, visited Sweet Marie’s last week while vacationing on the island. Since she is diabetic, she couldn’t partake in the delicious looking pastries, but enjoyed several cups of piping hot Joe.
“I just like plain coffee, too,” she told Cassel. “The coffee here is excellent.”
Naomi Escano agreed, describing it as “wonderful.”
“It’s all about the taste and color,” Cassel says. “And no half cups.”
I enjoyed my three “manly” cups with two of Marie’s fresh-baked goodies; a sour cream pecan streusel coffee cake muffin — a mouthful in every way — and a macadamia nut and mango muffin. Let me just say that I left the bakery with an out-of-this-world buzz.
Sweet Marie’s baked goods — including pies, cakes, cookies, muffins and macaroons — are just the tip of the iceberg these days, since she moved into her new location one year ago Nov. 1. In addition to the dessert offerings, Cassel and her staff serve breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday.
For breakfast make sure to try her breakfast sandwich with oven-fried brown rice, and for lunch chose from the polenta, the macadamia nut encrusted chicken breast or a variety of organic salads.
For a full menu visit www.sweetmarieskauai.com or call 823-0227 for more information.
