Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Menehune Bites. Daniel Lane photo
Sandy Poehnelt, the owner and baker of The Right Slice, and Kauai’s favorite pie lady, makes deep-dish pies with tropical fruit packed into flakey handmade crusts. All pies are made with real food: Real butter, flour, sugar, eggs, nuts and fruit. No preservatives, no artificial flavors.
Pies are baked fresh everyday at her bakery in Puhi, and each pie is a work of art. Not in a visual kind of way, although they are attractive, but in a comforting, sweet indulgence kind of way.
Delightfully delicious Mountain Apple Pie. daniel Lane photo
You can get classics such as apple, peach, pecan and even a rocky road pie filled with chocolate, roasted almonds and marshmallows. But for me, it’s her use of local fruit that makes her pies really special.
Mountain apples look like ruby-red pears, smell like roses, and taste like heaven. The mild flavor is a little sweet, and very delicate. Like the smell of a rose on a summer breeze. It’s my hands-down, all-time favorite pie Sandy makes, and in about a month or so, it’ll be mountain apple season!
The Tropical Banana Pie is packed with apple bananas. Daniel Lane photo
My hubby’s favorite is the Mango Lilikoi pie. Thin slivers of succulent mango swim in a passion fruit purée. It’s a symphony of flavors that exclaim summer in Hawai`i, but don’t overwhelm your taste buds.
Four-pounds of apple bananas go into each Tropical Banana Pie. There is no custard, just loads of firm bananas, cinnamon and a little pineapple juice. Sandy reinvents pecan pie with macadamia nuts, sweet pineapple and chewy coconut.
Owner and baker Sandy Poehnelt makes her pies by hand. Daniel Lane photo
About 20 kinds of citrus grows on Kauai, and Sandy makes amazing custard pies with some of them. There is a lemon pie, made with Meyer lemons from Omao. A lime pie, made with Tahitian limes, and Ruby Red grapefruit pie that’s studded with tangy sections.
Chicken pot pie and Shepard’s pie are always available, but the vegetarian and meat pies change everyday. Today, you can choose between mushroom medley or coffee steak. When we go into town, Dan and I pre-order, so they’re piping hot when we get there. We bring our dog Lucy, and eat on the bakery’s charming outdoor lanai (patio).
Blueberry Pina Colada Pie with pineapple, sweet coconut cream, soft blueberries, and a crunchy coconut topping. Daniel Lane photo
This summer, Sandy will introduce scratch-made biscuits to her menu. You’ll be able to get sides of homemade gravy with fresh herbs, or fresh fruit to top them. Kauai honey and locally made fruit spreads will be available in her bakery soon.
Sandy ships her pies all over the United States. In fact, UPS is featuring her in a small business ad campaign!
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