Say Aloha to King’s Hawaiian – Taking a Factory Tour of King’s Hawaiian

 Last week I was invited to a blogger event that I just could not say no to – a tour of the King’s Hawaiian  factory. You see, I’ve loved Hawaiian Bread ever since I was a kid. That soft, sweet goodness was the perfect after school snack. And, well, you already know of my love of factory tours…so needless to say I arrived at the tour bright and early and rarin to go!

King’s Hawaiian headquarters are in Torrance. Yup, they’re a local brand through and through. They did originate on the Islands but have been located in SoCal since 1977. I learned this from an interesting talk given by the CEO Mark Taira, son of the founder Robert Taira.

After learning the story of King’s Hawaiian we were whisked away to the factory to witness the bread baking first hand.
At the time, hot dog buns and rolls were in production. Here’s the buns getting proofed and ready for baking.
 And here they are coming out of the oven. Words cannot describe the intoxicating smell that was wafting through the factory. All I wanted to do was reach into one of those pans and grab one!
Well, I guess they read my mind because they had fresh baked rolls ready to eat. Fresh baked! Like piping hot out of the oven! So, so delicious!
But of course we couldn’t eat them all so the rest got packed up and ready to ship out.

After the tour, we were presented with a feast for lunch. Local food trucks were on hand with dishes made with Hawaiian Bread and the company itself set up a grill for burgers and sausage.

There was so much to choose from that there was no way I could try everything. But I managed a good selection.

Short rib slider from Kogi on a toasted Hawaiian roll.

French toast sticks from Buttermilk made with Hawaiian Bread.

And chicken breast strips from LudoBites with a Hawaiian roll on the side. And we can’t forget dessert!

Yowza!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. This is a private event, how does it benefit me? Well, that is true. Unfortunately, King’s Hawaiian tours are not open to the public. But don’t lose faith in me. I’ve got your back! Did you know that King’s Hawaiian has not one but two restaurants for your dining pleasure? The Local Place is a casual spot specializing in Hawaiian goodies and King’s Hawaiian is a full service restaurant and bakery.

Armed with a $25 gift card from King’s Hawaiian I made my way over there last week so I could check it out for you guys.

As you can see I went for breakfast – french toast and banana pancakes! Can we say yummy? The banana pancakes were mine and I LOVED them (I think I may need to rethink my disinterest in pancakes).  And with reasonable prices too boot, it’s a great place to grab some grub!

King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant
2808 W. Sepulveda Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
open Sun-Thurs 7am-10pm, Fri & Sat 7am-11pm

The Local Place Bakery & Cafe
18605 S. Western Avenue
Torrance, CA 90504
open Sun – Thurs 7am-9pm, Fri & Sat 7am-10pm

full disclosure: I was invited by Kings Hawaiian to an exclusive blogger event and was given a gift box which included a gift certificate to the restaurant. All opinions are my own. Really, I’ve loved Hawaiian bread since I was a little tyke. My name is Melanie and I’m a Hawaiian Bread-aholic.

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