A brief history of the bakery and what to expect
Ted’s Bakery, located on the North Shore of Oahu, has been awarded first place by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser as Hawaii’s Best for seven consecutive years in the food and dining category since 2016, according to staradviser.com. Ted’s Bakery is known for its pies, pastries, cakes and meals that are go-tos for locals and tourists, said a BYU–Hawaii student.
Pia Querido-Costales, a senior from the Philippines majoring in biology, said Ted’s Bakery has a cozy and homey vibe. She said, “It's a pretty small space, and I know they’re popular with tourists as well.”
She added Ted's “cakes are good. I love them,” said Costales. She said Ted's cakes have the right amount of sweetness, and she would also go back for the bakery’s cheesecakes and haupia pie.
A legacy onward
According to tedsbakery.com, the bakery’s long history started back in 1906 when Torojiro Nakamura, an immigrant from Japan, worked for the Maui Sugar Plantation in Kihei on a five-year contract. The website says Nakamura was eventually transferred to the Kahuku Sugar Plantation on Oahu, and when his contract expired, he needed to lease land from the plantation.
Nakamura invested much to lease three acres of plantation land which the plantation, but the bakery's website say the land was useless due to its rockiness and poor grading. But the website says Nakamura worked hard to cultivate the land, and he began producing different crops. “With the help of his sons, he was able to find success as a farmer for many years to come,” says tedsbakery.com.
In 1950, Nakamura and his son, Takemitsu Nakamura, bought land in Sunset Beach, according to the bakery website. After six years, Takemitsu Nakamura established a store and ran a small grocery for more than 30 years, the website says. In 1987, it says, Takemitsu Nakamura’s son, Ted Nakamura opened the bakery. “The bakery was integrated within the store. Initially, Ted sold doughnuts, cornbread and a few pastries,” says the website.
Eight years later, the bakery wholesaled cream pies around Oahu, the website says. Throughout the years, Ted Nakamura expanded his menu according to the demands of his customers, it says. “Some of Ted’s most popular items are garlic shrimp, loco moco, fried rice special, chocolate-haupia pie and pineapple macadamia nut cheesecake,” the website added.
A place to go
Costales said every time she passed by the bakery, people crowded the tables and benches outside, especially during breakfast.
Costales said she learned about Ted’s Bakery from her sister who lived in Sunset, said Costales. “Every time there’s a celebration in her family [my sister] would say, ‘Why don’t we just get a cake from Ted’s?’” she continued.
Aside from her sister, she knew of Ted’s bakery because of its haupia pie, said Costales. She said she visited the bakery along with her friends to try the pie. “All I wanted was to buy the haupia pie, but then there’s a lot of desserts and a variety of cakes and pies,” she said. They ended up purchasing the haupia pie and different slices of cakes, she added.
Costales said whenever her friends ask her for a good spot for cakes and pies, she recommends Ted’s Bakery to them. “It’s also closer to those from town,” she continued. She said the best time to visit if people wanted to avoid rush hour is brunch time or a little later after lunch.