Ok, I have died and gone to heaven. If ever you are in the San Diego area you must visit Harry at Hans and Harry's in Bonita. (www.hans-harry.com) We first met Harry when he and his wife Maureen where in Paso Robles wine tasting. They came to the house and we introduced Per Cazo Cellars to them. He said if we were ever in the area, he wanted to introduce us to his partner and their bakery. Well, Dave will NEVER turn down an invitation to a bakery so of course we called and made an appointment.
This place reminds one of the consummate European bakery where you walk in and immediately start to drool. The bakery cases are filled with scrumptious treats that you know your cardiologist would scold you for even eating half. It was like a one room, sensory overload, Willy Wonka style pastry experience. Harry ushered us to the back where we witnessed some of his 25 employees fast at work creating their masterpieces. He said the bakery goes through 500 pounds of sugar a week. I don't even want to know how much butter. Harry also explained that this business has proven recession proof. When people feel down, they turn to sugar. They may not be able to afford to go to dinner but a breakfast treat is just the splurge one can swing. Harry treated us to the goodies of our choice and the beautiful large strudel that we took with us to enjoy with our friends we were visiting for lunch.
We met Hans who was busy in the office and promises to visit on his next trip to Paso Robles. Harry related a story about Hans who one would say is one lucky guy. After years of hard work, Hans and his wife planned a big European vacation. On the first week of the trip they were in Ireland golfing. Hans was complaining of a headache so severe he was going to abandon his tee time. That's when his wife new it was serious. They visited the ER where X-rays revealed a large aneurysm. Fortunately for Hans, on staff at this hospital was one of the two specialist equipped to treat a serious neurological problem. They returned to San Diego with a huge sense of relief and the realization that they had it pretty good so maybe they don't need to conquer the entire bakery empire. They scaled back their wedding cake business and now focus on the retail side of the operations and go home feeling both satisfied and successful. Instead of slow down to smell the roses, their philosophy is slow down and enjoy a piece of strudel. I'll have coffee with mine.
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