Our Story
The Patisserie, Inc. dates back to 1968 when founder, Rolf Winkler, wanted to provide Honolulu’s retail and wholesale customers with quality pastries and cakes. His vision inspired Michel Martin, world-renowned chef and restaurateur, to invest his expertise and capital, and company operations began.
Over the years, Rolf Winkler worked hard and grew the organization into a successful business. What started as a 3,000-square foot bakery/retail store with only 10 employees grew to a 9,000-square foot facility with more than 90 employees, and several restaurant/retail stores serving the public in prime locations. The Patisserie has continued to serve the public in Hawaii without interruption and currently the bakery operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide customers with fresh, trans-fat free* products daily. It continues the tradition of producing Rolf’s Lavosh, a popular item in retail stores and fine restaurants for more than 40 years.
In 2004, the founders decided it was time to retire and, after searching for just the right person to carry on their long-standing reputation and tradition of quality and service, brought Robert Paparelli, a third-generation baker and entrepreneur, into the business. Rolf spent time with Bob to insure that the transition went smoothly with no loss of confidence by the public.
Under Bob’s leadership, The Patisserie moved to a 27,000-square foot location near the Honolulu Airport. In 2013, Bob and his son, Marc who has followed in his father’s footsteps, decided to focus their energies on serving their wholesale customers. Through this transition they did not renew their retail leases, a loss felt to this day, and relocated the bakery once again but this time to Pearl City. The Patisserie is now centrally located on the island of Oahu. This production facility provides all of the necessary space to produce and distribute its products without loss of quality. The Patisserie Inc. obtains a third party audit to insure they are maintaining their standards for food safety.
*Products containing Buttercream frosting are not trans-fat free in order to produce a product that is stable
