Slice of the sweet life

Strawberry Fobby. Tropic Thunder. Sexual Chocolate. These are just a few flavors of the ice cream pies and baked Alaskas you’ll find at Slice by HB Baking, which recently opened in Chinatown. The bakery is owned by pastry chef Heather Lukela, who officially launched her business, HB Baking Inc. in March 2019. At that time, HB Baking was a side project when Lukela worked full time as an assistant pastry cook.

“I’ve been baking way before 2019,” says Lukela, who remembers making treats for others while working at a local bar. “I would get out of work at 2 a.m. and bake until 6 a.m., but it was what I did for fun.”

Lukela sold her baked goods at the bar, and word spread. Soon, she started doing catering for weddings.

“The ‘B’ stands for Bryan, my maiden name,” she says. “I had to start handing out business cards, so that’s how I got HB Baking.”

When the pandemic hit last year, Lukela had to get creative. She, along with other laid-off pastry chefs, participated in bake sales at Restaurant XO. Through her friend Tiana Feekin, Lukela also sold assorted desserts like blueberry cheesecakes and lemon meringues at Moiliili-based Keiki 2 Keiki.

It was through working with chef Kenneth Lee at Restaurant XO that Lukela found the location for her first brick-and-mortar. Lee introduced her to the Lau family, who owns Jolene’s Market in Chinatown.

This connection paved the way for Lukela to open in a vacant stall within the indoor space.

“We love this location because we have the opportunity to cook for our community,” says Heather’s husband, David, whom she credits as an integral part of her business.

“He handles everything front of house, which frees me up to be creative,” she says.

I ask about the baked Alaskas, a dessert I don’t often see on menus. Lukela says the meringue-topped treat was a hit when she was a pastry chef at Top of Waikiki.

“The pieces were square and covered in meringue rosettes,” she remembers. “I found out then what (ice cream) combos worked well.”

Some of Lukela’s menu items resulted from catering orders, while others are her personal favorites.

“Matcha and cookies and cream are two flavors I get a lot from Dave’s Ice Cream, so that’s how we got ‘Matcha Cookies & Cream,’” she says. “I came up with the Sexual Chocolate Baked Alaska after catering companies asked me to create something super chocolatey for New Year’s Eve.

“David comes up with most of the pie names,” Lukela adds. “He’s a big part of the creative process.”

Customers can still preorder ice cream pies via Instagram or over the phone, but whole pies require 48-hour advanced notice. Currently, Lukela plans to keep the flavor menu the same, but is excited for the endless future of possibilities.

“If I ever expand (my business), I want to do ice cream cakes with huge layers,” she says. “That would be fun, especially if it’s custom orders.”

Slice by HB Baking
Located inside Jolene’s Market
100 N. Beretania St., Honolulu
noon-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays;
noon-5 p.m. Sundays
808-202-8601
Instagram: @slicebyhbbaking