Bunanza Is the Boutique Bakery Delivering Warm, Fresh Cinnamon Buns to Your Door
We'd recommend sending a piping hot pack of cinnamon buns over a bunch of boring flowers, every time.
Like the loaves of sourdough and banana bread that came before it, during the great Lockdown Baking Boom of 2021, cinnamon buns really took their place in the spotlight. But if you're anything like us, you attempted them in week one before realising they were perhaps better left to the experts.
Enter ex-Gemmayze Street chef Krista On Hing, who has turned a lockdown hobby into an online business delivering freshly made cinnamon buns with a selection of delicious toppings, direct to your door.
On Hing told Concrete Playground that her new venture Bunanza came out of the lockdown discovery that that cinnamon buns were "therapeutic to make and therapeutic to eat".
"It got to a point where we thought, 'we can't make this many baked goods in the house without turning into the size of a house'," she said. "I was making these buns and I was thinking, 'I wonder how hard it would be to start [a business] very casual, very chill. And it's kind of just popped off."
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On Hing was the sous-chef at Karangahape Road stalwart Gemmayze Street for five years, a job she says she adored, but soon caught up with her.
"I hadn't seen my friends and family, they'd written me off. I finished up at the end of July, just before lockdown. My plan was to take the rest of the year off and catch up on my life, then maybe look at doing something else down the line — maybe a new restaurant or a lunchtime gig.
"We were not planning on doing the bun thing [but] it's very exciting."
On Hing says she would love to open a small brick and mortar shop in future if the interest is there. "It's a case of wait and see," she says.
In the meantime, she's and her fiancé are running the business out of her kitchen. On Hing makes the buns while he helps with running the site, accounting, and of course, delivery.
Each mixed pack comes with a myriad of toppings to choose from, a "zesty and creamy" orange cream cheese, "nutty salty-sweet and savoury" browned butter with salted almonds, as well as a classic vanilla buttercream for the purists.
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The word is getting out quickly, the reviews are all glowing and On Hing says they're "scared but excited" by the steeply rising demand. Make an order on the website to have your buns delivered frosted and fresh — currently delivery is only between 10am and 2pm, Friday and Sunday, but new delivery days are promised to be launching soon.
If you want to make them last, no worries — there's a whole section on the website dedicated to the perfect re-heating method, to transform your bun "into a delicious second-day treat."
But, good luck making them last that long.
Orders are open now for this weekend's deliveries of Bunanza buns, with orders over $36 including free delivery to locations close to Bunanza's Sandringham HQ. For more information, check out the website.
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