After having developed a mutual love for creating delicious paninis and wholesome baked goodies at the Good Market every Thursday, it came as no surprise to delighted market-goers that The English Cake Company and Panino decided to team up to open a specialized outlet to call their own.

Making it easier for customers to just drop in to pick up a slice of gooey cake or a panini hot off the grill, the outlet is just what you’ve been looking for. The Cakery and Panino is a month old and the response has been overwhelmingly positive says Kevin Harbison and Yohan Galapitage, from Panino and The English Cake Company respectively.

Freshly made paninis, warm and bursting with flavour

For Kevin and Shari Harbison, opening up a panini venture had always been a dream, ever since they frequented farmers markets in the US where they lived earlier. Shari used to make paninis for friends and when the couple moved back to Sri Lanka, they opened up Panino, with the idea of using fresh, organic produce and roast paan to make a delicious, wholesome sandwich.

They started at the Good Market last December and they gathered a great response from market-goers, some of whom would ask if they had an outlet they could visit. “When Yohan, from TECC came over to our stall on a Thursday, and asked if we’d be interested in opening a combined outlet together, we decided to take on the opportunity. Initially, we wanted to make it a takeout joint but eventually we set up a few tables and stools because some customers preferred to hang out with friends or family and enjoy a panini or a baked goodie from TECC,” says Kevin, who co-owns Panino with his wife Shari.

There are big plans for Panino’s menu, as they would like to add more items to the list. They include a tuna melt, a roasted vegetable and feta and a pol sambol and egg, three of which will be introduced to the menu in the near future.

Freshly baked bagels for breakfast are also on the list, for when the outlet will open earlier than 10AM, but since several things are still being worked on, the outlet will inform customers when they decide to open earlier than usual. Panino undertakes orders for private events and parties. 

Comfortingly delicious cakes, pies and tarts

Ellie and Yohan Galapitage too started as vendors at the Good Market and owing to an amazing response from regular customers, they teamed up with Panino. They stress that the goodies they sell are baked fresh using real fruit and natural flavours instead of artificial colours, flavours and additives, which are a common occurrence in Colombo.

They refuse to sell anything that has been on the shelf for over 24 hours, even if it tastes fine. They add a new item to the menu almost every week, and the menu for the Good Market stall rotates every Thursday while the outlet always has a ready stock of customer favourites namely the Victoria Sandwich (vanilla sponge cake with buttercream and strawberry, passion fruit or lemon curd filling), brownies, passion fruit tart, lemon and lime tart and meringue cupcakes.

“There are lots more to be introduced to the menu such as puddings, ice cream and pies. And when we make the plan to open at 8AM, customers can choose from freshly baked cinnamon rolls, scones and blueberry pancakes for breakfast!” says Yohan who co-owns TECC with his wife Ellie. TECC undertakes orders for private events and parties, and will bake cakes and goodies according to customer requirements.

The Cakery and Panino is located at No.2, Suleiman Terrace, Jawatte Road, Colombo 05 and they are open from Tuesday through Sunday from 10AM-9PM. For orders, updates, inquiries and more information, check out the respective pages on Facebook, which are The English Cake Company and Panino. 

By Sarah Kellapatha

Photos by Kithsiri de Mel