Manny Randazzo’s opens for brief ‘Christmas’ king cake sale - NOLA.com

For 10 years or so, Manny Randazzo, the popular Metairie king cake maker, has opened his seasonal shop for 10 days before Christmas to do what more and more New Orleans bakers are doing: Sell what they call Christmas king cakes.

The full complement of Randazzo’s flavors are available at the shop on North Hullen Street in Metairie, but you won’t see any purple, green and gold – not yet. These cakes are decorated with white and red icing and sugar.

Unlike other bakeries selling holiday cakes, however, Randazzo’s, which has a near-cult-like following, is not a year-round bakery. It opens and sells during Carnival season.

So, why the Christmas season window of selling?

"It gives us a good start for the season,” Randazzo said. “It’s a practice run, making sure everything is running smoothly like it should. And then once we hit the ground running on Jan. 3, it’s all hands on deck.”

The shop will close between Christmas and the New Year and reopen for Carnival season on Jan. 3 and sell through Mardi Gras. That’s when the traditional purple, green and gold king cakes will be available.

And, Randazzo teased that there may be other colors this season, depending on the fortunes of the New Orleans Saints.

King Cake King 2012 crown goes to the pecan praline at Manny Randazzo

“There will be some fleurs de lis, yes, and some No. 9s and probably a limited number of black and gold cakes,” Randazzo said.

Manny Randazzo King Cakes opens at 8 a.m. to sell Christmas cakes. It remains open until the cakes sell out, which is usually late afternoon. Want a good selection? Get there before noon, Randazzo said. (When we stopped by around 3 p.m., the bakery had about six small cakes left.)

During Carnival season, the shop will open at 7 a.m.

If you’re digging the idea of a Christmas king cake, you’ve got lots of options. Check in with your favorite New Orleans area bakery.

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