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The idea behind the Hollister food booth Place of Crepes started at 2 a.m. one morning when co-founders Paola Plascencia Garcia and Cesar Morales were looking for something sweet to appease their cravings.
“There’s nothing open in Hollister late at night,” Garcia said. We stopped at Jack In The Box for an Oreo shake and on the drive back home, it hit me—why don’t I just make some crepes?”
It was not just an out-of-the-blue thought. In her youth, Garcia had worked with family friend Adriana Moreno at her Sweet & Savory crepe stand at the Watsonville Farmers Market after getting out of school for the day.
“I would go and help her set up,” she said. “I would be her cash register and help her in the back with crepes. The batter was always already made, but I remembered knowing how to cook them on the pan.”
Spending two and a half months experimenting with batter recipes, Garcia and Morales gave thought to their next step.
“I had never been so adamant about wanting to start something,” she said. “Nothing like that had ever popped up in my head before. I would sit here and think, ‘What kind of name can we give our business? How are we supposed to get started?’”
Coming up with the batter recipe, Garcia said, was the easy part. But starting a business? Not so much.
“We don’t have any family that owns businesses who could guide us,” she said. “We didn’t know what permits and licenses were necessary. I had to do a lot of the research and go down to the county to ask, ‘What am I supposed to do?”
Providing free boxes of crepes to their neighbors, they relied on their feedback to improve their products.
“A stranger does not have a connection to you,” Garcia said. “But we are very close to our neighbors. They can give real criticism, and that’s what I was looking for.”
They started selling crepes at the Farmers Market and at pop-ups and doing some catered events. Along the way, they developed the menu they offer today.
“I thought, ‘What can we add to the crepes?’” she said. “My favorite is Nutella so I already knew that Nutella would be a given. I went online and saw that a lot of people did cream cheese. And Cesar thought cajeta, the super thick caramel, sounded good.”
Nutella forms the basis of several crepes, including two customer favorites: Buttertella, crepes filled with Nutella and peanut butter, and Bee Fruity, Nutella crepes topped with chocolate, lechera and Fruity Pebbles. Both come with strawberries, bananas, and whipped topping.
Another favorite is the Maz Cajeta, a cajeta-filled crepe topped with lechera, crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch and mazapan. Like the others, it comes with strawberries, bananas and whipped topping.
While a standard list of crepe and mini-pancake combinations is available to order by name, customers can order their favorites from a list of 18 fillings, syrups and toppings. And if you are having a hard time deciding what to get or just want a bit of everything, there is a “create your own box” sampler that includes two crepes, six mini-pancakes, two deep-fried Oreos, and a choice of fruit.
Place of Crepes also caters and offers special order items like the Rose Crepe Cake featured on their Instagram page. This item features multiple layers of crepes and fillings folded around each other, arranged to look like an opening rosebud.
Firmly established as one of the anchors of the Farmers Market for the last two years and specially invited by the Hollister Downtown Association to participate in Food Truck Tuesdays, Garcia’s delighted smile while talking about her food tent is evidence enough of the joy she gets from serving her crepes.
“I really enjoy dealing with my customers more than anything,” she said. “I love it when people say, ‘Someone gave me one of your mini-pancakes, and I had to come over and get some myself.’ We’re lucky to have the opportunity to build these connections here in Hollister.”
Place of Crepes. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Deep Fried PBJ Uncrustable and Twinkie. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Cesar Morales. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Mini-pancakes topped with fruit and whipped topping. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Paola Plascencia Garcia. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Cajeta and CJam crepes topped with whipped topping and fruit. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Cruz Morales, Paola Plascencia Garcia and Cesar Morales. Photo by Robert Eliason.
The Dishes of Place of Crepes
CJam Crepe – The crepes are light, thin and nicely browned, reminiscent of the Swedish pancakes my grandmother used to make, which is a huge plus for me. This version is filled with soft, sweetened cream cheese that melts into a layer of strawberry jam. It comes with bananas and fruit, but, for me, just the addition of a blast of whipped topping is enough to make this a perfect dessert. With the Buttertella, this is one of the two most-ordered items, and since I am a sucker for strawberry jam to begin with, this one is my must-try.
Cajeta Crepe – Less sweet than the CJam crepe, the cajeta has a more earthy burnt caramel flavor with a near-savory undertone. Along with the chocolate drizzle, it pairs perfectly with the strawberries and bananas. This is the more adult version of a crepe but every bit as delicious.
Mini-Pancakes – One and a half inches in diameter, these little pancakes are made with a thicker version of the crepe batter. As with the other dishes, they come with strawberries and bananas and, as served to me, were drizzled with caramel sauce. With more of a cake donut texture, they have a bit more chewiness than the crepes. If you are a greedy eater, you could down each one in a bite, but be prepared—they are filling, and you might want to share.
Deep-Fried Twinkies – Place of Crepes offers several kinds of county fair staples, including these Twinkies, along with deep-fried Oreos and PBJ Uncrustables. Yes, you will feel your doctor’s eyes drilling into the back of your head as you eat them, but they are too delicious to avoid forever. The same thickened crepe batter used in the mini-pancakes provides the coating, and the ooey-gooey melted filling makes this a messy delight. Tell your doctor I said it was alright to order just this once.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
