Beard Papa ’s, the Japanese cream puff chain that ignited a frenzy in LA when it opened last year, has opened its first O.C. store at MainPlace Mall’s food court in Santa Ana.

The store opened Aug. 10. For its first week, Beard Papa’s will give free limited edition thermoses to the first 50 people who buy a dozen cream puffs each day. Customers who buy a 6-piece box will also get a Beard Papa’s key chain. There will also be a chance to win one of seven $100 gift cards (1 drawing per day).

Excerpts from the press release:

Internationally known for their vanilla cream-filled treats, Beard Papa’s cream puffs consist of a two-layer shell. The inner shell is a choux pastry shell and the outer part is a piecrust. It is this specially-structured shell that makes Beard Papa’s cream puffs so unique. The crunchy puffs are baked fresh each day and filled with a special, secret recipe of whipped cream custard. The custard is created with handpicked vanilla beans from Madagascar, which can actually be seen in the custard filling. Customers clamor for these mouth-watering delicacies, which are sprinkled with powdered sugar and ready to eat immediately (puffs are free of preservatives).

Beard Papa is a fictional character that brands the Japanese pastry chain. Beard Papa’s operates in China, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and now in the United States with: 4 locations in New York City; 12 locations in California; 7 locations in Hawaii; 1 in Massachusetts and 1 location in New Jersey. Muginoho, Inc., the parent company of Beard Papa, opened its first U.S. store in New York in March 2004 and its first West Coast store in Hollywood in 2005. They are aggressively continuing to expand the Beard Papa’s chain with more locations in the United States within the next two years.

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