The brainchild of Hannalee Pervan, a baker from California, a recent sculpture of beloved Star Wars hero Han Solo was put up in her shop window. The catch: the six-foot-tall creation was made entirely out of bread. 

Pervan is the co-owner and head chef of One House Bakery, which is located in Benicia, California. Working for over 100 hours, and over a month, on the project with the help of Catherine, her mother, Hannalee created a masterpiece. She also received support from her father, Peter in this endeavor, as he helped to go and buy supplies for the project while his wife and daughter worked. 

The process for creating ‘Pan Solo’ was complicated, as Pervan stated, “We start with a rough idea and then me and my mom just jump in and start making and baking things and seeing if they work.” However, there is somewhat of a plan once the initial ideas start flowing, as the team used reference photos of the actual Han Solo in carbonite to perfect some of the smaller details. Using flour, sugar, and water, each piece of the sculpture was individually baked and assembled, starting with a more general figure, and then moving to more detailed parts for the hands and face of the space scoundrel. Once completed, ‘Pan Solo’ was displayed starting October 9, 2022, outside of the store. 

There are several reasons for the choice to use Han Solo frozen in carbonite for the sculpture. Since a young age, Hannalee Pervan has loved the sci-fi genre but has a particular affection towards Star Wars, apparently being a subject of bonding between her and her mother. This love is evident through the other sculpture displayed by One House Bakery, which is the “pain-dough-lorian,” a scale model of the protagonist from The Mandalorian, on Disney+. Not only this, but the properties of the dead dough used “really make it look cool,” along with a little spooky, in perfect time for Halloween, which occurred later in the month.