Panera Releases a ‘Bread Hat’ for the Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby, while technically a horse race, is perhaps better known for its iconic drink, the Mint Julep — and even more so for its fancy hats. Derby guests and at-home watchers alike don over-the-top pieces to celebrate the event. 

Many of the hats you’ll see around the race track were months in the making and cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. This year, Panera has a particularly fascinating hat in store for the most exciting two minutes in sports that’s potentially going to blow all those high-priced chapeaus out of the water—a fascinator-style hat made from a bread bowl.

Well, it’s not made from an actual bread bowl, but it looks like it was, and unless someone tries to take a bite out of it (they might, it looks delicious) they’re likely to be none the wiser.

The aptly named “Bread Hat” was created by A-Morir Studio, which has created non-bread-themed fashion for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga, although we’re guessing J-Lo’s outfits weren’t quite as mouth-watering as this masterpiece.

The hat’s centerpiece is a 3D-printed replica of a bread bowl surrounded by colorful ostrich feathers — because how else would one surround a bread bowl designed to be worn as a hat? The green-forward bouquet of feathers lends a nod to the brand’s broccoli and cheddar soup, so much so that you’d be forgiven for expecting some to be hiding inside the bowl.

If you’re hoping to get your hands or head rather, on one of the hats, the company is selling them online starting April 29th for the reasonable sum of $21 via ThePaneraShop.com. Panera says that price tag is a playful nod to its “21 new and enhanced dishes” on its newly-revamped menu.

If wearing a bread bowl hat makes you crave eating one, all online purchases of the hat will also come with a $100 Panera gift card, which you can use to get a couple of the edible versions of the bowls filled with creamy tomato or French onion.

And in case you want to expand that order beyond the bread bowl, some of those “new and enhanced” options on Panera’s menu include a new Chicken Bacon Rancher sandwich, Ranch Cobb Salad, and a new Southwest Chicken Ranch salad we hear pairs beautifully with a bread bowl filled with Mexican Street Corn Chowder.

If you do get one of the hats, Panera says you can expect it to arrive just in time to make all your friends jealous (and hungry) on Derby Day, which is set to take place on May 4th in Kentucky.