Wai'anae café slows the pace
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer
For those who reminisce about the days when folks were unhurried and there was ample time to pull up a chair and talk story with friends and neighbors, the Aloha 'Aina Cafe in Wai'anae offers a taste of old Hawai'i.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
"We're just trying to get everyone to slow down a little, enjoy their meal and eat a little healthier," said Marguerite Johnson, general manager of the leisurely open-air café, which began serving breakfast and lunch about a month ago.
Marguerite Johnson, left, and Kukui Maunakea-Forth of Aloha 'Aina Cafe in Wai'anae display the organic produce that will be used for dishes served at the café.
The café at 85-773 Farrington Highway has eight tables and 40 chairs, and features organic green onions, lettuce, bananas, and a dozen other foods grown at the café's 5-acre farm outside of town.
Patrons are encouraged to visit, read the paper or do a crossword puzzle after they've polished off their french toast, turkey chili or lifeguard's kalua quesadillas. The atmosphere is as toasty as the pre-warmed coffee mugs. And the refills are free.
Even the color scheme, in muted tones of brown and green, reflects the one-story wood establishment's obvious love of the 'aina. Visitors are reminded of "the old plantation style," Johnson said. It's as much a gathering place as an eatery.
Still, "if you need to get back to work, we get it out for you as fast as we can," Johnson said. "We had one customer call and say, 'If you can have a cappuccino ready, just run out to the road side and keep the change!'
"Of course, we did it. We have the only espresso machine between Wai'anae and Kapolei."
The café, which had its grand opening Saturday, is part of a community development initiative created by the nonprofit Wai'anae Re-Development Corporation, which also sponsors the student-operated farm, Mala 'Ai 'Opio.
Mala 'Ai 'Opio employs seven students, said director Gary Maunakea-Forth.
"The farm trains out-of-school youth who are around 19 or 20 years of age," he said. "The idea is that it's modeled after a community college. The students came in August last year and they stay for most of the school year.
"They get paid half-time. We do some classes. It's just sort of a bridge to get to college, or to actually start their own businesses."
Maunakea-Forth's wife, Kukui, is the project coordinator.
"What we're trying to do is stimulate the local food economy by, one, being a producer and, two, providing outlets such as this café," she said. "Here in Wai'anae we value our rural lifestyle and we value agriculture."
The irony, she points out, is that Wai'anae, like almost anywhere else in Hawai'i, imports most of its food. The Mala 'Ai 'Opio project is an effort to change that while offering residents an affordable alternative. Everything on the Aloha 'Aina menu is under $5.
So far, Johnson said, patrons have been pleasantly surprised.
"I loved it," said Alfredo Knecht of Campbell, Calif. "It's natural and it's honest, and people here are so friendly. Everybody needs this sort of counterpoint atmosphere."
Plus, Knecht said, his banana pancakes were terrific.
Johnson said the menu will stay fairly simple, although it will expand over time. There are plans to add a fresh fish dish with catches supplied by the Wai'anae Boat Harbor.
One thing that won't change, though, is the expectation that visitors relax and take their time.
"And, if you're in a really big hurry, there are people right across the street who can help you with that," Johnson said with a giggle as she nodded toward the McDonald's across the highway.
