Women's lunches all about feet, friendship

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

These strappy red heels will qualify you for the Red Shoe Lunches, which usually happen every other month. Advertiser library photo Red Shoe Lunches 537-5838

The bold-colored shoes offer a hint of a need for indulgence.

Welcome to the Red Shoe Lunches.

"The concept was just a place to wear red shoes, and it evolved," said co-founder Erica Chang, 56, a Honolulu artist.

The lunches evolved into an opportunity to be with friends and a time for appreciation, said co-founder Renée White of Wai'anae.

"When my husband passed away (three years ago), I realized we didn't take enough time to celebrate time together," said White, a 55-year-old homemaker. "I'm blessed with so many wonderful friends and I don't want to all of a sudden go, 'Gee, I wish I had lunch with her,' and they're not around anymore.' "

The group began meeting a year ago, with a core of about 20 members, including teachers, granddaughters, housewives and retirees from around the island.

The women usually have lunch every other month at various restaurants, each time dressing up with their red shoes, sometimes welcoming new faces.

Their most recent get-together was July 16 at the Mission Houses Museum Winterbourne Tea Rooms. The cozy room decorated in an eclectic mix of 19th-century missionary memorabilia and Grandma's attic-type treasures befitted the occasion: charming, quaint and relaxed.

The chatter and laughter of 19 women drowned out Pachelbel's Canon in D, which played softly in the background.

Lively conversations about sewing, spas, traffic and soursop filled the room as the women sat at intimate tables, sipping iced tea and enjoying Nalo Greens salads and grilled panini-style sandwiches.

For many of the women, the lunches take on different meanings.

The occasion was a family affair for Pearl City resident Renée Carlos, 40, her daughter, Nicole, 12, and her mother, Rita Ventura, 65, of Makaha.

"It makes good memories for my daughter, and hopefully she'll carry on this tradition with her own children," Carlos said, "and it's good for kids to learn to be well-mannered."

Ventura, a retired nurse, said the get-togethers allow women with similar goals or values to spend time with one another.

"It's women celebrating women. That's what it's really about," Ventura said. "We don't take time for ourselves, and this is it."

Makaha resident Gretchen Lapres, 48, called the Red Shoe Lunches an escape.

"It's a time to get away from all the everyday hassles and responsibilities," said Lapres, a special-education teacher. "It's down time, which women don't get a whole lot of anymore ... and it's mostly just to have fun."