Page 5 - MidWeek - May 18, 2022

MAY 18, 2022 MIDWEEK 5
Asmall, local busi- ness that supports its fellow small, local businesses. That’s the foundation of Nelly and Caz Cabebe’s company, Island Craves LLC, which puts on at least five monthly events that serve as a hub for bud- ding and established vendors in Hawai‘i.
by Ginger Keller
Events Abound, Thanks To A Busy ‘Ohana
The ‘ohana behind Island Craves LLC took a well-deserved vacation to California recently. Pictured are (from left) Ronsen, Caz, Ronnie and Nelly Cabebe. PHOTO COURTESY NELLY CABEBE
mapping which vendor will go where. On top of this, she cooks up her own specials — usually uncommon and inventive combinations — which she sells at the events. Her son, too, has a booth called Tato Factory that offers “french fries with a twist.”
For her part, Nelly has been a bustling entrepreneur since age 16 when she brought a build-your-own teddy bear biz to Hawai‘i. At 20, she was the owner of an ice cream shop in Waimalu (also called Island Craves).
Now more than a year into it, Island Craves’ events have just about everything you could want, including food vendors with a wide range of offerings, apparel, jewelry, baked goods, games, lei for graduation, dec- orative cards, plants and more.
“I was introduced to (busi- ness) when I was 15 due to family issues,” she explains. “I was the first 20-year-old to own an ice cream shop, or that’s what I was told, and it felt rewarding. When the kids own something, they can find out sooner if they want to work for someone else or themselves ... and it’ll bring out their creative side.
the tents and see the kids ex- plaining how much love they put into their products. ”
Come May 29, the biz or- chestrates a farmers market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (also at Waikele Center), and is currently looking for “farmer friends,” as Nelly calls it, to get involved.
Like most business own- ers, the pandemic forced the
In fact, Nelly encourages keiki to run their own booths (with the help of their par-
“My favorite part is seeing how much fun they’ re hav- ing, and seeing the people come out and support,” she continues. “I would pass by
A mother of two, Nelly is a busy bee, as each event comes with a long to-do list, ensuring all goes according to plan. That can include any- thing from printing flyers to
To learn more about Island Craves and see all of its up- coming events, visit linktr.ee/ islandcravesllc.
Pearl City resident to shift gears. The couple were hard at work with their fencing company, Empire Fencing, but longed for a sense of com- munity. So, they looked into what would need to happen to start their own fairs, got in touch with Waikele Center — and the rest was history.
ents, of course), so they can dip their toes into the world of entrepreneurship early on — just like she did.
Coming up May 21, Island Craves hosts a family-friendly Keiki Summer Fun Fair from 2 to 7 p.m. at Waikele Center. There, Nelly and her team will be hosting a bake sale (check out @islandcravesllc on Ins- tagram for more info), and a portion of the proceeds will go to keiki in need.