Page 6 - MidWeek Windward - Nov 9, 2022

6 NOVEMBER 9, 2022
Waiāhole Poi Factory Revitalizes Building, Windward Agricultural Economy
FROM PAGE 1
ers in Waiāhole saw a need to keep the community’s tradi- tion of farming economical- ly viable. They established a nonprofit to transform the building into a commercial kitchen that could be rented at reasonable prices to cook value-added products from farm produce.
After 20 years, most people had tried their food ideas, and the building was left vacant once more.
Waiāhole Poi Factory opened there again in 2009 as a takeout restaurant serv- ing laulau, kālua pig, squid lū‘au, chicken long rice, lomi salmon and, of course, poi — with as many ingre- dients as possible locally sourced, including kalo from Kahalu‘u.
“Since we opened, our reputation has steadily grown each year,” says Hoe, who was previously a ten- ured Hawaiian studies professor at Windward Community College. In fact, Waiāhole Poi Fac- tory had to reconfigure its parking to minimize traffic on Kamehameha Highway as more and more customers lined up to enjoy the ‘ono food.
(Above) Jamie Vierra and Mahina Ka‘awa display the Kanaka Nui from Waiāhole Poi Factory. (Left) Sweet Lady of Waiāhole is a popular item made with warm kūlolo and haupia ice cream. LAWRENCE TABUDLO PHOTOS
do we reintegrate agriculture and cultural education into our current economy?
economic and agricultural opportunities, the poi fac- tory also strives to keep the culture and traditions of the Hawaiian people alive.
his father and other kūpuna. Hoe also can be viewed pounding poi on Netflix’s re- cently released documentary
agricultural economy. They plan to plant more kalo in nearby neighborhoods and are in the beginning stages of opening a second location in Honolulu.
“A lot of the economy today is in the visitor in- dustry,” Hoe continues. “We don’t want Waikīkī in Waiāhole, but we do want a viable economy. We are try- ing to balance that and con- tribute possibilities.”
On Sundays and Wednes- days around 10:30 a.m., Hoe can be seen hand-pound- ing poi with a traditional pōhaku (stone) and papa ku‘i ‘ai (poi board) — a skill that he learned from
series, Street Food.
The poi factory continues
Waiāhole Poi Factory is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
“We want to be contrib- uting to our community and not a burden,” says Hoe, while explaining many of
the employees are from near- by towns. “We were able to hold off the bigger develop- ment in our valleys, but how
In addition to providing
to nourish more and more people with the food of Hawai‘i’s ancestors — and its workers are not slowing down in their quest to re- vitalize Windward O‘ahu’s
For online ordering and more information, visit waiaholepoifactory.com.
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