Page 4 - Dining Out - Jan 2 2022

Cover Story
Kalapawai Market has been a Kailua institution for nearly a century with its iconic green facade serving as a welcoming landmark for those headed to and from the area’s famous beaches.
Locals and visitors have come to rely on the crack seed and grocery store, which was owned by the Wong family prior to Don Dymond taking ownership in 1992. Long- time customers remember Elise Wong, who would put kids to work at the store if they couldn’t pay for their favorite candy. After Dymond’s passing, his son, Lindsey, took over operations in 2014 and has grown the brand to include Kalapawai Café & Deli locations in Kailua town, Kapolei and the newest location in Waimanalo.
“What’s important to us is our heritage in the Windward community, as we started with Kalapawai Market, right in front of Kailua Beach,” says Lindsey. “My father was looking for a career change from commercial real estate and saw that the store was for sale.We literally lived a block away, and having retail experience in his younger years, he decided this was the opportunity.
“The emerald color is significant to Kalap- awai. We painted it green because it has a visceral, emotional kind of feeling of nostal- gia to locals; it’s that old plantation-style ar- chitecture, and when you see certain styles or colors of buildings, it makes it feel like old Hawaii. The market was exactly that.”
The popular Kalapawai Cafe & Deli restau-
Story by
KYLE GALDEIRA
rants offer breakfast, lunch and full-service dinner seven days a week. The Kailua lo- cation just celebrated its 15th anniversary last month, the Kapolei eatery opened five years ago, and Kalapawai’s newest location opened a year ago in Waimanalo with dinner service now available from 3:30 to 8 p.m.
Nate Aoyagi heads Kalapawai’s wine program for all four locations, and the Waimanalo restaurant features brand-new wine taps that prevent spoilage and waste, and keeps the quality wines fresh. Dymond explains that executive chef Jason Iwane has been with the company for 17 years and oversees the kitchen managers at each location, while mentoring the culinary team and helping to foster the culture and create
Photos by
ANTHONY CONSILLIO
menu items. Dymond’s wife, Jessica, is Ka- lapawai’s baker and crafts the cookies and some of Kalapawai’s ono fresh-made pies available by the slice.
Diners checking out the revamped menu at the Waimanalo restaurant can look for- ward to Poke Nachos ($16) as fresh spicy ahi poke is accompanied by kimchi avoca- do, kabayaki, togarashi and pickled ginger and served with housemade tortilla chips. Iwane has introduced Lechon Kawali ($14) to the Waimanalo menu, as the selection that was served at the Kapolei location features deep-fried braised pork belly tossed with apple cider vinegar, patis, tomatoes, onions and green onions.
Chicken Parmigiana ($18) is a classic
4 / Dining Out / Jan. 2-8, 2022