Hawaiian Food!
By Alan Okami
Who doesn't enjoy a good plate or more of Hawaiian Food? Especially when done right. Here's another icon of the good stuff, Young's Fishmarket. They been doing it from way back. I remember days when I was a little boy and they were in the Chun Hoon marketplace in Nuuanu.
The business has successfully gone on to a new generation. Pictured here is Danny Young. Not only son, but hard worker. I think he does the same thing that I do for our shop. (Everything)
Their cooler can take care of all your next backyard party needs. Pipikaula, Lomi Salmon, Poi, all the good stuff. Can go broke over here!
That is, IF you make it past the hot line. Talk about getting your Hawaiian Food fix. They even have pateles. For you non poi eaters, white rice is available too. (I appreciate that)
These ladies are small kine shy, but they kick some laulau making butt. I used to help my coach cater in High School and we can't hold a torch to these hard working ladies. Can you believe in "jamming" mode, they can make about 1,000 laulau a day. Wow laulau!
Hot off the press, or steamer I should say. Danny give a little behind the scenes look at the incredible process that take place here each day. I have to tell you, though we offer a tour at our shop, I felt like I was a little boy, watching Checkers and Pogo. Remember when they used to visit places like the ice cream factory?
BTW, while I was there, I got some kulolo, Hawaiian salt and other goodies for some friends. All good stuff. How you like Kalihi? Gotta stop by and visit all the flavors here. Such a wonderful place. 24 years working here and loving everyday of it.
Kaleo O Kalihi
March 30th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I haven't been to Young's yet. I know there's a giveaway thing on Call the Coach during UH football season. But I never win those things! Maybe I'll take my dad one day.
March 30th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Oh wow man, I wish I had known about all these places. Then again if I did, I would be 1000 lbs. If I ate there, I would have to stop by your shop and test out your exercise machines.
Oh Wow Lau Lau is an understatement. Thanks for sharing.
So where's this place?
March 30th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Where is Young's Fishmarket located? Next to what? No sense giving me street names!
March 30th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Kelli,
Yup, take your pops. You'll enjoy it. I like the mix plate with laulau, pipikaula and kalua. I usually give away my lomi salmon though.
Ynaku,
Next time, stop by, we go. My treat.
wafan,
Ha ha ha, you been away too long Hawaiian. They're on Kalani Street, where Kohou turns into Kalani. Used to be the parking lot of the old GEM store. If you stop by my shop, I take you cuz.
March 31st, 2009 at 2:32 am
By any chance can they ship laulau to the mainland??
I left the island back in '91 and have been wanting some... every place I come across that does shipping cost like $70 bucks for 2.
March 31st, 2009 at 7:22 am
youngs has one of the better laulau around. after you eat one their laulaus its kanak attack. so ono.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:17 am
GA Bows,
I am doing some homework for you right now. I might feature a local manf, Keoki's laulau if they allow me in there. When we do our maketing, we pick some up at Times. It's pretty good. In the meantime, here's the number for Young's Fishmarket 808-841-4885, they ship to the mainland. I'll leave the details up to you.
B,
Man, now I like eat Hawaiian plate. Jonesing for some bad. Talking and blogging too much, not enough eating, ha ha.
March 31st, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Oh wow! Young's phone number!!!
I actually found a place out here that sells frozen lau-lau at $20 for two honest to goodness real kine made-in-Hawai'i lau-lau. One of these days when I am super hungry I guess I will have to break down and spend the money. Heck, they even sell frozen poi at $10 a bag.
$30 and no entertainment or lomi. I would set up a mirror and dance but then I do not want to make myself love my appetite.
Sheesh!
March 31st, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Shucks. love = lose.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Young's was in Chun Hoon Marketplace? How long ago was that? When I was a kid, I think there were two locations, one on Liliha St., and the other, across the street from GEM Store, in the Kapalama Shopping Center. We used to go to that location a lot for laulau, kalua pig, and even turkey tails. Oh man, I miss that place. I can sometimes find frozen laulau out here in the Pac. NW, but it ain't Young's. By the way, is Violet's Grill still there in Kapalama Shopping Center?
April 1st, 2009 at 5:04 am
Mahalo!!!!!!! Will give Young's a call today.
I remember when I was same kid time, my parents use to take us there every Saturday morning. Love the place!
April 1st, 2009 at 10:21 am
wafan,
Gotta make it home one of these days Hawaiian. Get your fix and den freeze a whole cooler full and take home. I guarantee the NSA peeps on Cali side won't steal them, ha ha. I'll get more info when I hear back from Keoki's laulau.
David from Oregon,
There's a lot of college lu'au that happens in the PNW. You should try check it out. sometimes they even make their own imu. Most times, they ship up the real stuff from home since they have moms and dads here to get all the legwork done.
Youngs was in the Chun Hoon place over 20 years ago, then they moved to the Kapalama SC with Zippys for a while and finally to the GEM ( now City Square ) in the past decade or so.
GA bows,
Memories, can you remember the ice cream shop next to Youngs back then? I can still remember the layout of old Chun Hoon. They're rumours that the current strip on that side of the mall is going to become a Whole Foods by the turn of the new year. Times are always changing. I wonder what memories my kids will have to hold on to. Things change too fast now.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:57 am
Oh yeah, we use to live up the street from Chun Hoon... my mom use to buy me the hamburger there, they use to butter the buns which I liked back then.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:09 am
Eh Alan,
Thanks for letting me know about the Chun Hoon location. All I remember about Chun Hoon was that large tree growing in the middle of the place. Looking back on it, I wish I had taken pictures of all of the things in and around town where I grew up. At this point, it's a bit difficult to go down "memory lane" as so many things are hard for me to remember. I do remember some places though, like Liberty Bakery on King St.
Mahalo for the info on the college lu'au here in the Pac. NW. Believe it or not, I can actually find things from Hawaii including laulau, kalua pig, frozen poi, even Hawaiian Sun drinks. The two problems I have are, the cost of buying these, since they have to be shipped over from Hawaii, and the lack of any stores close to me. The closest one is about 10 miles away (one-way), the next is almost 20 miles, the third is about 25 miles away. When I was living in Hawaii, Young's was a short 5 minute drive away.
Eh Alan, maybe you should work out a deal with other Kalihi businesses. Tour the Ko Aloha factory, followed by lunch at Young's, followed by other stuff. Eh, just a thought.
Aloha from the Pacific NW, where (at 2:10pm Pacific time / 11:10am Hawaii time) it is currently 38 degrees and raining.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:52 pm
GA Bows,
We might have been neighbors of sorts. I grew up in lower Nu'uanu. Was all excited when 7-11 first opened about 1980ish.
David from Oregon,
That's far for food yeah? We actually are on the Waikiki Trolley's Redline service of Historic Honolulu. Been working at your suggestion for years, but hard to drum up the support and buy in. That's why I do free PR work for Kalihi, do dispel any perceived hidden motivations. In the mean time, I cover people in my blog. Thanks for the input, we need more people like you.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
You might have run in the same circle as one of my older brothers.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I'm a Kaiulani Grade schooler, Kalakua, and Farrington grad and former Kapalama boy. Wish I had seen your web a week ago. A niece vaca-tioning in Kapolei wanted to bring back some poi for me. If I had known of your info, I would have sent her to Kalihi, just because I love Kalihi.
If I remember correctly, Helena's was in Kapalama about 1946 on--just below Farrington High. Oh yes, I loved her food.
A Japanese grocery store in Chicago used to sell frozen poi and former Hawaians from very distant locals would come in and buy them out. I've tried to have our local Korean grocer to carry it but they don't know what it's all about. Heck, I think I've been the only one trying to promote Kimchee. Another great item would be Portuguese sausage. When I first came to Chicago many years ago, I asked the butcher at a supermarket if they had Portuguese sausage. He pointed to a sausage which didn't look like what I ate in Honlulu. I found out it was Polish sausage. I do know that todays' Portuguese sausage look like Polish sausage. On one trip home, I did have a Portuguese sausage sandwich and it wasn't what I expected--what happened? The Portuguese contribution to Hawaii's food was adding sugar to weiners, bread and luncheon meat. Years ago, I tried every form of what was called luncheon meat but they were not the Hawaiian type. By chance, I found a can of it made in Iowa. It was IT!! One of our super obligingly carried it but it turned out that I seemed to be the only one buying it so they had to drop it. Auwe!!
Come on, business promoters of Hawaii--push Hawaii, especially now that our fellow Hawaiian, Obama, is the president!!!
Aloha, meke pumehana! A hui hou, Kalihi!!
April 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
GA Bows,
Perhaps, I was riding bike around the neighborhood in the late 70's. Yikes, showing my age. Went to Scouts in Pauoa with the Terutani's, Morikawa, Sumida, etc.
Umeboshi,
Helena's on King, that was the place. Just around the block now on School St. OK, not I have a little more homework. I'll see if I can find Portuguese sausage somewhere that ships. Chicago huh? Far from home my braddah. When you goin come home and visit?
Ynaku,
We were thinking of going holoholo in Kona, but I think I no like travel that far on a dark and crazy road. Maybe see you on the streets. We'll be the 5 guys packed into a mini van.
B,
Thanks, it's our pleasure actually. With kids, cannot go wrong. It's the adults that we are afraid of.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Alan:
Mahalo for your reply. So, Helena's actually had started her business on King St. in Kapalama. Good to realize that we were part of her historical business. Last time I visited the neighborhood was in1999.
Forgot that an old Farrington classmate sent an E informing that there was a Hawaiian kau-kau place in Chicago called Aloha Grill. I logged on to their web site last night and read good compliments, though they were from mainlanders who had never been to Hawaii. 'As a'rite! The place is located in my old neighborhood but because of disabilities I haven't driven into Chicago proper for many years. I live in a North Shore Suburb of Chi. They or someone should open a kau-kau place in these suburbs because I'm sure it will be successful. Catering for luaus in the summer--big business! Lots of BIG estates and moola around here, especially along Lake Michigan. There is a hula-Tahitian group that performs evey year. Put them together with a big luau--man, big shindig!
Mahalo brudda but no can go home again. Da las time in '01 fo my furs an las face- to-face sayonara to old friends and schoolmates. ALOHA!
April 5th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Alan:
Niece brought back several cans of powdered poi, char siu powder, and larp chong. Haven't tried yet. Last night, we drove to Chicago to the Aloha Grill that I had mentioned. Glad I moved out ou the area a long time ago--it's like a miniature Broadway. The only things Hawaiian were fruit juices, haupia, and Porftuguese sausage. Had to be satisfied with sausage(!), eggs and rice. Popular place, though. Larpr chong used to be made in Canada--now in US. Last ones I tried from NY--very hard. Must have been very old.