The Anahola Cafe opened at the end of October 2021, led by a Native Hawaiian nonprofit and a handful of Anahola residents on Kauaʻi. As a community-based economic development initiative, the cafe is part of an effort to grow rural economies on Hawaiian Home Lands, similar to tribal lands on the continent, according to a joint announcement.

“Our nonprofit has been planning for this cafe for over a year now,” said Kara Chow, a Deputy Director at the nonprofit Homestead Community Development Corporation. “We are approaching the three-month mark since opening and it’s been really rewarding to watch a small team of local residents operate this little social enterprise in our little rural area on the island of Kauaʻi.”

The core cafe team consists of Wyatt Kamoku, lead chef, Ikaika Kirifi, Moku Kaneakua and Melanie Freitas, all from Anahola families living on Hawaiian Home Lands.

Located at the Anahola Marketplace on Kūhiō Highway, the cafe features burgers and saimin, in a rustic rural setting beneath the pristine Kalalea mountain range.

The cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Monday, and scheduled to soon operate seven days a week
starting in February 2022.

One hundred percent of the revenues from the Anahola Cafe supports its operation and the nonprofit mission of HCDC in affordable housing and job creation on or near Hawaiian Home Lands.

“We invite everyone to come to the Anahola Cafe, the food is great and our team has a whole lot of Aloha,” Chow said. “We are learning together about the business end of food service through this project, all the while having fun and employing our local people.”