Pono Practices at Honoka‘a’s Green Market and Café

By Barbara Fahs

Imagine a restaurant that generates virtually no waste. Also imagine, a menu chock-full of fresher-than-fresh, organic, in season, locally produced ingredients. Wait, there’s more! Under the same roof is a small natural foods store, the only one of its kind in Honoka‘a.

Green Market and Café owners Cheryl Green and Danielle McKim joined forces in 2013 to plan and build the edifice that houses the restaurant and market. And when we say they built it, they actually drew up plans and worked on the construction crew. “I have been a general contractor since 1989,” Cheryl mentions during our chat over lunch. “Before that, I was in the carpenter’s union and served as the foreman in high-rise construction projects along with 300 men.”

Coupled with Danielle’s customer service and business management experience and both women’s enthusiasm for healthy, organic meals, the partners bring the best of their skills to their business. One important facet of Danielle’s experience centers on her career as an administrator for an entrepreneur with 23 restaurants in San Jose, California.

And Cheryl—well, the best way to describe her is a ‘Jill-of-all-trades.’ Both women are passionate about giving their customers a great dining experience.

“The way we met was serendipity,” Danielle shares. “I was planning to build a home after I moved to the Big Island in 1995 and contacted Cheryl’s company, Green Construction, to talk about it. Although we didn’t follow through on those plans, we became friends.”

They eventually formed a design and drafting company together in 2006 and continue to operate it today.

The Vision

Both women wanted to build and be involved in a sustainable business. “I had owned the property where Green Market and Café is now located for about 14 years before we decided to build the restaurant,” Cheryl says. “I had thought about building a hotel—instead, with Danielle, we decided to create a great restaurant.”

After the plans were drawn, permits were obtained, and additional workers were hired, construction began, using many recycled materials from Cheryl’s storage:

• The wood for the lanai bench.
• All of the roof beams and rafter support beams.
• All 6×6 posts.
• 98% of the structural hardware.
• Sliding barn door bottoms are repurposed from the old Honoka‘a mac nut factory.
• The front door, dining room door and the large “windows” are doors repurposed from a Waiki‘i Ranch remodel.
• Handmade screen doors are made from wood from an old cedar deck.
• Repurposed the large existing foundation in the back of the property that was permitted and built in 1953. The foundation is now utilized as a parking lot for their guests.

Along with two other workers, Cheryl was involved every step of the way, swinging a hammer and sawing boards. Green Market and Café formally launched on April 9, 2014.

Organic Farming

Cheryl began farming by the organic method in Mendocino County, California in the 1970s and has continued this endeavor in Hawai‘i since 1994. Making compost, creating organic bug sprays, and companion planting were techniques Cheryl brought to her farm north of Honoka‘a.

“My farm produces organic macadamia nuts, citrus, and avocados that we use in the restaurant,” Cheryl says. Other items come from Mother Nature’s Miracle, Adaptations, and the Hilo Farmers Market.

Danielle’s grandparents shared their knowledge of organic gardening and love of homegrown food with her. “And Cheryl has taught me a lot more,” she adds.

Sustainable Business Practices

While we typically encounter cloth napkins at fine dining establishments, Green Market and Café has woven this custom into their casual atmosphere, both elevating the experience for the guest and staying at the forefront of environmently-conscious business practices.

“I’ve lived off the grid since 1995,” Cheryl shares, continuing, “so creating a restaurant that uses solar energy was a natural thing for me to do.”

They do use net metering, which is an integral part of the energy savings plan for the building. Cheryl explains, “Our energy savings plan is very simple: if you’re not using it, turn it off.”

• No HVAC system. The building was designed to have natural airflow (as building codes allowed) and natural day-lighting.
• Building was designed for minimal impact to the land. Excavation was only to dig the footings for the building.
• • Concrete counter tops.
• Multi-pure filtration system for water.
• Energy STAR® rated equipment (dishwasher, merchandisers)
• LED lighting is throughout the building and the exterior and parking lights are LED.
• 9 KW Photovoltaic Net Metering system.
• Recycling Program for all waste (cardboard, plastics, paper; food scraps go to pig farmer-not the landfill; bottles are recycled).
• All take-out containers, straws, napkins, cutlery are biodegradable. The toilet paper, hand washing soap, paper towels, office paper are biodegradable.
• The restrooms have low-flow flushing toilets, urinal.
• Propane, electric, and water saving programs to lower costs and keep waste at a minimum.

Clientele is comprised of both visitors and kama‘āina. So far, the feedback from everyone has been positive, with many truly impressed by their comprehensive vision on their responsible business model.

“People seem to love what we’re doing,” Danielle says. “Although we’re not consciously trying to set any precedents, we hope that we can have an influence over the way that other restaurants handle their waste, use energy, and conserve on water consumption.”

Danielle adds that some Hawai‘i Island chefs have visited, and she is optimistic that they will be integrating more organic produce into their menus.

“I hope that we are an inspiration to others about ways a restaurant can function in a more sustainable manner,” says Danielle.

Sustainable practices are far from being a new phenomenon. On O‘ahu in the 1940s, households filled “slop buckets” with their food scraps and pig farmers collected this valuable refuse on a regular basis. Playing off that method, Green Market and Café also recycles its food waste this way. “Several times a week, someone from the pig farm stops by and picks up our buckets of scraps,” Danielle explains.

In a state where an estimated 31 percent of all landfill materials—371 tons of food waste—are produced every year from all types of food establishments. Because the landfills are rapidly filling up, it would make sense for more restaurants to practice some type of food recycling.

Fabulous Food Choices

The menu at Green Market and Café includes choices for all tastes and food preferences. Featured ‘Asian fusion’ choices such as pasta, fish tacos, and rib eye steak are some favorites. From the many gluten-free and vegan choices to local grass-fed beef, vegetarians and carnivores alike can enjoy meals that satisfy their cravings and preferences. Cheryl is “90 percent” responsible for developing the recipes and is serving as the head chef until May 2015, when her brother Roland arrives from Colorado to take the reins. “He grew up in restaurants,” Cheryl says, “so he is a perfect choice to take over our kitchen.”

All ingredients are locally sourced and house made, including all the meats, vegetables, breads. cheeses, herbs.

Music, Art, and Literature at the Café

Special musical events are held twice each month. On May 21, The Mamane Street Music Club will perform, and on May 28, the Old Songs of Hawai‘i Band will entertain. Performances start at 6pm and continue until the musicians are “pau,” announces Danielle.

Art exhibits add to the dining experience. Work by artists such as Mary Spears, Clytie Mead, and Amber Bonnici are currently revolving every two to three months. Watch for the work of Val Kim soon. Artists who are interested in showing their work may contact Danielle.

Danielle adds, “Our next goal is to bring in local authors for talk story sessions.” ❖

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Contact photographer Renee Hoogs
Contact the Green Market and Cafe: 808.775.0004, GreenMarketAndCafe.com
Contact writer Barbara Fahs.

Sources:
Okazaki, Wendy. Identification and Assessment of Food Waste Generators in Hawai‘i. December 2006.