Talk Story with an Advertiser: Blue Dragon Restaurant
Blue Dragon is an open-air live music venue and restaurant focusing on fresh and local ingredients. Chef Noah Hester serves creative and delicious dishes. He works closely with local farmers, ranchers, cheese makers, etc. to make sure they are serving the best local products.
Pastry chef Danny Tabancura keeps their desserts and breads in-house and fresh. Brandon Winslow serves his cocktails with fresh ingredients, while Larry Roppolo keeps the music varied, local and enjoyed by all. All of this while sitting under the night sky and swaying palms!
Like many residents, owners Bennett and Delphina Dorrance frequented the Blue Dolphin (the previous incarnation) and loved the open-air music venue. They purchased the building and opened the Blue Dragon in June 2008 because they wanted to continue providing a positive gathering place for the community. They recognized that music, food, and drinks bring people of all walks of life together and they wanted to keep this possible in their own community on the Kohala Coast.
People are always surprised when they walk in and look up to see stars in the sky, with the open-air building. The ability to watch the moon rise and stars twinkle is quite the perk for patrons and employees, too.
Manager Jenny Hackleman says “As a restaurant manager the highest compliments I’ve been paid are when guests say they love the feeling they had dining with us. We have guests that literally dine with us every week. We have people plan their vacation around our music schedule. We have two-year-olds on the dance floor next to 92-year-olds.”
Jenny continues, “My grandfather, Ollie Mitchell, started the Olliephonic Horns, a Big Band that started performing at the Blue Dolphin in 1996. I would attend their performances as a child. Although my grandfather has recently passed, his band is still performing regularly at the Blue Dragon.”
About six times a year the Blue Dragon hosts a fundraiser for a local nonprofit organization. In the past they have teamed up with Soroptimist of Kona, Waikoloa Elementary School Garden, Parker School Music Department, Hawaii Nature Conservancy Center, and Hawaii Civic Club, to name a few.
Blue Dragon Restaurant
61-3616 Kawaihae Road
across from the Kawaihae Harbor (Big Blue Building!)
808.882.7771
BlueDragonManager@gmail.com
BlueDragonRestaurant.com
