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Mahalo to Maui News readers who took the time over the past couple of weeks to share memories of their favorite long-gone Maui restaurants. Here's a sampling, along with my supporting documentation.
Robbie: "Banyan Inn had the best blueberry cream pie! Omuro's for the breaded teriyaki."
My mom also had fond memories of Lahaina's Banyan Inn, across Front Street from the landmark tree. But neither of us ever had the pleasure of dining at Omuro's, which is surprising, since it was on our side of the island, in Wailuku town. A bit of online research revealed that Mr. and Mrs. Shigeru Omuro closed their Market Street hole-in-the-wall eatery in May 1972, and that Robbie is just one of many kamaaina who long for another serving of their breaded teri.
Dorothy: "I miss the Makawao Steak House, and Kitada's."
I, too, miss Makawao Steak House, which served the community for over four decades, from the 1970s until 2019. But even more so, I miss the previous occupant of that Baldwin Avenue building, T. Iwaishi Store. Tetsujiro and Sono Iwaishi acquired the store and lunch counter in 1937 from its original owner, Rikichi Kawaguchi, who had opened his fishmarket in the 1920s. In 1947, Kitada's Restaurant, later renamed Kitada's Kau Kau Korner, opened up across the street. Both Iwaishi's and Kitada's were known and loved for their homemade saimin noodles, but my personal favorite was Iwaishi's burgers, dripping with Velveeta cheese, and washed down with Green River or a chocolate Coke.
Mavis: "Kawaharada's, across from Haserot cannery in Haiku. Their classics were the saimin, hamburgers, cone sushi and, of course, the incredible miniature apple, coconut, and peach pies...This restaurant has an amazing history. In their heyday, they fed the shifts of the cannery workers. They had a huge dining area filled with large cafeteria tables and heavy benches. By the time I dined there, the cannery was shut down, but folks came from all over Maui to eat there. My mom and her friends would walk to the restaurant using the old railroad tracks in the back of the restaurant for a short cut."
Like Mavis' parents, my father grew up in the area, and for a year or so during my early childhood, my parents and I lived at my grandmother's Haiku home. I remember those huge tables and benches, and gigantic bowls of steaming saimin. Mom often reminisces about working at Maui Land and Pineapple's Haliimaile office in the 1960s, and how the office gang would call ahead to order their saimin and peach pie. That way, they could fit the drive to Haiku and back into their limited lunch time.
Beyond the delicious Kawaharada memories, Mavis' email spurred me into a different direction, down a separate but related rabbit hole. Her father, Michael Suda, taught for over 30 years at Haiku and Makawao elementary schools. Because of him, 5th grade was the only year that I felt as comfortable in science class as I did in language arts. With enthusiasm and humor, he turned my least favorite subject into the most enjoyable part of the school day, illustrating concepts with fun activities. We made ice cream, volcanoes, and lots of smoke. To this day, when I see a rainbow, I think of Mr. Suda and his drawing of Roy G. Biv on the blackboard. I also remember him talking about his own grade school experiences at Haiku School, like a kindly uncle to all of us.
Now I'm wistfully thinking of special days--and meals--shared with my own father. I could write an entire column about the Lucy Goo hamburgers we used to have for lunch, when I'd help out at his Wailuku office. But I'll gladly share the space with you.
Now accepting your nominations for Maui's Best Burger and Best Saimin, past or present. I'm already drooling in anticipation!
* Kathy Collins is a radio personality (The Buzz 107.5 FM and KEWE 97.9 FM/1240 AM), storyteller, actress, emcee and freelance writer whose "Sharing Mana'o" column appears every other Wednesday. Her email address is kcmaui913@gmail.com.