MOM-AND-POPS
Family-owned enterprise belongs to the heart of Maui

MAUI, Hawaiʻi – Close to the large sugar plantations small towns evolved to cater to plantation workers, managers, and visiting executives. After fulfilling their contracts, labor immigrants often started their own businesses – including general stores, bakeries, diners, soda factories, barbershops and the occasional bar. Before the time of the automobile, life on Maui centered around these small scale family owned mom-and-pops which beyond supplying the needs of island residents, bonded communities and served as emblems of Maui's unique, multi-ethnic rural character.

Today, local people are as proud of their mom-and-pops as they were three generations ago. A store's unfortunate closure – beloved Nagata Store in Pāʻia closed at the end of June 2008 after nearly 78 years – becomes front page news. Rooted in the past, the stores continue to be sustained by a family commitment and a humble lifestyle. Far from glamorous tourist sites, they are the pulse of local Maui Nui and traditional island life. From Wailuku to Kula to Hāna, Maui Nui's mom-and-pop towns share stories of a cultural melting pot. Become a neighborhood regular, and chances are you are greeted by name within days.

Wailuku: Stop by at Takamiya Market in the small town known as Happy Valley. It probably has the largest variety of delicious bento (box lunches) on the island including irresistible teriyaki chicken and deep fried ʻahi, served the old-fashioned way. Home Maid Bakery has been said to have the very best hot malasadas (Portuguese-style donuts) on the Island. Make sure to also try some manju – a delicate, flaky pastry with traditional fillings ranging from sweet azuki beans to purple sweet potato. The local pidgin expression "broke da mouth" can be roughly translated to mean "so delicious you just can't stand it," and Broke da Mouth Cookie Company proves the point with tantalizing chocolate-mac nut, oatmeal-raisin, shortbread, almond, peanut butter, and coconut-crunch cookies. Sam Sato's in the town's Millyard area belongs to the oldest family owned and operated restaurants on Maui. There are no better noodles in Hawaiʻi than those set out in the bowls of dry mein at this landmark café. Eunice Kitagawa is the third generation owner of Tokyo Tei, a local style Japanese restaurant that is nothing short of a Maui institution and once boasted Maui's first sushi bar. There is no place on the island that serves fresher, more reasonably priced ʻahi sashimi. Famed Roselani Ice Cream can be found in many Maui stores, but it is made in Wailuku by the Nobriga family which originally provided plantations with soda and ice. Cathy Nobriga Kim, third generation ice cream maker, continues to produce many of the original tropical flavors, including her famous haupia (coconut). Aloha Poi and Teruya Tofu manufacture two staples of the local culture from the Hawaiian and Japanese branches of the Maui family tree. In addition to their high nutritious values, both kalo (taro which is used to make poi) and tofu have spiritual and emotional significance for many island families.

Upcountry: The chili chicken at Pukalani Superette is a local favorite and just one of many hot bento and breakfasts on the menu at this family store each day. The Superette is a proud supporter of Maui agriculture and boasts a superb selection of locally grown vegetables, fruits and flowers. The paniolo town of Makawao is home to what is arguably Maui's most beloved bakery famed for its luscious cream puffs. T Komoda Store & Bakery's donuts – and the skewers of donut holes affectionately known to locals as sticks – may well belong to the best in the world. You'll also find Portuguese sweet bread and Portuguese homemade sausages in Makawao. And, if you are lucky, you may just taste a soft, luscious, golden-brown loaf baked by the parishioners of Kula's beautiful Holy Ghost Church. Proceeds go to the church, but the recipe is strict secret. Near the church you'll also find Morihara Store, a lifesaver for local residents, who pick up snacks, newspapers or favorite beverages here when on their way home from fishing or work.

Hāna Highway and East Maui: Haʻikū residents are absolutely faithful to Fukushima's and its red Maui hot dogs. They also pump gas and buy take out food at Hanzawa's, and never resist the ice cream at Ohashi's. Hāna town claims the most famous multi-ethnic, multi-generational market in all of Hawaiʻi – it has been preserved for perpetuity in song. "You just name it/They've got it there/At the Hasegawa General Store." What else can we say?

Lānaʻi: In Lānaʻi City, Dis ʻn Dat Shop specializes in a variety of boutique-style merchandise for Lānaʻi's remote community. Locals gossip or talk sports at their favorite restaurant, which happens to be the one with the longest history, blue-roofed Blue Ginger Café. The little diner serves hearty breakfasts – pigs-in-a-blanket, scrambled eggs – plate lunches and dinner specials.

Molokaʻi: On Molokaʻi, just about all enterprise is mom-and-pop, yet Kanemitsu Bakery in Kaunakakai is a must. Its Hawaiian-style mouthwatering breads and pastries are baked on site and it is an historic venue that dates back to 1922. The funky café is defined by an old fashioned gum ball machine and inexpensive breakfasts and plate lunch foods. A place as local as local Hawaiʻi can be.