Hilo is home to some of the best in local cuisine — from the one-pound laulau to the gravy-drenched loco moco.
But every year, and exclusively during the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, crowds flock to Ka ʻUhane Hemolele o Ka Mālamalama Church in the coastal community of Keaukaha for a taste of authentic Hawaiian food.
"We do kālua pig, we do squid, we do laulau, chicken long rice. That’s pretty much our specialty — all the Hawaiian stuff. Lomi salmon, haupia, poi," said Reverend Lisa Roberts-Kauka.
Roberts-Kauka said the pop-up culinary experience has been a fixture during Merrie Monarch for the past 31 years.
"When we started we never have nothing. We was sitting under tents and eating under tents. And when rain you put your feet up. We never have nothing. We never have the hall. We never have the kitchen. We just had a small church on the hill," she said.
The church started selling Hawaiian plates under a tent across the street from Aunty Sally’s Lūʻau Hale, and they’ve grown ever since.
"And so with that money we took care of our church, we took care of our people, and we took care of our equipment," Roberts-Kauka said.
That equipment included one big refrigerator, an ice machine, pots and pans.
"And so 30 years later, this is where we’re at," she said.
This year, the group returned to its roots by selling Hawaiian plates from the church grounds off King Avenue in Keaukaha.
And they’ve also ramped up the many ways to put in your food order.
"You can call in. You can email. You can Express Waiters. Lot of people like that. We do all that so that it's a little bit easier for everybody," Roberts-Kauka said.
And remember, it's cash only.
