When I want Hawaiian food, I’ll head to Poi by the Pound in Kahului. Their Hawaiian plate is epic–a heaping serving of their juicy kalua pork, hefty pork lau lau, chicken long rice, lomi salmon, poke, poi, rice and mac salad and they serve it everyday (except Sunday, when they’re closed). They don’t skimp on the poi, and it’s perfection every time. My new addiction there is the taro sundae dessert. Forget haupia–this is da bomb.
I also love their bright and cheerful dining room. They have modern black chairs and tables and a booths along one wall. Everywhere you look you can enjoy the gorgeous stretched canvas photographs of taro fields that cover the walls. Next to every table is a message and vow from owner C.J. Hookano saying that food is made to order fresh and for customers to allow at least 25 minutes for grilled items. He then guarantees his customers’ experience with his cell phone number and a personal promise to fix anything that may have been amiss in the meal.
Later I sat down with Hookano, his daughter Brandee–who works the front of the house–and his partner and fiancee Rochelle Kemfort.
“I did this for my daughter,” Hookano says. “After my incarceration, I got out and felt I had one chance to make it. It was hard to find jobs. I started making poi in my garage in Hawaiian Homelands. My brother Steven Hookano taught me. I had to set aside my pride. I went door to door to sell it. That is how we got the name. Everyone wanted to know how much for a pound.”
Hookano’s openness about his incarceration and the fact that sobriety, spirituality and his love for ohana are the things that keep Poi by the Pound moving forward is powerful. Six years ago he was going door to door selling poi that he made fresh every Wednesday. Then he decided to start making plates and selling them once a week to go with the poi, and that took off. He was gaining a following, and huge orders were coming in–like from Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar. He got a commercial kitchen in 2011. Then in 2014 he took the plunge and opened his restaurant. Somewhere in there he tried his hand at farming taro, but the restaurant, catering and events kept him too busy for that.
“My story is simple,” says Hookano. “What we do here is simple. I started with nothing. I built this from the ground up. The biggest challenge is consistency, but I work on it all the time. I want to bring back that classic plate lunch flavor, the plate lunch of the ’80s. I’m not trying to be healthy–that is not where I’m going with it. All my recipes are to my taste. If I think the sauce tastes better with MSG, I use it. My kalbi is juicy and on point. It’s hard to get it like that.”
It’s not just Hookano who’s working on the restaurant all the time. His three kids, Kemfort and her three kids and even Hookano’s sister (who moved from Oahu) work in the restaurant. They also make their succulent lau lau at night. Poi by the Pound does about a thousand pounds a week in poi, and they sell it at Island Grocery, Tamura’s, Fukushima’s, Pukalani Superette, Uptown Chevron and Mana Foods. Their popular kulolo is also selling at most of those locations and the restaurant.
“I have a vision, I have big plans,” says Hookano. “I want to have something for everyone. The Hawaiian food, some romance, the favorite plates. I’m not going to be the place to come for a mahi salad, but I have it on the menu for the two Hawaiians that come in with their sistah that no like eat rice.”
I ask him how many times people use his cellphone number from his message on the wall. Hookano and Kemfort laugh.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” says Kemfort. “People call to tell us where we should set the air conditioning!”
Poi by the Pound’s nearly five-star rating on Yelp is testament to Hookano’s plate lunch following, and their ohana’s success at working together to make a good product.
“I don’t get cocky too often, but that’s one thing I can be cocky about,” Hookano says.
Poi by the Pound Restaurant
Poi by the Pound
385 Ho’ohana St., Kahului
808-283-9381
Mon.-Thu. 10am-8pm
Fri. & Sat. 10am-9pm
Poi by the Pound Menu
Poi By The Pound Favorites
Hawaiian Plate (includes Lau Lau, Kalua Pork,Chicken Long Rice, Lomi Salmon, Poke, Poi, Rice & Mac Salad) (No Substitutions on Hawaiian Plates) |
$19.40 |
Squid Lu’au Combo (includes Poi,Lomi Salmon,Poke,Rice,and Mac or Green Salad) |
$15.40 |
Beef Lu’au (includes Rice and Mac or Green Salad) |
$11.95 |
Chicken Long Rice (includes Rice and Mac or Green Salad) |
$11.40 |
Kalua Pork (includes Rice and Mac or Green Salad) |
$11.40 |
Lau Lau Plate (Served with Poi,Lomi Salmon, Rice,and Mac or Green Salad) |
$11.40 |
Local Favorites
(Mini Plate Portions available)
(Includes White Rice, Mac or Green Salad)
13 oz. Ribeye Steaks | $21.45 |
Boneless Kalbi Ribs | $15.70 |
Teriyaki BBQ Chicken | $10.95 |
Chopped Steak | $11.40 |
Chopped Steak W/Mushrooms | $13.40 |
Hamburger Steak | $10.70 |
Hamburger Steak W/Mushrooms | $12.70 |
Loco Moco | $11.95 |
Smoked Meat(Original) | $14.40 |
Smoked Meat-Char Siu | $14.40 |
Kalua Pork Moco | $12.40 |
Shredded Roast Pork | $11.95 |
Poke Bowls
Poke and Rice Bowl | $10.20 |
Poke Salad Bowl | $10.20 |
Poke and Poi Bowl (Choice of Shoyu Poke, Spicy Tuna, or Half and Half combination) |
$12.40 |
Sides
(Combo-Add on Lomi Salmon,Poke and Poi to any plate No Substitutions | $5.70 | |
Rice | $2.20 | $3.95 |
Poi | $3.45 | $7.45 |
Lomi Salmon | $2.45 | $5.45 |
Poke | $3.40 | $6.40 |
Garden Salad | $4.20 | |
Macaroni Salad | $2.20 | $3.95 |
Drinks
(Keiki-$1.00 Small-$2.00 Large-$3.00)
Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fruit Punch, Root Beer, and Unsweetened Iced Tea
Assorted Bottled Drinks | $1.95 to $3.95 |
Coffee and Assorted Teas | $2.45 |
Desserts
Taro Sundae (Haupia Ice Cream, taro chunks, poi, Drizzled with chocolate, caramel syrup, and topped w/ Whipped Cream & Almonds) |
$6.40 |
Ice Cream Float | $5.95 |
Ice Cream (2 Scoops) (Vanilla or Haupia Ice Cream with a choice of syrups and Whipped Cream) |
$4.40 |
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