CARELESS NAVIGATOR

We all know how frustrating it is

…that the place you would expect to have the classic Tiki bar experience, namely the Islands of Hawaii, has little to offer these days apart from the obvious, La Mariana and some watered down examples. So when l heard a while back about Lisa and Brice Ginardi’s Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge project in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, l asked Lisa if she would give the Careless Navigator progress reports. I’m calling this “Part One” in the hope Lisa will continue updates.
So here it is in the Ladies own words.

Aloha Careless Navigator:  you asked for the Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge story…

During multiple vacations to the Hawaiian Islands, like many others we went on the “search for tiki.” Despite the lush landscape and the amazing PolyPop pedigree that this place has, we still found that the best cocktails were at home and the classic tiki bar experience was rare.  Granted, we were a bit spoiled because our home bar on the mainland was Forbidden Island in Alameda, California and Lisa grew up near the Kahiki in Columbus, Ohio.

Just about a year ago we decided to make a life change and settle in Kona.  We downsided in a major way to make the move, but our priorities were in place and we brought 4 boxes of our most rarest rums and liqueurs.  Big Island is the state’s breadbasket, and is known for amazing local farms as well as the Aloha of its residents.  The world’s best coffee grows here, and we wanted to extend that artisan, hand-processed approach to cocktails as well.  What better theme to use than classic mid-century Hawaiiana, which we so dearly love?  That’s what Okolemaluna is all about:  authentic/vintage cocktail recipes, pupus using  local and seasonal ingredients, and a hand-picked rum collection from Hawaii and around the world.  We’re a mom-and-pop operation (you’ll find Paradise Brice behind the bar and Lisa in the kitchen) so personal service is a priority for us as well.  In addition, we want to be good citizens of this island so conserving resources and living lightly on the land are part of our everyday actions.

As for pictures, we’re still deep in the construction phase so the space is less than presentable right now (it’s quite dusty in there!).  However, we’re working hard every day to get it right for a September opening.  We are proud that we’ve rescued several treasures from the recently closed Hawaiian Hut in Honolulu, and those vintage carvings will be a significant part of Okolemaluna’s decor.  Here are some pics of those.

Mahalo for your kind interest in Okolemaluna, and we are so excited to meet and serve all the tikiphiles from Down Under, whenever they can visit us!  If anyone is interested in learning more, they can join our Facebook group or check out our website at okolemalunalounge.com.

Cheers and much aloha to you and your readers…Your support means a lot to us!

Lisa and Brice

Yes Lisa and Brice build it and they will come
Cheers CN

CN, July 7th, 2010