Sam Choy’s famed poke, Tita’s Grill’s deeply flavored local favorites, thick, buttery Polynesian toast and more are featured at new food trucks in Hukilau Marketplace, open to the public at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

About the food: It’s surf and turf.

Sam Choy & Tita’s Seafood & Poke Truck represents “surf,” while Tita’s Grill & Catering truck offers “turf,” said Kingsley Ah You, spokesman for the Ah You family’s restaurant and catering business.

Choy joined the Ah You family in the seafood and poke truck operation, while Tita’s Grill & Catering is well known in the region for its food, partly due to its original spot in Kahuku (now under new management).

About the business: The trucks were established by Polynesian Football Hall of Fame inductee Junior Ah You and his wife, Almira, known to many as “Auntie Mira.” The business’s tag line plays off their name: “Ah You Hungry?”

PCC invited the Ah Yous to set up shop in Hukilau Marketplace, and Junior invited Choy to partner up on the seafood truck. Mira is the “Tita” of the trucks’ names.

Years before establishing a succession of restaurants and fueling the poke renaissance that is now spreading like wildfire, Choy grew up in Laie. “I thought it was great to be able to come back to Laie. … I’m so excited about it,” he said.

Kingsley Ah You said his father and Choy are both Kahuku High School alumni, but the connection between the families goes way back.

Choy’s father, Hung Sam Choy, “owned Sam’s Store, a cash-and-carry (market) here in our community,” Ah You said. The elder Choy often extended credit to families, which helped them survive, he said.

“We would run up a tab, and gratefully, when families could pay, he would say, ‘Thank you for paying,’” and he would give the kids ice cream to take home. Choy’s father and mother have a very special place in the collective heart of Laie.”

The Ah You family also has a reputation for giving, partly through their involvement in the Mormon Church. Junior Ah You is the longest-serving member of the Laie Community Association and has used food to bring people together and unify the neighborhood, Kingsley Ah You said.

What to order: Tita’s Grill opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast. Items start at $1 for a slice of Polynesian bread or serving of coco rice, a sweet Samoan porridge, and top out at $12.50 for a loco moco. That dish is served all day, but after 10 a.m. the truck’s focus is the lunch crowd.

Lunch at Tita’s ranges from $3 for a hamburger to $16.50 for the top-selling garlic shrimp combination plate, starring the North Shore’s staple crustacean plus a second choice, the most popular of which is kalbi, Kingsley Ah You said. Most of the plate lunches are $12.50, or $8.50 for a mini.

Sam & Tita’s opens at 11 a.m. and offers, among other dishes, a variety of poke bowls for $9. For $10, choices include poke-topped nachos, ahi katsu, grilled fish or fish and chips, which Ah You said is the truck’s top seller. Shrimp plates are $14.50 and are offered with different flavor profiles.

Those lucky enough to have eaten at Choy’s restaurant in Kaloko Industrial Park on Hawaii island years ago will remember the fried poke. Just as back then, it’s cooked on the outside, rare on the inside and delicious with a drizzle of creamy sauce.

How to order: The phone number from the old Tita’s location is being transitioned to the trucks, so calling ahead for takeout or placing catering orders will soon be possible. For now, orders must be placed in person. The trucks accept cash and credit cards.

Grab and go: Parking at the Polynesian Cultural Center is divided into two lots. The right side is for all-day visitors, and the left offers two hours of free parking for Hukilau Marketplace.

Grab and Go focuses on takeout food, convenience meals and other quick bites. Email ideas to crave@staradvertiser.com.