March is Women’s History Month! To celebrate, here are some excellent women-owned businesses to support:
Ulu & Kalo Bakery
Maile Kamisugi, creator of Ulu & Kalo Bakery (1119 Smith St.), developed a passion for nutrient-dense, whole foods while in college. With an emphasis on ulu (breadfruit) and kalo, she aspired to take these local staples and turn them into delicious, healthy treats.
Popular choices include banana and ulu bread, which is a take on banana bread made with almond, arrowroot and ulu flower. Another option is the kalo brownie, which is a dark chocolate brownie with chunks of kalo and a cacao nib topping.
For celebrations, the biz also offers custom cakes that come in flavors of either chocolate and kalo or vanilla and kalo, and cupcakes.
Visit uluandkalobakery.com.
Istanbul Hawaii
Istanbul Hawaii (1108 Auahi St. Ste. 152) is a Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant featuring innovative cuisine and creative cocktails. Owned by mother-daughter duo chef Nili Yildirim and Ahu Hettema, this eatery combines ancient Anataolian and Mediterranean traditions with the culture of Hawaii.
The cocktail list is extensive, with choices like Flowers of Ephesus (Pau vodka, rich pomegranate, prosecco and a delicate flower essence).
The menu changes with the season. Currently, options include 72-hour fermented sourdough Turkish pies like the Hawaiian hot honey ricotta manakeesh and the lahmacun.
Visit istanbulhawaii.com.
Café Kalawe
Headed by Nani and Ray Kalawe, Cafe Kalawe (45-270 William Henry Road) serves homemade local food for breakfast and lunch with an emphasis on love and tradition.
Options for breakfast include favorites like Kahuwai fried rice, chicken cutlet moco and sandwiches. One of its breakfast sandwiches, the Koolaupoko, features one fried egg, a slice of cheese, and a choice of one meat like Portuguese sausage, ham, bacon, spam, pork sausage patty or turkey bacon served on toasted sweetbread.
Lunch choices include chopped steak, chicken katsu and fried ahi fillet. For a fun sweet treat, the papaya sundae has ice cream with either strawberries or pineapples that’s served in half of a papaya.
Visit cafekalawe.com.
Maui Cookie Lady
Mitzi Toro’s story of how she became the Maui Cookie Lady (3643 Baldwin Ave.) is as fascinating as it is heartwarming.
A teacher who wanted to raise money for her father’s illness, Toro began baking and selling cookies as a way to raise funds. After much success, the Maui Cookie Lady was born!
One of its bestsellers is Da Half Baked, which is an enormous chocolate chip cookie featuring pieces of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Oreos. Another option is the award-winning lilikoi white chocolate, which uses locally grown Maui lilikoi, white chocolate and Hawaiian sea salt. Cookie flavors change throughout the season, so be sure to follow the biz on social media to stay up-to-date.
Visit themauicookielady.com.
Sprout Sandwich Shop
Stephanie Leonard co-owns Sprout Sandwich Shop (1154 Koko Head Ave.) with friend Steven Ashcraft and serves up healthy, locally sourced sandwiches.
Options include the The No Comply, which is a pesto macadamia nut chicken salad with Maui butter lettuce, topped with juicy local tomatoes and a roasted garlic mayonnaise. For a vegan option, The Sproutwich has a vegan patty topped with local grown sprouts, tomatoes, barbecue sauce and a vegan cilantro lime aioli.
The biz also has refreshing housemade lemonade or limeade and cookies like classic chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin.
Visit sproutsandwichshop.com.
La Casita Restaurant
Yosselyn De Abreu owns La Casita Restaurant (94-866 Moloalo St. #34-D11A), which is Oahu’s first pupuseria. It’s a casual restaurant serving pupusas and El Salvadoran dishes. Some of the entrees include the carne asada, which comes with rice, beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, lettuce and tortillas. The biz also has tamales Salvadorenos, which is a steamed corn mix tamale wrapped in a banana leaf and stuffed with chicken, potatoes and rice. Sip on drinks like horchata, jarritos and Tamarindo. Contact the business if you need a caterer at future events.
Follow the biz on Instagram (@lacasitahawaii).
