October 31, 2018

From the islands to Windsor, with love

WINDSOR — Fourteen years ago this month, a couple who were born and raised on separate Hawaiian islands brought their love for each other and their tropical home to a former general store in small-town Colorado.

Today, that small town of Windsor is thriving — and so is Okole Maluna, Juliet and Andrew Higa’s labor of love.

There are no hula dancers or plastic leis in the long dining room, and the closest thing to an ocean is the fish tank on the back wall. But what visitors will find are tropical-themed drinks and savory dishes that represent Hawaii’s rich mix of traditions.

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“A lot of times people think this is more of a themed restaurant or concept, but really it’s our culture and how we grew up eating,” said Juliet Higa. “It’s a blend of so many cultures that make up Hawaii — a lot of Japanese, Chinese, American influences, even Puerto Rican. It’s not exactly how Koreans would make their short ribs; we turn it into our own flavors, knowing the influences we had growing up. It’s not even exactly how my mom made it, but I really like it.”

What few changes to those traditional recipes there are come from Juliet Higa’s training as a dietitian. “Some of our choices are not quite as heavy as what you might find in Hawaii,” she said. “They might have a little lighter flair that’s still savory in its flavor.

“We still source a lot of our ingredients from Hawaii, though, like the fish, the spices and the sea salt we use to season the pork.”

And like the greens that wrap the tender, sea salt-rubbed and smoked pork on Okole Maluna’s “lau lau” plate. “It can get fairly expensive” to import them, she said, “and people say, ‘Why don’t you use spinach?’ But we use taro leaves, and we’re going to stick to that.”

Juliet and her husband both came from families who ran restaurants; she grew up on Kaua’i and worked in her parents’ Chinese eatery while Andrew was raised on Oahu, where his grandparents ran a cafe.

“All through high school and college, he worked at various restaurants and in various positions from dishwasher to server,” she said. “He was given several opportunities by previous employers; they’d say, ‘I’ll pay you to go to culinary school.’ But he’d say, ‘No, that’s not what I want to do.’ When he attended Colorado State, he worked in a sushi restaurant — same thing, but he’d say ‘No, I want to finish college and get my degree.’ ”

Juliet also came to the mainland because “when you’re in Hawaii you want to get out and explore,” she said. She attended Washington State University, then came to Colorado for jobs at venues including Estes Park Medical Center and Longmont United Hospital and Poudre Valley hospitals, as a registered dietitian and certified diabetes education specialist. Meanwhile, Andrew worked in sports turf management for the city of Fort Collins.

They both missed their island homes, however, and a picnic held by a club for Hawaiian natives at CSU gave them a chance to meet.

“We both wanted to do something different,” she recalled, “and when we took a Valentine’s Day trip down to Durango, we saw the cutest little restaurant and said, ‘Let’s open a restaurant.’

“When we came back from our trip, Andy found this spot on 431 Main in Windsor that was vacant at that time. We gave the landlord a call and leased it that day.”

The couple named the place Okole Maluna — basically a “Bottoms up!” toast in Hawaiian — and turned it into about 1,800 square feet of dining space that would seat about 60. They opened in November 2004, and were married the next year, back on Hawaii.

The Higas filled their menu with “recipes we grew up with and were familiar with, things we thought might go well in this area,” she said. “A couple items haven’t worked as well, but Andy’s always thinking of new specials and flavors. The menu has grown over 14 years, and people are so open to trying new things but they’ll still call and say ‘When are you going to have the short ribs on?’ ”

Meats are smoked over mesquite, similar to Hawaiian kiawe wood. Many of the offerings are complex, but one dish, “loco moco,” is a Hawaiian fast-casual favorite: basically hamburger with two eggs over easy over rice and smothered in brown gravy.

Some of the plates come with a side of lomi-lomi, a cold combination of smoked salmon, tomatoes and onions that’s similar to pico de gallo, and are finished with a refreshing white square of haupia, a coconut-cream dessert.

The Higas and their staff of about 16 are kept busy with the restaurant as well as a full slate of catered events — “anywhere from birthday parties and company parties to graduations and golf events,” Juliet Higa said. “And every year we choose one fundraising event.”

On Oct. 16, Okole Maluna participated in the Windsor Community Foundation’s fifth annual Brews and Bites for Windsor fundraising event hosted by High Hops Brewery, collaborating with the Chimney Park Restaurant and Bar, Grillhouse at Pelican Lakes, Hearth Restaurant and Pub and Pudgie Bear Bakery for a five-course meal paired with brews from High Hops, Mashlab Brewing and G5 Brewpub.

“Windsor is such a nice community,” she said. “A lot of residents are transplants from Hawaii themselves, and we have customers who have been to Hawaii or frequent it on trips and are familiar with the cuisine. We also have younger families that have never been but are interested in trying new cuisine. They’ll come in and taste it and see.”

The Higas have had opportunities to open a second location, she said, but “Andy and I would like to keep the quality and consistency the same, so we don’t want to sacrifice splitting up our time between different locations.”

So they’ll stay in the Main Street space next to the quilt shop, where they’ll keep serving up the Hawaiian fare — and the love.

WINDSOR — Fourteen years ago this month, a couple who were born and raised on separate Hawaiian islands brought their love for each other and their tropical home to a former general store in small-town Colorado.

Today, that small town of Windsor is thriving — and so is Okole Maluna, Juliet and Andrew Higa’s labor of love.

There are no hula dancers or plastic leis in the long dining room, and the closest thing to an ocean is the fish tank on the back wall. But what visitors will find are tropical-themed drinks and savory dishes…

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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