Monday, November 10, 1997
Hawaiian cafe brings new spirit to village
RESTAURANT: Owners hope lively, exotic atmosphere will
revitalize dormant Westwood
By Eleni Houreas
Daily Bruin Contributor
Walking through Westwood, a visitor will see the average fast
food places, sandwich shops, and other run-of-the-mill types of
restaurants. But now, a new tropically-inspired restaurant will add
diversity to Westwood Village.
"Eat, drink and be Maui" is the theme of the Maui Beach Cafe, a
new Hawaiian restaurant that could help spark the revitalization of
the currently dormant Westwood.
Maui Beach Cafe celebrated its grand opening on Thursday with
hula dancers in burgundy loincloths, flowered skirts and ginger
leis, performing traditional Hawaiian dances to the beat of bongo
drums. The ceremony continued as a Hawaiian minister flown in from
Maui blessed the restaurant and a native Hawaiian blew a conch
shell to signify the restaurant’s opening, a ceremony indicative of
the "Aloha Spirit" that owners Jeff and Bonnie Knight hope to
embody in their restaurant. In creating a Hawaiian-themed
restaurant, Jeff Knight attempted to "involve culture," he said. "I
want it to have emotion and heritage. I don’t want it to just be a
come-and-go type of restaurant."
To authenticate the cuisine, Knight hired Mako Segawa-Gonzales,
a native Hawaiian graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
The grand opening celebration featured the culinary expertise of
Alan Wong, winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef
Northwest.
The menu features appetizers, salads, sandwiches, noodles and
entrees created in a blend of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese,
Southeast Asian and Hawaiian cooking styles, "as authentic as the
chef himself," Wong said. "People will go nuts over the food. It’s
refreshing, light, exciting and creative."
The interior – decorated by Lifescapes, the company that
designed the landscape environments for the upcoming Bellagio hotel
in Las Vegas – was created to radiate a beach atmosphere. Palm
trees made of real palm bark are interspersed throughout the
restaurant, and sharks, dolphins and a humpback whale protrude from
the wave-patterned walls. Lava lamps are also suspended from the
ceiling and the floor is made of a mixture of abalone shell and
mother-of-pearl with concrete to create a surface that looks like
white sand.
In opening this $2-million restaurant, Knight hopes to draw more
people to Westwood and restore the energy and vitality that it once
had – a goal consistent with those of a few current plans to
revitalize the community, including the Village Center Westwood and
the Westwood Marketplace.
Michael Jackson, KABC radio show host and guest at Thursday’s
grand opening, was optimistic about Knight’s goals. "This
restaurant is a nice addition to what I see of the economy of
Westwood," he said. "The land is far too valuable to have been as
dormant as it has been in the past five years. If you have money to
invest, this is where to invest it."
Another great concern about the restaurant was its chance of
withstanding Westwood’s current recession. Many businesses in
Westwood during the past several years have celebrated their grand
openings too, only to put up their "going out of business" signs
soon afterwards.
What made Knight so sure that his restaurant would survive?
"I understand what the community wants," said Knight. "They want
high quality food, excellent service and good prices. The Maui
theme is also to be loved by one and all."
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
A Polynesian dancer adds atmosphere to the opening of the Maui
Cafe on Thursday. See related story, page 3.
JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Two patrons sample a variety of dishes at Maui Cafe’s opening
Thursday.