The Kilauea Town Farmers Market & Deli is open with new management and hot gourmet food to accompany the deli. Mitchell McPeek and Camille Kostelecky, store owners, said as Kilauea residents and parents they had a sense of what the
The Kilauea Town Farmers Market & Deli is open with new management and hot gourmet food to accompany the deli.
Mitchell McPeek and Camille Kostelecky, store owners, said as Kilauea residents and parents they had a sense of what the community needed.
“We were praying for a business to do for Mitch and this came about,” Kostelecky said. “We thought this isn’t where our experience is, but we know this community could use this because we are part of this community.”
Starting out as a plantation general story around 90 years ago, wedged between the old theater and the gymnasium at 2474 Keneke Street, there have been various owners and innovations over the years. The new owners said they didn’t want to duplicate the Kilauea Fish Market or the stores at Kong Lung Market.
Rather than completely renovate the deli, the couple instead bought the “Opakapaka Food Truck.” The former owner, A.J. Irons, will remain as chef of the one-year-old certified mobile kitchen parked right behind the store. The addition allows the store to add a variety of hot, gourmet foods along with Irons’ other specialties.
Iron’s has a degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu, and worked as a sous-chef at Bar Acuda in Hanalei before starting his own catering company.
“Our real key is A.J. Irons,” Kostelecky said. “He is the real mastermind behind this market.”
The cooler is filled daily with fresh “take and bake items” that include potatoes, mac and cheese, grilled chicken, and smoked pork. The couple makes the sandwiches and cooks bratwurst inside the store. They also carry a variety of game food, including bison, elk, caribou and venison from Colorado.
It’s just as important to carry rice, beans and hot dogs as fresh, local farmers vegetables and organic items, McPeek said. The local hunting element enjoys the elk jerky and sausage.
“Along with the brats we are adding salads, low carb, and dairy free deli,” McPeek said.
The previous store was known for a large wine and beer selection and this will continue on a smaller scale, McPeek said. They will carry the variety but with not as many selections until they gauge what people want, he said.
The store is setting up its alkaline water machine and plans to open an herbal pharmacy in the next few weeks with herbal prescriptions, teas and tonics.
April Dunbar, a certified herbalist who is returning from Taos, N.M., will be available on weekdays. She is an ayurvedic medicine healer who was schooled in India.
The work now is to let people know they have more than a convenience store, McPeek said. They also carry hunting clothing, sandals, coolers and even reading glasses.
As a mother who raised a son in Kilauea, Kostelecky said she knows what families want to have locally, and what items they will drive to the larger stores to find.
In the same way McPeek said he enjoys playing uncle with the kids who hang out before and after school. They come in for the malts and ice cream and he likes to teach them about handling money, or if they seem to be spending too much on something they don’t need — or even mentioning it to the parents if they are spending all their lunch money on junk food, he said.
As a general store the connection with the locals is key, McPeek said.
Their purchases and feedback will dictate the direction of the store in the future.
“Our vision and purpose here is the serve the community and its been money invested and a lot of prayers to make this work,” he said.
The store is central to the community and as long-time residents they wanted to ensure it remains open and not relegated to Kilauea history. It is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends.
Kostelecky is a self-made businesswoman who runs two women’s boutique stores called “The Root” in Kapaa and Hanalei, with two similar stores in Montana. She is the buyer and merchandiser for the Kilauea store.
McPeek is the former manager of the Hanalei Dolphin.
“That experience was invaluable to me just to do certain things around here,” he said. “It gave me the confidence to jump in on this project.”
