LIHUE — Chicken in a Barrel restaurant was founded in 2010 with the intent of bringing people together. And anyone who drove by the Kapaa eatery on Christmas Day could see that owner Mike Pierce and his family of barbecue
LIHUE — Chicken in a Barrel restaurant was founded in 2010 with the intent of bringing people together.
And anyone who drove by the Kapaa eatery on Christmas Day could see that owner Mike Pierce and his family of barbecue enthusiasts mean business.
For the fourth year straight, the family spent their holiday not around their own dinner table, but divvying out free food — and a lot of it — to anyone willing to stop by.
“We just usually go until we run out,” said Pierce’s son-in-law Patrick Pepper, known simply as “Pepper” around the island. “And every year it continues to grow.”
This year, the restaurant distributed between 500 and 600 free meals.
Ironically, chicken wasn’t on the menu.
Instead, there were 24 turkeys (approximately 600 pounds worth), six ham roasts, 250 pounds of mash potatoes, seven trays of stuffing, two large pots of corn, green beans and five pounds of salad.
Pepper said the annual event is all about giving back — “The true meaning of Christmas.”
And he admits it feels pretty good.
“I know people were stoked,” he said. “Really, at the end of the day, you’re tired, but you’re the one that gets the blessing.”
And the positive energy proved contagious Wednesday. People insisted on donating money to help out. Others, time. One couple from Canada, who learned about the event last week, decided they wanted to take part. They showed up at the restaurant with 30 gifts, which they distributed to children.
“It’s exciting,” he said of how the event brings people together around the spirit of giving.
Some who stopped by for the free meal were homeless. Others arrived with large families and youngsters. And then there were visitors who simply couldn’t resist driving by such an offer, according to Pepper.
“It’s for everybody,” he said.
Originally from the foothills of California, Pierce started smoke barbecuing meat in large drums, or barrels, more than 30 years ago. The idea for opening his own business on Kauai dates back to when he used to barbecue for church gatherings at Black Pot Beach in Hanalei.
Today, Pierce owns Chicken in a Barrel restaurants in Kapaa and Hanalei.
“Everybody in the family is in the chicken business,” Pepper said. “I guess we’re going for the chicken dynasty.”
