The Greenery Cafe serves wholesome comfort food with Southern, Filipino and Hawaiian influences. A kindred affection for food inspired Dayne Greene and his Filipino wife Neina to open the cafe in Lihue last November, where a hand-painted sign reads, “Organic
The Greenery Cafe serves wholesome comfort food with Southern, Filipino and Hawaiian influences. A kindred affection for food inspired Dayne Greene and his Filipino wife Neina to open the cafe in Lihue last November, where a hand-painted sign reads, “Organic Soul Food. Farm 2 Table. Coffee. Teas.”
Tucked inside a plantation-style building, pale yellow walls with sea foam-green trim surround the outside dining area, which is covered by a white ceiling. A cluster of banana trees and colorful flowers sway just past the doorway. Around back, a garden with rosemary, thyme, chives and parsley supplies the kitchen with fresh herbs.
Southern flavors come from Dayne’s family, whose paternal great grandparents are from North Carolina and maternal great grandparents are from Alabama. In 1995, two years after graduating from Tuskegee University, Dayne was living in Washington D.C. when he lost the use of his legs in a random shooting. While recovering, he became hyperaware of his food choices and extra cautious about the foods he ate.
“Nowadays, it’s especially important for us to pick and choose our ingredients,” explains Dayne. “Because in our country, our food is tampered with a lot more than it needs to be and it wasn’t like that in my grandma’s day.”
Small chunks of fresh fish float in the Coconut Ginger Mung Bean Soup ($9). The broth is light and flavored with garlic, red bell peppers, local ginger, organic coconut milk and a Filipino herb called padnem. Paired with a hefty square of Dayne’s tender cornbread and a glass of organic raspberry leaf tea, Neina’s soup makes a fine, light meal.
A glass of fresh watermelon juice blended with rice milk is a sweet pairing to the signature Rosemary Chicken Plate ($11). The dish comes with your choice of two sides including sweet potato yams, collard greens, garden salad, potato salad, coleslaw, black-eyed peas, rice or quinoa.
Dayne marinates organic chicken breasts overnight in fresh rosemary, pepper sauce, garlic and cracked pepper. It’s cooked low and slow until it’s lovingly coaxed into a succulent, flavorful bite.
Traditionally, collard greens are slow-cooked with smoked meat and butter. Dayne’s vegan recipe includes local collards, which are simmered for two hours with red and green peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Yams, tossed with cinnamon, brown sugar and local honey, are roasted until tender.
Neina puts a Hawaiian twist on binignit, a traditional Filipino rice pudding. Her lightly sweet version, which is served warm and soupy, includes soft chunks of taro, mango, banana and sweet potatoes.
“For me, it’s like going back to my roots and the essence of the food,” says Dayne. “It’s about getting pure food without the unnecessary preservatives or additives. Plus, I believe it tastes better!”
Besides the Lihue location, you can try The Greenery Cafe during Hanapepe Art Night on Fridays and at the Kauai Community Market on Saturdays.
The Greenery Cafe
3146 Akahi St, Lihue
635-2752
• Marta Lane, a food writer on Kauai since 2010, offers farm to fork food tours and is the author of Tasting Kauai: Resturants – From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. For more information, visit TastingKauai.com
