“The benefit of being older is,” shares Marlene (Andrade-Nachbar) Hapai, president and interim director of the Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce Cultural and Educational Center, “you had the opportunity to be the fly on the wall and listen to and watch the movers and shakers who not only helped establish our Big Island towns, but had the creativity and people skills to make sure they survived through thick and thin times.”
Hapai, a fourth generation Andrade, presently manages and partially owns the Andrade Building in Honokaa, which was built by her grandparents, Rose and John J. Andrade in 1924.
The building celebrates its 95th birthday this year.
Rose and John Andrade operated a large cattle ranch, slaughterhouse and meat market. They built the restaurant, bar, hotel, dance hall and their home and moved the meat market next to the restaurant.
In 1925, before Mamane Street was paved, Honokaa was known for its annual horse races through town. Honokaa was where the businesses were back then, and it was the second largest town on the Big Island.
During World War II, in the early 1940s, Marines from Camp Tarawa in Waimea came to Honokaa on furlough days. Honokaa became a boom town, and Andrade’s Honokaa Cafe thrived.
It was shared that at one point, 2,000 Marines would come to Honokaa every other day. With only five bars in town, they had to be ready.
Upon the men’s arrival, the waitresses would line up glasses along the bar and pour down the line. By the time they got to the end, they would have to start at the beginning again.
On the restaurant side, cooks were challenged with many orders of steak and eggs, as these protein-deprived and Spam-overloaded men ordered 6-12 eggs with their steaks.
By the early 1950s, the Ohia Lanai was built. It shortly became the birthplace and home of the Hawaii Saddle Club, which continues the Western paniolo tradition of Honokaa to this day. It also served as the site for business meetings, parties and dances and was a center of entertainment, with food provided by Andrade’s Honokaa Cafe until the early 1980s, when a fire burned the hotel upstairs.
At that point, the entire business had transitioned to the three Andrade girls — Mary Mae, Evelyn and Lorraine — taking the reins and converting the building in 1983 to what you see today, with apartments upstairs, retail spaces downstairs and the original Andrade house in the back, with the Ohia Lanai (with original hotel upstairs) sandwiched between building and house.
Within a period of 10 months between 2007 and 2008, the Andrade girls passed away, leaving the building in the hands of their children. Since that time, a new energy was infused into the unused spaces.
The Ohia Lanai, after a dormancy of 33 years, got attention first to once again serve the community as a place for special events including meetings, parties, dances and other short-term functions. The upstairs of the lanai, which once contained five hotel rooms and a community bathroom, remains intact.
The house is now a residence for fourth- and fifth-generation Andrades, who are soon reopening Andrade’s Honokaa Cafe, once again sharing the Andrade tradition of good food, family love and Honokaa hospitality.
The old hotel and house are original 1924 structures. The original building foundation, facade/front and many other components remain original, with replacements done as needed to continue serving Honokaa.
The Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce annual Founders Ball will honor this historic building and its founders, as well as Jimmy Souza and Margo and Dennis Aguiar, founders of Portuguese Day in the Park.
The Founders Ball is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo.
Founding stone oven bread maker Evelyn Pacheco and Linus Tavares, founder of the “Cadillac version” of Portuguese bean soup, both served each year during Portuguese Day in the Park, also will be honored during the ball, along with founding presidents Edward and William “Billy” Andrade of the chamber’s scholarship fund.
Each year, the Founders Ball also honors donors who contributed $10,000 in donations or in-kind services to support the building of the Portuguese Cultural and Educational Center. Jean and David De Luz Sr. will be recognized in memorium, as well and Richard and Joan Toledo.
Tickets for the ball are $100.
The ball begins in the ‘Imiloa atrium, with no-host cocktails and a silent auction. Dinner is at 6 p.m., followed by the program, live auction and dancing to the music of Dexter Veriato.
The Honorary Counsel of Portugal in Hawaii, Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, also will give a welcome.
Tickets and tables for the documentary and Founders Ball are still available and can be obtained by calling 938-9283 or emailing alvesj002@hawaii.rr.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Tickets, tables and donations are tax deductible and help support the building of Saudades, the Portuguese Cultural and Educational Center.
Preceding the ball, at 4 p.m., will be a showing of the documentary “Portuguese in Hawaii.” Those who want to watch are asked to offer a $10 donation.
For additional information, contact Hapai at 966-9894 or mhapai@aol.com.