KALAKAUA AVENUE ARE GOING TO BE
CLOSED.
IF YOU'RE FROM HAWAI'I YOU
KNOW WE LOVE FOOD.
FOR SOME, NOTHING BEATS
HAWAIIAN.
Kelly: ONE RESTAURANT THAT
CONTINUES TO SHARE ONO HAWAIIAN
FOOD IS HELENA'S.
KAMAKA PILI JOINS US LIVE FROM
THERE THIS MORNING.
Reporter: KELLY, HERE IN
KALIHI STANDS HELENA'S.
ONE OF THOUGH WHO RUN IT TODAY
IS CRAIG.
GOOD MORNING.
Reporter: THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR HAVING US IN HERE.
I WITH TALK ABOUT THIS ALL DAY.
SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME WE HAVE,
US A LITTLE BACK HISTORY?
MY GRANDMOTHER HELEN CHOCK
STARTED THE RESTAURANT IN 1946
AND WORKED UNTIL 2007 WITH ME.
AND SHE JUST TOLD ME TO KEEP THE
RESTAURANT GOING AND KEEP THE
TRADITION ALIVE.
Reporter: AT THAT TIME, WAS
RESTAURANTS?
HAWAIIAN FOOD IS A VERY NICHE
MARKET, AND BEFORE IT WAS ONLY
LOCAL PEOPLE WHO ATE THE
HAWAIIAN FOOD.
BECAUSE OF THE INTERNET AND
FOODIES AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT
IT HAS REALLY BLOWN UP INTO
SOMETHING MORE.
WE LIKE TO BE STRONG
REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT HAWAIIAN
FOOD IS FOR THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE.
AND WE SHOW THAT TO THE WORLD
AND U.S.
Reporter: THREE GENERATIONS.
THAT'S AWESOME.
AND ALL THESE FOOD THAT YOU
CONTINUE.
ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS
WHAT'S HANGING ABOVE OUR HEADS.
YOUR PIPIKAULA.
VERY UNIQUE DRYING PROCESS.
PIPIKAULA IS HAWAIIAN COY BOY
STYLE OF DRYING MEAT.
THE MEAT WE HANG IT UP TO DRY
BEFORE WE COOK IT.
THAT GIVES IT A DIFFERENT
FLAVOR.
THE MOISTURE LOSS, SALT CONSEN
CONCENTRATION.
Reporter: I SEE THERE'S
MILLION RACKS RACK -- EMPTY RACKS
BEFORE OUR HEAD.
I'M ASSUMING THIS IS GOING TO
FILL UP.
IT'S GOING TO FILL UP.
WE'RE GOING TO DO FOUR HUNDRED
TO FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS OF RIBS
TODAY.
Reporter: WOW.
ASIDE FROM THIS, WHAT OTHER
FOODS DO YOU OFFER?
WE HAVE LUAU SQUID, KALUA
PIG, CHICKEN LONG RICE, POKE.
THERE'S LAU LAU.
THERE'S TWO TYPES.
ANCIENT HAWAIIAN FOOD AND AS
OTHER NATIONALITIES CAME LIKE
CHINESE, WE HAVE CHICKEN LONG
AND SALTED SALMON.
AND THEY PUT IT TOGETHER AND
MADE LOMI SALMON.
THAT'S THE CONTEMPORARY HAWAIIAN
FOOD.
Reporter: THIS LOCATION IS A
NEWER LOCATION.
WHERE WAS YOUR ORIGINAL AT?
OUR ORIGINAL LOCATION WAS IN
WHERE HONOLULU FORD IS THAT
FACED DINERS.
AND MY WHOLE FAMILY HAD A STORE
IN EACH OF -- THE BUILDING HAD
LITTLE STORES.
THEY USED TO HAVE LIKE A
BOUTIQUE.
MY GRANDMA HAD THE RESTAURANT.
AND SLOWLY IT ENDED UP BEING
HER.
AND EVENTUALLY HE HAD -- WE HAD TO MOVE
AND WE CAME HERE TO NORTH SCHOOL
STREET.
Reporter: THERE'S AN AWARD
THAT YOUR GRANDMA WON.
THE JAMES BEARD AWARD AFTER
ALAN WONG AND ROY.
SHE WAS THE THIRD JAMES BEARD
AWARD RECIPIENT IN HAWAI'I.
THERE'S ONLY FIVE.
Reporter: SO COOL.
LOOKING AT HER PICTURE ON THE
FAMILY ENVIRONMENT.
THIS IS DEFINITELY THE MOST
FAMILY TYPE OF RESTAURANT.
I HAVE MY NIECES, MY DAUGHTER.
MY MOM USED TO WORK HERE.
EVERYBODY RELATED TO US
EVENTUALLY HAS A HAND IN THIS
RESTAURANT.
Reporter: I CANNOT WAIT FOR
THE SECOND SEG SEGMENT.
STAY TUNED.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF WHAT
THIS FOOD IS WHEN "TAKE 2"
RETURNS.
REPORTING LIVE FROM HELENA'S.
BACK TO YOU.
Kelly: THANKS.
THANKS A LOT.
Kristine: WEREN'T WE THERE
THE OTHER MONTH AND OUR TABLE
WAS LITTERED WITH THESE PLATES.
Kelly: AND EVERYTHING ON
THE STOVE AND MORE.
Kelly: THERAPY PI THEIR PIPIKAULA THE
BEST.
Kristine: SHE LOVES HER
CHILI PEPPER WATER.
Kelly: IF IT'S IN A
STYROFOAM CUP NO ONE KNOWS.
Kristine: I KNEW.
Kelly: IT'S NORMAL.
Kristine: I GAVE HER A SIDE
EYE.
OKAY.
GOOD MORNING, KA MA WA.
Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
WE'RE LIVE IN KALIHI AT HELENA'S
HAWAIIAN FOOD.
THIS TRADITION OF HAWAIIAN FOOD
AND COOKING IT HAS BEEN GOING ON
FOR 72 YEARS.
IT'S BEEN PASSED DOWN IN THE
FAMILY.
OWNER.
GOOD MORNING, CRAIG.
GOOD MORNING.
Reporter: I SEE YOU GETTING
PREPARED.
WE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOUR
PIPIKAULA HANGING UP.
WHAT'S THE PROCESS OF MAKING
SUCH AN ON ONOLICIOUS PIPIKAULA.
PIPIKAULA FIRST HAS TO BE
DRIED SO WE CAN FRY IT.
AND IT CAN GET A LITTLE BIT
CRISPY.
IF YOU HAVE THE SHORTRIBS THAT
ARE JUST REGULAR, THEY'LL NEVER
GET CRISPY LIKE THIS.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS
SOMETHING THAT'S CRISPY BUT
JUICY ON THE INSIDE.
Reporter: I'VE NEVER HEARD
OF ANYBODY ELSE FRYING IT.
REALLY INTERESTING THAT'S THE
PROCESSION YOU TAKE.
THAT'S THE WAY MY GRANDMA
TAUGHT ME.
EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN AROUND,
WE'VE ALWAYS HUNG MEAT AND STYLE
THIS.
Reporter: ARE YOU THE ONLY
ONES.
I THINK I'VE HEARD OF
OTHERRERS DOING THIS.
Reporter: ANYTHING THING
YOU'VE PICKED UP FROM YOUR
GRANDMA?
THERE'S NO REAL RECIPE.
IT GOES BY HOW I TASTE IT.
I TASTE EVERYTHING BEFORE IT
GOES OUT.
THERE'S KIND OF STANDARD THINGS,
BUT EVERYTHING NEEDS ADJUSTMENT.
AND IT COMES DOWN TO MY TASTE,
WHICH CAME STRAIGHT FROM HER.
Reporter: FOR COOKING,
FOLLOWING BY THE RECIPE RATHER
THAN BY TASTE.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU
DEFINITELY SEE A DIFFERENCE IN?
S HARD TO TEACH.
THAT'S WHY THE RESTAURANT WON'T
OPEN IF I'M NOT HERE.
IF I GO ON VACATION, THE
RESTAURANT CLOSES.
YOU'LL ALWAYS SEE ME DOWN HERE.
I'M WATCHING EVERYTHING.
Reporter: SO PASSIONATE.
I LOVE IT.
PIPIKAULA WE CAN TALKING TALK ABOUT THAT
ALL DAY.
SUCH VISUAL BRILLIANCE.
EVERYTHING IS DONE FROM
SCRATCH.
ALL THE EXTRA VEGETABLES AND
EVERYTHING, MAKE IT REALLY NICE.
LONG RICE WE MAYBE MAKE OUR CHICKEN
STOCK BY BOILING FOR EIGHT, TEN
HOURS.
KALUA PIG IS MADE IMU STYLE.
YOU START WITH BEST INGREDIENTS,
YOU COME OUT WITH THE BEST.
Reporter: YOU CAN TASTE.
NO LIQUID SMOKE HERE.
Reporter: AWESOME.
WHAT OTHER SPECIALTIES -- WHAT
IS THE MO MOST POPULAR THING THAT
YOU SELL?
THE PIPIKAULA SHORTRIBS.
THERE WILL BE AN ORDER OR HALF
AN ORDER ABOUT EVERY TABLE.
PEOPLE LOVE THE FRIED
BUTTERFISH.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT DEPENDS
ON SUPPLY.
EIVEEVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN
FAVORITE.
ORDER YOUR OWN CHICKEN LONG RICE
BECAUSE I'M EATING ALL OF MINE.
TRIPE STEW.
Reporter: I GOT IT TA DAD
SWEARS HE COOKS THE BEST SQUID
LUAU.
I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE
DELICIOUS.
ONE LAST THING, PEOPLE CAN COME
HERE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY GET
HERE ON THE RIGHT DAY.
WE'RE SUCH A SMALL BUSINESS
AND I DO SO MUCH OF THE WORK
WE'RE ONLY OPEN FOUR DAYS
TUESDAY THREW THROUGH FRIDAY FROM
10:00 IN THE MORNING UNTIL
7:30 IN THE NIGHT.
AND CASH ONLY.
Reporter: WHY CASH ONLY?
CASH ONLY, MY GRANDMOTHER --
SHE STARTED BEFORE THERE WERE
CREDIT CARDS.
1946.
SHE NEVER TOOK CREDIT CARDS.
WHEN I TOOK OVER, I NEVER TOOK
CREDIT CARDS.
IT'S EASIER THAT WAY.
Reporter: THAT'S SO COOL.
AND I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE
TRADITIONS THAT YOU CONTINUE.
I WAS SO STOKED TO GET HERE.
YOUR MOTHER WAS MY SIXTH GRADE
TEACHER IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
I REMEMBER TALKING STORY TO HER
LONG TIME AGO ABOUT THIS.
TO HEAR WORDS FROM HER AND FROM
YOU I WANT THANK YOU YOU FOR
TESTIMONY
CONTINUING THESE TRADITIONS.
MAHALO.
THANK YOU.
Reporter: I'M GOING TO KEEP
GOING ON AND ON SO I BETTER NOT.
HELENA'S HAWAIIAN FOOD.
ONEONE OF THE BEST.
KALIHI OFF OF SCHOOL STREET.
MAKE SURE THE SPECIAL HOURS, YOU
DON'T WANT TO COME HERE WHEN
IT'S CLOSED.
REPORTING LIVE FROM HELENA'S
HAWAIIAN FOOD.
BACK TO YOU.
Kelly: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THAT LOOKS AMAZING.
Kristine: WE HAD A WHOLE
CONFERENCE ABOUT THE PIPIKAULA
WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING IT.
WE DIDN'T REALIZE IT'S MADE THAT
WAY.
THINKING ABOUT HOW IT TASTED.
YOU GOT TO TRY THE PIPIKAULA.
Kelly: THE BEST.
AND KAMAKA SAYS HIS DAD HAS THE
BEST.
YOU HAVE SOME SERIOUS
COMPETITION.
THEIR SQUAD LUAU IS SO BOMB.
Kristine: THEY DID RENOVATE
SO IT'S BIGGER.