A Small Celebration with Ono Gelato

This week, we signed the lease for our new restaurant space in Lahaina. Now, we just wait for the executed copy to come back to us and then we will officially be in business.

Funny, how this this all played out. The plan was to take a year to get the lay of the land, learn the market and settle in, before we began the process of opening a new restaurant together. But Michele found the space on our morning coffee route, its location ideal, and called the landlord on a whim. We got an appointment for a walk-through and immediately saw the potential, but floated a figure half of what the landlord was asking. We were surprised when our offer was accepted and some other incentives were thrown in to sweeten the deal. The opportunity was undeniable. So, we took it.

We celebrated this first step with after-dinner ice cream at Ono, under the full moon.




Jada dove in to her favorite flavor, chocolate, and proceeded to cover herself with it. Asia and I always go for the avant garde specials. The key lime pie gelato lived up to their good name and was indeed ono ("delicious", in Hawaiian), with little flecks of graham cracker crust running through the silky, light ice cream. Mike stood by and stole little scoops from everyone, whenever we'd put our cups down or paused for a breather.

Ono Gelato Company is an island franchise, but our local gelateria is the best of the bunch. No surprise, since the owners are Italian and third-generation gelato makers to boot. Their perfected craft is enhanced by the use of high-quality, locally grown ingredients in a casual, relaxed setting. The ideal formula for us, we always leave satisfied and inspired.