Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 4, 1 April 1995 — Punaluʻu beach goers get some grinds [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Punaluʻu beach goers get some grinds

by Patrick Johnston

Beach goers at the Punalu'u Black Sand beach in Ka'ū have a lot going for them: Their recreation spot is located in one of the more isolated sites on the island; the heaeh sits in the shadow of picturesque Mauna Loa; and thanks to Jessanie Marques and her luneh wagon, they've got a plaee to eat while taking it all in. Marques started up her eating spot, Papa's Snacks, two years ago with a loan from the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund. "I've always wanted to do a luneh wagon," she says. "Cooking comes second nature to me." Putting the wagon business together wasn't easy. Getting a kitchen certificate required a lot of time and paīienee and it was no small task outfitting the van, an old mail truck that she bought in Honolulu. Fortunately her husband and son-in-law did a lot of the

body work on the van and were able to transform it into a functioning mobile kitchen. Marques runs Papa's with her daughter, Risa Salmo, who helps with food preparation and sales. The wagon serves up a variety of familiar loeal dishes - musubi, saimin - as well as old standbys like hot dogs, burgers and fries. A favorite on the sultry Pāhoa beach is her shave iee. Specialties include Hawaiian Delite, a fruit eoek-tail-on-ice concoction, and ieee Creme, a shave iee recipe' Marques says is unique to the Big Island. The wagon is open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and serves about 100 customers daily. It is also available for parties and takes phone orders. Marques' customers are a mix of tourists and loeal residents. Her business benefits from an informal agreement she's worked out with some of the tour bus drivers to have them bring tour groups down to the beach on the long drive through Ka'ū. "It's the only pit stop between Kona and Hilo," she says. Summer time is the busiest with kids off school and regular family reunions. She hopes to take better advantage of these busy times by investing in a larger vehicle. "I really believe the market for the luneh wagon is good," Marques explains, "The next thing I want is a bigger van." Both Marques and her daughter have few problems with the food side of the business but the bookkeeping is still a eoncern. "The only thing that scares I me is the paper work," she

says. To help her out, Marques hired Hilobased CPA James Yoshiyama, someone, she says, who has a "soft spot in

his heart for Hawaiian small businesses." She also received a lot of help from OHA and Alu Like staff, who helped

guide her through the myriad of forms needed for her loan request to be accepted by the loan board. "It's not just a matter of getting a loan," Marques points out, "It's understanding all aspects of running a business." Since starting her Ka'ū-based business, Marques has become extensively involved in community-based eeonomie development activities in Ka'ū and now heads the CBED group Huliau O Ka'ū. She hopes to help revitalize the economically depressed region, presently suffering from the shutdown of the loeal sugar plantation, by educating loeal residents about alternative community-based business activities. To reach Marques at her business eall 928-6140. For more information about OHA's Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund eall 594-1888.

Wagon owner Jessanie Marques and her daughter Risa Salmo.

Photo by Patrick Johnston