This month, Surfrider Oahu Ocean Friendly Restaurants Program would like to shine the much deserved spotlight on Moku Kitchen, (“Moku” is derived from the Hawaiian word for “island”, mokupuni) which is nestled in the center of SALT at Our Kaka’ako. SALT at Our Kaka’ako is known to be one of Honolulu’s gathering places for local culture, foods, arts, and innovative events and is named after the pa‘akai (‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i for “salt”) ponds that once dotted the low-lying wetlands of this area.
Moku Kitchen is a chef-driven concept that brings Hawaii's rich upcountry farming and ranching heritage to downtown Honolulu's urban lifestyle. This establishment was created in 2016, by Chef Peter Merriman and restaurateur, Bill Terry. These two men are the creators of the popular restaurants; Merriman’s Hawaii, Monkeypod and The Beach House on Kauai who are also OFR’s.
Merriman's Hawaii (Check out our OFR Spotlight on this OFR).
With around 100 employees, Moku Kitchen is one of the largest community-based restaurants on Oahu, unlike their counterparts that are resort-based. Their mission is not only to serve delicious, locally sourced food, but in the most environmentally-conscious way, while giving back to the community.
Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine co-founder Peter Merriman’s Moku Kitchen brings O‘ahu’s rich upcountry and farm heritage to the table. From fish bought around the corner at the local fish market to the greens from MA’O Organic Farms in Wai’anae, over 70% of the menu items are sustainably or locally sourced. Moku’s food waste goes to Eco Feed, which processes over 140,000 tons of food waste each year on Oahu by recycling into soil amendment or re-cooking and feeding to hogs.
It also has one of Hawai’i’s first keg wine systems that focuses on reducing the “weight of wine,” as general manager, Randy Marsh, mentions during our interview. Randy goes on to explain, “Shipping wine is a notoriously large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. From the making of glass to the actual shipping from winemakers to distributors to sellers, it can be pretty taxing. We're committed to reducing this, where we can - through selecting lower weight bottles and alternative packaging. We have a handful of winemakers we're working with to begin packaging their wines in boxes specifically for our company - of course hopefully this inspires other restaurants to take advantage of these wines as well!”
With all this going on at Moku Kitchen, they still find the time to give back to the community and have been a huge supporter of Surfrider Oahu by providing their delicious, hand tossed pizzas at public meetings and hosting a yearly OFR “pau hana”, which means “done with work” in Hawaiian. They have also partnered with Uncle Nearest, an African-American and woman owned whiskey distillery, to raise funds for African-American college scholarships as well as for the LGBTQ Legacy Fund. Next time you’re on Oahu, stop by and check them out!
Is your local restaurant Ocean Friendly? If not, encourage them to sign up and join the movement to end single-use plastics!
Want to help Surfrider stop plastic pollution at the source? Consider donating today!