Farm Link Opens Its First Storefront Today—and It Will Have ‘Ili‘ili Pizzas and Subs

Photo: Sarah Burchard

What would happen if ‘Ili‘ili Cash & Carry and Farm Link Hawai‘i had a baby? Well, they just did. Hō‘ili‘ili by Farm Link opens today on South Beretania Street, merging the locally sourced online grocer with Mō‘ili‘ili’s craft pizza and sandwich shop.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Make that reopens, in a sense. Following chef and co-owner Aker Briceno’s cancer diagnosis, ‘Ili‘ili has been mostly closed since early September. In the same space, Hō‘ili‘ili is a new collaboration between Farm Link, Briceno and ‘Ili‘ili co-owner Keola Naka‘ahiki Rapozo. It brings together the best of both worlds: a deli serving delicious sandwiches, pizza and more with a brick-and-mortar grocery store offering local produce, meat, dairy and dry goods.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

“You can think of Kōkua [Market] being this in many ways. You can think of early days Whole Foods being this,” Farm Link CEO Claire Sullivan said at a preview last week. “But we, right now, don’t have this place where you could come and get the vast majority of your grocery shopping done with local goods that are grown, raised or made in Hawai‘i.”

Now we do. The decision to join forces came shortly after Briceno, a longtime pastry chef and pizzaiolo who worked at Nobu and helped found V Lounge and Prima, was told his cancer had returned, this time as pulmonary metastatic disease. The tragic news was a blow to not only Briceno and his family, but also to the community. A close friend started a GoFundMe page to help pay his medical bills; by Monday, it had raised more than $34,000.

Rapozo and Briceno came up with the name Hō‘ili‘ili, which means “to collect” or “to gather together.” Rapozo, who also co-owns Fitted, designed the new logo. “The intention with Hō‘ili‘ili is to honor the spirit of what Aker brought in the creation of ‘Ili‘ili,” Sullivan said.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

That means the return of ‘Ili‘ili’s pizzas and hoagies. There are also salads, soups and Briceno’s famous Choke Garlic Balls.

Farm Link culinary production manager Chuck Wakeman—who worked at Vintage Cave, The Pig & the Lady and Whole Ox before opening Kaka‘ako’s Butcher & Bird, now shuttered—is managing the kitchen with James Beard Award semifinalist Robert Urquidi, formerly of Ethel’s Grill and Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room. “Robert will be here full time,” Wakeman said. “He’s going to be the guy running the show, which is amazing. I couldn’t ask for any better than that.”

Chuck Wakeman. Photo: Sarah Burchard

Initially, the menu will feature Briceno’s recipes, but eventually, Wakeman plans to incorporate some of his sandwiches from Butcher & Bird. Wakeman said people keep asking for his burger.

The bar is set really high by Aker,” Wakeman said. “I’ve known him since I moved here almost 20 years ago. He’s a mentor, so there’s a lot of legacy involved, and it’s a good pressure to feel.”

The sandwiches, pizzas and cold grab-and-go items will be available at Hō‘ili‘ili, but not online at Farm Link. One day, there will be online ordering, Sullivan promises, to help avoid long waits in line.

Employee Kayla Rosenfield and CEO Claire Sullivan stocking shelves ahead of opening. Photo: Sarah Burchard

Hō‘ili‘ili will carry everything you can find online at farmlinkhawaii.com, including local produce and island-made dairy, noodles, eggs, frozen foods, artisan honey, beer, wine, spirits and more. The store will stock fresh pasture-raised meats (currently sold frozen online) and ice cream by Chinatown’s Mille Fête. There will be a bigger selection of breads from Breadshop and fresh pastries by a bakeshop yet to be announced.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

The mix will also include Aloha Bites mountain apple pie, ‘Ulu Mana panko and other collaborations between farmers, producers and Farm Link.

Unlike a supermarket chain that imports ingredients from all over the world, Hō‘ili‘ili and Farm Link’s produce is seasonal and sourced from small local farms, so not everything will always be available. Look for updates on Instagram. “We are working with one blueberry farmer in the state,” Sullivan. “We get blueberries if we get blueberries and if we don’t, we don’t.”

SEE ALSO: Local Online Grocer Farm Link Builds Up Hawai‘i’s Food Systems

In-store shoppers with a SNAP-EBT card will receive 50% off local produce and poi through The Food Basket’s DA BUX program.

Plans also call for local product tastings and Meet the Makers events with local producers at the shop.

Farm Link will continue to run exactly the same, offering pickups or island delivery for online orders seven days a week. Online might be better for securing popular items that run out quickly, but shopping at the store means there’s no minimum order. Eventually, Sullivan says, customers will also be able to pick up online orders at Hō‘ili‘ili by Farm Link.

Open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 2065 S. Beretania St., Mō‘ili‘ili,  farmlinkhawaii.com, @farmlinkhawaii

Sarah Burchard is a contributor to Frolic Hawai‘i. @healthylocavore