As we headed home from a trip to the North Shore last weekend, we stopped at Aoki’s for shave ice, and I enjoyed watching my boys partake of a decades-old island tradition, choosing their flavors care- fully and agonizing over whether or not to add adzuki beans or simply ice cream to their sweet rainbow ice.<\/p>\n
I took extra pictures this time, because I’m sadly aware that it may have been our last visit to Aoki’s. The old wooden building is being razed to make way for a new commercial development, and the family owners will not reopen after their business closes some time early in 2013.<\/p>\n
Part of my food writing over the past few years has involved reporting the closure of mom-and-pop stores, and I fear that the second- and third-generation family owners who struggle to keep up with escalating rents, food costs and a fast- paced culinary scene are on the way to extinction.<\/p>\n
We must find a way to support the handful of family businesses still serving traditional recipes before they are all gone. Perhaps an endangered restaurant list is needed? I’m happy to spearhead that campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As we headed home from a trip to the North Shore last weekend, we stopped at Aoki’s for shave ice,..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hawaii-food-dining","category-table-talk"],"yoast_head":"\n