About the Kau Kau Chronicles
We created the Kau Kau Chronicles to preserve and share, free of charge, recipes from hardcopy-only, out-of-print cookbooks published by local Hawai'i community organizations from the early 1900s to the early 2000s.
These recipes reflect some of the favorite dishes of Hawai'i and have been a part of amazing meals and moments for the people of Hawai'i over the decades. But of equal importance, the recipes capture the ingredients and techniques of a specific place and time in history. As a body of work, they document a culinary and cultural history of Hawai'i that must be preserved and shared with future generations.
We digitize these precious and fragile cookbooks to preserve and make searchable a record of an era of cooking in Hawai'i. We are grateful to be able to provide this free resource that empowers generations to come to understand and explore a very special cuisine that developed in Hawai'i during this era and that endures to this day.
Each recipe is accompanied by an image of the hardcopy page on which it was originally published to provide deeper context for historical purposes.
We do not share cookbooks that are currently being sold by their originating community organizations. We do not share cookbooks written by individuals.
Why kau kau?
Kau kau is Pidgin, the creole language of Hawai'i. As a noun, it means food, or a meal: Where’s da kau kau? As a verb it means to eat: We going kau kau now. An online search will reveal many theories about the origins of kau kau as used in Hawai'i’s Pidgin.
Where to buy the cookbooks?
An online search for a cookbook’s title may offer you a few ways to buy the book on Amazon, eBay, or other sources.
Here are some other resources, but we can’t guarantee that orders are being fulfilled, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Favorite Island Cookery series from Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin
A Hundred Years of Island Cooking from Hawaiian Electric (HECO)
Meet Our Community Archivists
Mark Nakakihara
Why this project matters to me: It’s funny how I happened to connect with this organization, I personally have been heading up another non profit called Zentoku Foundation where our goal is to preserve the past for future generations. So to be able to participate in finding old cook books with the possibility of locating and interviewing the originator of some of the most favorite Japanese/Hawaiian dishes is really intriguing. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to pass on some of the successes of this group to my children and grandchildren so they can carry on the traditions of these wonderful dishes that I remember.
Favorite Hawai'i food: To identify only one favorite Hawaiian food I’d have to leave this section blank as I have so many. So it’s really a tie between Fried Rice and Poke.
I have had so many variations of fried rice from Bacon, Spam, Portuguese Sausage, Garlic, Kim Chee, etc. etc. and they are all good to me especially if you throw a couple of eggs easy over on top of it. Poke too can come in many varieties from Hawaiian Style, Limu, Oyster Sauce, Shoyu, Spicy, etc. etc. etc.
Hawai'i food memory: One of my favorite foods is Poke, I could literally eat this everyday. On one of my many flights to Honolulu I watched a cooking video and how Poke was made. Since then I’ve created my own variation of Tuna, Hawaiian Salt, Maui Onions, Sesame Oil and Shoyu. It’s been able to hold me over until I get to the Islands to have the REAL poke.
Allisa Benjamin & Lily Cordero
Why this project matters to me: Both my parents grew up in Hilo. My sisters and brothers and I were all born in California. My mother's family owned a Chinese restaurant in Hilo a long time ago and that is where my dad also worked. We grew up eating food from Hawaii. My daughter and son-in-law moved to Oahu and I spent a lot of time over there this past 6-7 years. Staying with them and going grocery shopping, I finally understood why my parents chose certain brands of food and why they cooked what they did. To us, that was just the normal food we ate. I'm pretty sure there wasn't much fast food in the 60's and probably not much in the 70's.
Favorite Hawai'i food: I'm not sure what my favorite Hawaii food is because I love food in general. That is why I'm not a skinny person!
Hawai'i food memory: Besides remembering all the delicious food my mom cooked. It was quite eye opening to find out that only people from Hawaii mix macaroni in with the potato salad. I thought that is how everyone made it.
Michelle Saito
Why this project matters to me: I was born and raised on Oahu and Kauai and took Hawaii for granted until I spent 15 years in the SF Bay Area. These books were a connection to “home” with all of the warm fuzzies associated with the people and places I missed while I was away. Preserving these recipes for others to discover feels like a way to honor the organizations and people that produced and contributed to these books.
Favorite Hawai'i food: So many favorites! I’m going to go with chicken hekka. To me, hekka is one of the best examples of old school Hawaii hole cooking!
Hawai'i food memory: Childhood Thanksgiving meals. Like so many local families, we always had a roasted turkey, but the rest of the dishes would include family favorites like rumaki, maki sushi, kimchi, chop chae, haupia, butter mochi and the ubiquitous pot of rice on the table.
Beki Thomson
Why this project matters to me: I’m not from Hawaii, but I love it there, not only the beauty of the islands and the food, but the spirit of Aloha. My husband and I got married on the Big Island and drew our friends and family together for four days of celebration and adventure.
Kris Stanton
Why this project matters to me: I grew up in Hawaii, but after graduating high school, always lived somewhere else. The further away I get from my childhood - in age and in location - the more I treasure all things Hawaii.
Favorite Hawai'i food: How are you supposed to choose? Poke and chicken katsu come to my mind first, so I guess I will have to say those.
Hawai'i food memory: Food is and always will be the center for gatherings. I love Hawaii potlucks, they are the best!! Nowadays, people pick up ready made things from the store or a restaurant, but the memories of a loaded plate of rice, poke, chow fun, sushi rolls, tempura, kalua pig, kim chee, chicken katsu, teri beef, the list is endless...it’s making my mouth water even as I type this. No concern about health and diets, just delicious food.
My mom is famous for her macaroni salad, and because they no longer make the noodles she likes (thin macaroni). I have to import it from Germany for her. My dad is known for his laulau and kalua pig, and is so proud when people request it.
Kim C.
Why this project matters to me: Looking in the screened window, thinking what am I ono for today ... chow fun, cone sushi, shrimp tempura, egg roll, shoyu chicken, hash ... hoping the customers in front of you do not take the last one. Please don’t take the last one.
Okazuyas are a dying breed and the old style of cooking could eventually be lost. This site matters to all of us because it is preserving the “vintage” recipes that we grew up on and helps keep the food and memories alive in our homes.
Favorite Hawai'i food: There is so much to choose from with all the different ethnicities/cultures in Hawaii. Depends on day and mood. But everyone’s fav will always be mom’s version, right? Or what you grew up on. If so, then it’ll be my mom’s shoyu chicken, my grandma’s sweet sour spareribs and her ham hocks & beans, and my dad’s “sticky” style pig’s feet. Oh and he made thee BEST spam musubis! My grandpa always loved “SOS.” Sometimes I think he liked saying it (spelled out) more than eating it. Mention any one of those dishes and it takes me back home.
If you’re still able to, sit at the feet of your grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles. They are the generation that do not “write it down.” Learn their recipes and techniques, make their food, and share their legacy with the next generations. I wish I sat with my mother-in-law and learned her Filipino cooking. Nothing compares to hers.
Hawai'i food memory: My favorite food memory isn’t about a specific food. But really the gathering when food is involved. When I met my husband, he took me to a family party on Molokai. I was impressed with how everyone helps and had an unspoken role. Uncles brought their special knives to help cut the meat and prepare the main dishes. Aunties were grating coconut and preparing all the desserts. One uncle’s specialty was cooking rice in a huge wok, and then everyone enjoying that slightly burnt piece at the bottom of the wok.
When we bought our house, first thing we did was make an Imu. I appreciate the traditional aspect of kalua pig and being able to share it with the young ones, but I absolutely love the gathering. From prepping the pig to shredding it, everyone down to the littlest child is there and helps. While the pig is in the imu, my husband is making Filipino dishes with other parts of the pig and we cook for those who come to help. Turn on some Hawaiian music, and we inu, talk story, and form lasting bonds over food.
Shelly Nowaki
Why this project matters to me: Recipes are not only like magic spells you can learn to create ono delights but they are also a cultural history of how people use ingredients to nourish their family, build community bonds, and commemorate life events. A worn, food stained recipe card of your Mom's casserole is a record of her penmanship and the cooking methods of that time. A saved clipping from a newspaper carries a list of ingredients that may once have been commonly stocked in homes but no longer can be found except in specialty grocers. School and community fundraising cookbooks are timecapsules of food trends and preferences. They are all treasures.
Favorite Hawai'i food: There are many favorites that often have to be enjoyed together: laulau, kalua pig, lomi salmon & poi, squid luau. But I usually enjoy Hawaiian plate that someone else has lovingly prepared. My favorite is Korean chicken, essentially fried drumettes and wings that are taken hot out of the fryer and dipped into a shoyu-sugar-sesame oil marinade. Yum!
Shelly Abe Ogata
Why this project matters to me: Growing up in Hilo and moving to Honolulu opened my eyes to the many different variations of our favorite "local" dishes. As I've gotten older (moved back to Hilo) and continue to figure out, "what's for dinner" (the struggle is real), I have come to appreciate the recipe books handed down by my mom, grandma, and other relatives. Now that my mother struggles with memory issues, it's even more important to me to document and preserve these precious pieces of our lives.
Favorite Hawai'i food: My favorite food--that's a tough one, but I do love a good chocolate mochi
Hawai'i food memory: My favorite food memories center around the New Year festivities and traditions. I remember visiting family and friends and enjoying the different foods (traditional and not) presented at each home. Whether it was inari sushi, namasu, ozoni, nishime, or kinpira gobo--all the wonderful smells and tastes were so tantalizing and each household had their own touches to make it extra special.
Jennifer Hasegawa
Why this project matters to me: I was born and raised on the Big Island, which means that the recipes on this site are a big part of who I am. They fed me, they taught me to feed myself, and they gave me the passion for baking that I have to this day. It is so important to me that we preserve and document these recipes, some which may only exist on these crumbling paper pages.
Favorite Hawai'i food: Butter Mochi
Hawai'i food memory: My mom loves this combo: teriyaki beef, macaroni-potato salad, and cone sushi (inari). We had this trifecta for most holidays and sometimes, for no reason at all. My mom was a kitchen helper at Ono Gomay for a few years when I was little. I have a foggy memory of visiting her there once and seeing her forearm-deep in a big metal bowl of macaroni-potato salad. That she loved this dish so much despite being literally immersed in it for years is a testament to its deliciousness. Try the Macaroni-Potato Salad on this site for just one of the many variations of this salad eaten in the islands. My mom’s version included thinly sliced salted cucumbers, finely shredded carrots, and when things were good, a bit of canned crab meat.
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