Ige’s Halawa Lunch & Catering (Halawa)
99-1086 Iwaena Street, Aiea, HI 96701
(808) 486-6868
https://www.igeshalawa.com/
IG: @igeshalawa
There are 3 Ige’s businesses: Ige’s Aiea, Ige’s Halawa & Ige’s Mapunapuna. They are related but are separately owned and operated.
History
“O K I N A W A N F E S T I V A L ... I thought long and hard about what those words and this event means to our family. I think I came up with 3 words that really sum it up. Legacy, Tradition, and Arigatai. 💖
My Grandma, Kazuko Ige, who was the original Ige caterer, was extremely involved with the Hawaii United Okinawa Association and volunteered much of her time every year to help put on the annual Okinawan Festival! I bet you’re wondering what booth she helped in right? 🤔 Nah I’m kidding, of course it was the andagi cooking booth! If you know the Ige’s name, you know we are known for our Okinawan donuts, better known as Andagi.
Our family has been involved in the Okinawan Festival for as long as I can remember. Every year we drop thousands and thousands of andagi to be sold at the Festival food booths. I said “we” but if we’re being real (between you and me🤫) I still don’t know how to drop andagi. 🥴 Despite how easy my dad (Glenn), sister (Jodi), and brother-in-law (Shon) make it look! I can mix them and make sure they don’t end up two colored though, if that counts for anything. 😬
Grandma Ige was there from the very beginning when they held the first festival at Ala Moana Park’s McCoy Pavilion back in 1982. She was a huge part of the andagi booth for over 20 years until she passed in 2007. She always recruited our family to help in the andagi booth and it just became a part of our “Saturday before Labor Day” routine. I’ve never known it any other way. This was and is our family’s tradition and just like every year, despite 2020 being a bit of a wreck 🙈, we will be dropping andagi for hungry customers and selling it by the dozen at our location in Halawa Valley along with our Pre-Order Curbside Bento Pick Up! 🥳 (DM us or Email jacie@igeshalawa.com to order)
We are so appreciative of the legacy that she’s left us and I hope that with each passing year, she sees that we are doing our part to honor it. Grandma always said “Arigatai” which means grateful or thankful. She was so thankful to be able to play a small part in such an amazing event put on by the @hawaiiunitedokinawaassociation and we feel the same way. 💖 A R I G A T A I ✨”
Source: https://www.instagram.com/igeshalawa/
