Opened in 1922, the Wai‘oli Tea Room was conceived as a vocational training facility for the orphans housed at the Salvation Army Girls Home that was also located on the Manoa Campus.  At its peak, hundreds of guests from around the world enjoyed breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea which were served daily.

The young women from the Girls Home staffed and operated the restaurant and were provided the opportunity to learn skills such as cooking, cleaning, food service, and hospitality. At the time, this was considered a valuable head start into the work world and self-reliance after they had aged out of the program.

Many of the young woman who grew up at the orphanage and spent their time at Wai‘oli found that it had made a significant impact in their lives and helped pave the way for viable employment in the Hawaiian Islands.

The Tea Room operated with this mission until the early 1970’s when the orphanage closed as the state developed foster care programs that are in place today. For the next 40 years, the building had many operators but never recaptured the sense of purpose that was its foundation for the first 50 years.

Today in Hawaii, the Salvation Army does not serve orphan children, but rather is one of the largest providers of treatment for individuals suffering with substance abuse disorders. Renamed the Wai‘oli Kitchen & Bake Shop, new owners Ross and Stefanie Anderson have revitalized this historic treasure and restored Wai‘oli’s mission to help transform lives by providing vocational training, life skills and hope to individuals in recovery.

We consider ourselves the next ones to run with the baton that is Wai‘oli…and  we want to definitely honor the host culture and honor the years and the history that this place has.

~Co-owner, Stefanie Anderson

 

The 100th anniversary of the Wai‘oli Tea Room will be commemorated at the 2022 Preservation Honor Awards Ceremony and Reception on October 20, 2022. 

Sources:

https://waiolikitchen.com/history/

 Wai‘oli Tea Room: 100 years of serving up sweet treats and second chances | News | kitv.com

Further Resources:

PBS Hawai‘i’s “Home is Here” Episode 202 features Ross and Stefanie Anderson sharing the story of Wai‘oli Tea Room and their vision for its future as Wai‘oli Kitchen & Bake Shop. View the episode.