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Show AggieLife Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 Page 7 A bit of Hawaii in the heart of Logan Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill brings island food to Cache Valley By GREG BOYLES assistant features editor Take a scoop of great island food, add a dash of a relaxing ambiance and mix feverishly with a ton of aloha spirit; let rest just long enough to fill your plate one more time and you’ve got one of Logan’s newest restaurants, Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill. Decked out in beach decorations, constant surf videos and island music, Pounders opened its doors at the end of April in hopes of exposing the Cache Valley community to good Hawaiian food, said Kaneala Ablao, the restaurant’s general manager. “The only local Hawaiian food available is down in Salt Lake from L&L, one of the big chains. So the owners thought, ‘Why don’t we open up our own restaurant and get our own homemade recipes going on,’” Ablao said. Juicy Kaluha Pork, Loco Moco and the signature Pounders Chicken are just a few of the items you can get at the new island grill. Almost everything is served with rice, a mound of macaroni salad and a refreshing drink. Pounders, named after Pounders Beach on the island of Oahu, is conveniently located between the heart of Logan and Providence at 473 South Main. It’s open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Sunday. Since opening, Ablao said business increases daily as word of great food and a fun environment reaches the community. Ablao said Pounders is doing so well they opened a second restaurant in Sandy, which is doing equally well. “We didn’t think the community would treat us so well. We thought we might stay small and just have customers every now and then, but it’s taken off super fast,” he said. What makes Hawaiian food so unique – and thus so appealing – is the cultural influences behind the dishes, Ablao said. Hawaii is a big melting pot filled with individuals from many different nationalities, all of which add their own flavor to the many recognizable Hawaiian dishes. Pounders is the brainchild of three friends native to Hawaii: Jonathan Meatoga, Barry Henline and Vaughn Mossman, all of who wanted to bring a little island flavor to the mainland. Meatoga, who has lived in Logan for 23 years, said he and his friends met in Logan and worked together Left, employees at Pounders show off some of the island food served at Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill. The restaurant was named after Pounders Beach on the island of Oahu and is located at 473 South Main in Logan. The restaurant is the brainchild of three friends native to Hawaii. TYLER LARSON photo long before Pounders was anything more than a beach. Meatoga said he and Mossman worked at a shaved ice company together, where Henline helped, before opening Pounders. This experience, aided by their love for cooking and spending time with friends, is what led them to open the restaurant. Meatoga said Pounders cooks all its food fresh using its own recipes and always looks to incorporate the aloha spirit into the food and service. “A restaurant really needs three things: Good food, good service, and a great atmosphere, and those are the three things we strive for.” Bill Sproat, student at USU and Pounders’ chef, said Pounders is a huge hit among the student population, especially the athletes. He said he sees USU students flock to the island grill every day to load up on great food. Perfect Partner. Let us help plan your big day. Your Best Choice for Wedding Invitations & paper goods 630 West 20 0 Nor t h 753-8875 However, USU students aren’t the only frequenters of the restaurant. In fact, Sproat said business still stays solid when students are out of town. “We thought it might slow down in May when all the students left, but you couldn’t even tell. We stayed just as busy and even picked up business in June,” he said. Sproat said students enjoy coming to Pounders because it’s an escape from the typical Logan scene. The surfboards on the walls, the fun island music and the chill people give the illusion of a beach atmosphere. “This is a place where you can come and experience not only the food but the Hawaiian culture,” Sproat said. While a large number of patrons are Cache Valley natives who’ve only seen the Pacific from the shores of California, Meatoga said the emergence of this new Hawaiian grill has brought out a large population of Hawaiian natives he didn’t know were present in the Valley. “When we opened this restaurant it was amazing to see how many people from Hawaii live here and how long they’ve lived here,” he said. Meatoga said one such example is a pair of ladies who come to Pounders every Friday night for dinner and stay for upward of two hours. “These two ladies love it here. It reminds them of being back home in Hawaii and being relaxed and not having to worry about anything,” Meatoga said. Meatoga said in addition to the two stores that currently exist, he and his partners are planning to open at least two more stores before the year ends, potentially in Ogden, Provo or Idaho. After that they hope to branch out to surrounding states and even make their way to California and Hawaii. –greg.boyles@aggiemail.usu.edu FREE WI-FI Perfect Partner. Let us help plan your big day. Your Best Choice for Wedding Invitations & paper goods 630 West 20 0 Nor t h 753-8875 THE $4.00 COMBO MEAL Includes any two super value sandwiches plus small french fries and a small soft drink. 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