The Palmer family - Eli, Lori, Taylor, David and Micah

The origins of Café Pesto lay in the quaint harbor town of Kawaihae where a small take-out pizzeria that began in 1988 quickly evolved into an award winning dining establishment on the resort coast of South Kohala.

Our inception coincided with the birth of Hawaii Regional Cuisine with which we became notably associated. Despite growing world-class competition on the South Kohala coast, we continue to be the benchmark for consistency, quality and innovation.

Following this growth and success we sought out a more locally based market for our concept in the lush surroundings of Hilo, a city where the best of old Hawaii remained in an era otherwise forgotten. Here, turn of the century buildings - survivors of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, devastating tsunamis and economic depressions - have stood poised against the ravages of time. These timeless structures are now the foundation of what has become the renaissance of downtown Hilo.

On July 10, 1992 the newly restored S. Hata building, originally constructed in 1912 by the Hata family and known as the Grande Dame of Hilo, became the new home of Cafe Pesto, Hilo Bay. With its rattan chairs, tall ceilings, brass detailed exhibition kitchen and ohia wood-fired pizza oven, diners are now able to drift back in time awakened to the present only by the colorful and provocative meal presentations.

In offering the Big Island two quality dining destinations, we have sought to preserve the historic charm of our locale while at the same time bringing our customers the latest and best of local Hawaiian Regional foods. We seek to be at the leading edge of South Kohala's culinary adventure and at the forefront of Hilo's renaissance. It is our hope that our diners enjoy both this journey in time and the  ethnic diversity of our fresh Island cuisine. Please let us know how we're doing...

P.S. I owe a special thanks to my original partners, Dave Levenson and Jim Williams without whom none of this would have been possible.