Chef and business owner Yim Kwok says that starting Fig & Ginger as a new mom in October of 2020 felt a lot like “raising two young children at the same time.”

However in the less than two years since Fig & Ginger was born, Kwok has expanded it from an online charcuterie order and pickup service, to a full­-fledged brick and mortar restaurant in Mccully Shopping Center that serves brunch and bites.

“The pandemic was a blessing in disguise because my husband and I got furloughed from where we worked,” said Kwok, 41, who graduated from Kapiolani Community College’s culinary pastry department, in an interview with Pacific Business News.

“We were stuck at home during the pandemic, but that didn’t mean we had to eat boring food,” she said. “I wanted a way to share my love of food with people, and with our charcuterie boards people could have yummy food that’s interesting and looks good and can be enjoyed at home.”

The restaurant – which opened May 1 with plans for a grand opening Saturday – features a brunch menu that includes classic breakfast staples like pastries, pancakes and french toast, as well as sandwiches, salads, smoothies and charcuterie. Kwok’s favorites are the brie cheese with truffle honey, and the avocado toast with poached eggs.

“I like breakfast and we wanted to bring a modern take on brunch to Hawaii,” she said. “We wanted to combine the healthy Australian food vibes with the Hawaiian diet.”

Kwok told PBN that a central element to Fig & Ginger’s menu is her culinary team’s commitment to using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.

“Right off the bat we knew that we wanted to use local ingredients, so we reached out to Nalo Meli Honey and asked them if they can make truffle honey, which is what we’ve used since day one,” Kwok said. “We source our cherry tomatoes and radishes from MA’O farms at farmers markets, and we also use edible flowers, micro greens, cucumbers and hydroponic lettuce from from Mari’s Gardens.”

Kwok says that the company’s use of everything from pop-ups to shared social media sweepstakes has helped Fig & Ginger extend its commitment to local outside of the kitchen.

“We’ve collaborated with several small businesses including recent ones like The Destination Picnic Co. and Beyond Pastry studio in downtown,” she said.
“Our first group of guests at Fig & Ginger’s brick and mortar were all business owners, florists, and artists, and we all came together to talk about what’s next.

“We believe in supporting each other because Hawaii is so small, and in order to grow and support Hawaii’s economy, we’ve got to come together and help each other,” she said. “We understand each other because we all are in the same boat. Everybody knows everybody.”

Location, location, location

Kwok says that Fig & Ginger’s location also allows the restaurant to pull from Hawaii’s two largest consumer pools.

“When we were searching for locations we liked Mccully Shopping Center because it was right off Waikiki and it has a parking lot,” she said. “There wasn’t a breakfast spot here yet and locals love coming to Mccully Shopping Center.

“We learned from Covid the hard way that we can’t rely on just tourists, and we’ve got to look at the local clientele, so we’re not directly in Waikiki, but we’re close enough that tourists can have a touch of fig and ginger when they’re ready to come.”

Kwok says that Fig & Ginger’s location also allows for partnerships like the ones it has with the Prince Waikiki and the Ritz Carlton Waikiki.

“For the Ritz Carlton, we supply them constantly,” Kwok said. “Hotel guests can order our charcuterie through the hotel, then the hotel orders it from us and we deliver it to them.”

Moving forward, Kwok says that she’s focused on maintaining the online pre­order side of business, adding four employees to her staff of10 and setting a foundation for Fig & Ginger’s continued growth.

“The main goal for Fig & Ginger this year [was] to bring this new brunch and grazing experience and we just want to focus on this while maintaining the online charcuterie side,” Kwok said. “Maybe at the end of the year, if the opportunity comes, we want to expand or maybe do a second location or offer a dinner service.

“Fig & Ginger has been a long time coming, this is like a dream come true.”