Beginnings: Don Kahuna Says "Aloha" to Springfield

Don Kahuna's combines a taste of the tropics with southwestern cuisine

By Todd Peterson
Springfield Beacon

Don Kahuna’s Hula Huli Chicken & Pele’s Volcano House Coffee
720 South ‘A’ Street
Phone: 747-8966
Open: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday – Thursday
11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday
Website: www.myspace.com/donkahuna



The Business: Don Kahuna’s is a new restaurant concept – a South Pacific eatery which offers both Polynesian and Southwestern cuisine. Based on the successful Juan Pollo’s Chicken in San Bernadino, it is the first restaurant in our area featuring “huli huli” style rotisserie chicken combined with a variety of fresh side dishes. In a separate drive-up coffee hut, Pele’s Volcano House Coffee offers 100 percent Kona coffee drinks along with fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable drinks as well as smoothies. The restaurant also offers catering services for Luau’s and other occasions.

Their Menu: Rotisserie chicken, marinated for 12 hours and cooked for three hours in a radiant heat ceramic oven, is Don Kahuna’s specialty. Their huli huli (Hawaiian for “turn turn”) tender chicken is served with a choice of four side dishes most of which are made with organic ingredients. Among the sides available with the Polynesian Island dinners are Fafa-Taro Spinach, Lomi-Lomi salmon, Hawaiian rice, fruit poe and others. In addition, a Southwest Pueblo-style burrito dinner is served with four sides including a choice of pinto beans, potato salad, jasmine rice, sweet potatoes and salsa. Dinners are priced at $8.50 and include a fountain drink and baguette.

A Lunch Combo includes three pieces of chicken, potato salsa, tortillas, rice. salsa and a fountain drink priced at $7.50. A la carte items offered include tacos with salsa and two other burritos priced from $3 to $5.

Location: Located in the old “Bob’s Burgers” location on the corner of Eighth and South A streets, Don Kahuna’s and Pele’s hope to attract local customers and people going by in the abundant eastbound traffic. They have drive-up windows available and an ample parking for restaurant customers.

Atmosphere: In a contemporary-style building, an “island restaurant” has been created with bamboo, several Bonsai trees, Polynesian art, and “table islands” designed by the owner. Customers can relax with sounds of surf in the background as well as occasional streams of Polynesian and 60’s surfer music.

The Owner: Dani Savicky is the creator of this “hidden Hawaii” restaurant in downtown Springfield. Originally from Southern California, he moved to Hawaii in 1977 where he worked in popular Polynesian/Tahitian restaurants on Maui. Later, Dani started a tropical fish exporting business and also did projects with the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. He headed off to American Samoa in 1987 and then to Tahiti to begin other tropical fish business operations. An ocean diving accident (Dani has been underwater over 5,000 hours!) brought him back to California to recover. In 1999 he moved to Oregon but with the intention of getting back to Hawaii some day. A friend got Dani excited about Bonsai trees and he decided to stay and start another business building “table islands” and growing Bonsai trees to sell on E-bay (which he still does under the name “Koni Bonsai”). In the Fall of 2007 he learned that the South A property was for sale and decided it was time to start the restaurant he had envisioned many years before in Hawaii.

Their Employees: Starting with four employees, the restaurant expects to add another 10 people to its staff when it reaches full capacity. Jason McKnight, head chef, and Bernie Martinez, sous chef, are creating the fresh, Hawaiian/Tahitian cuisine and Southwestern specialties.

The Vision: Dani sees the new restaurant as a “flagship” for over 30 new Don Kahuna’s in Oregon over the next three years. With success, he has some new Hawaiian deep-sea shrimping projects in mind and, when he retires, plans to build a Children’s Hospital on the Big Island.

Fact or fiction: Don Kahuna is said to be a famous and respected (but reclusive) Hawaiian surfer, living on the North Shore of Oahu. He’s a good friend of Logan, the premier photographer for Surfer Magazine. Don’s highest-priority job with the new restaurant is wearing the chicken suit (which he does with dignity and honor).

Grand Opening: Friday, March 21 (evening) and all day Saturday, March 22.