Noh Foods CEO loved cooking, camaraderie

Edwin "Eddie" Cha Son Noh, founder and chief executive of Noh Foods of Hawaii — an international company known for its catchy slogan, "Say yes to Noh" — died Dec. 15 at his Hono­lulu home. He was 88 years old.

From humble plantation beginnings to master of Asian seasonings, Noh’s remarkable life included a number of small-business ventures, including a pet store, restaurant and Waikiki hotel catering to the military. But it was Noh’s creation of the first Asian powdered seasoning mix that launched his name onto a worldwide stage. His innovative idea at the time originated from a desire to make it easier for his workers to make kim chee, a staple at the first formal Korean restaurant in Hono­lulu, Ari­rang, which he and his wife, Miriam, opened in 1961.

"My father just loved to cook. He developed a real knack for flavors. He really was a pioneer," said Raymond Noh, 54, the youngest of three sons. "My dad eliminated all the chopping by creating a dehydrated powdered kim chee mix."

That launched Noh Foods in 1963. To market his products — the first of which included Korean kim chee, Japa­nese teriyaki, Korean barbecue and Chinese sweet-and-sour formulas — Noh opened Howard’s Drive In in McCully, named after his eldest son.

"So if you ordered a teriyaki plate lunch, you were tasting his teriyaki mix," Raymond said. "As he added more items to his seasoning line, it would show up at the drive-in."

Before those ventures, Noh had already been a serial entrepreneur, opening a pet store called Gooney Bird’s Pet Shop in the mid-1950s and a grocery store.

While he was developing his seasoning business, Noh built a 10-story high-rise on Ala Wai Boulevard — the tallest building in the area at the time.

He operated the Boulevard Towers, where the family lived, from 1967 through the mid-1970s, catering to military personnel during the Vietnam War.

"From the living room of our hotel apartment, he had all these mixes. You’d get off the elevator at the top of this hotel, walk into our living room and see big tubs, barrels of all these ingredients," Raymond said. "At the time he didn’t know how far the mix was going to go. All someone would do was mention to my father their favorite dish, and for the next 10 days we’d have the same dish three or four ways. We were like the test guinea pigs."

The company has since become a worldwide name, competing with large corporations such as McCormick & Co., a Fortune 1000 company, and global foods giant Kikkoman Corp.

For the past 30 years, Noh Foods has operated offices in Hawaii and Los Angeles and distributed its products across the country and internationally to between 15 and 20 countries, including culinary destinations in Paris, Mexico and Japan.

Next year will be the company’s 50th anniversary. Noh would have turned 89 on Jan. 3, the day of his memorial service. Visitation is scheduled for 2 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. service at Diamond Head Mortuary.

Noh is survived by wife Miriam and sons Howard, David and Raymond, who runs the family-owned company.

Raymond said his father lived a diverse, full life, with joy from doing things for others. His father was known for his modesty and zest for life, he said.

"Cooking, seeing others enjoy what you cooked, that really meant more to him than anything else," Raymond said. "He just loved to share his time with people."

But he didn’t always have an illustrious existence.

When Noh moved to town from the plantation, he’d help his father shine shoes downtown near Stevenson Intermediate School and was embarrassed because his friends would pass by, Raymond said.

A veteran of the Army during World War II, Noh was born on Jan. 3, 1924, on a plantation in Wai­alua to migrant Korean workers and later grew up in the Punchbowl area, graduating from McKinley High School with U.S. Sen. Daniel Ino­uye, a friend and band mate who died two days after him. He also was part of the first U.S. Korean friendship mission in 1970, and was selected to be one of the dignitaries to visit South and North Korea, his son said.

In addition to his passion for being a serial entrepreneur, Noh equally loved to play his trumpet, tell racy jokes, cook for people and was always the "life of the party," Raymond added.

"He was a character. He played his trumpet every day, almost to the day he died. He loved his golf. He was a guy who really enjoyed his life," he said. "He really created a lot of opportunity in his life. He was always joking. I never saw him mad for any length of time. He just kept moving forward. There are no sorrows, probably all tears of joy."