Last October, former isle resident Frank Abraham was in Hono­­lulu for a family funeral.

"Basically, when somebody dies, you go home," he said. "This last trip hit me hard. I was really homesick."

That pining for Hawaii has been haunting Abraham since he moved to California in 1984. It was also the driving force behind Cooking Hawaiian Style (cookinghawaiianstyle.com), a website he launched in July 2011 for sharing local-style recipes. The site was originally meant for swapping recipes with family and friends, but it quickly morphed into something much bigger.

Today it boasts a library of 5,000 recipes and draws some 5,500 hits a day from Hawaii residents and folks like Abraham, former residents who share his longing for home.

Though Ohio resident Kori Whittaker doesn’t fall in either group, she’s an avid fan of Cooking Hawaiian Style. A regular Hawaii visitor, Whittaker considers herself "adventurous, food-wise" and is drawn to Hawaii’s cultural diversity.

"I think that’s part of its beauty," she said. "Where I live it’s homogeneous."

Whittaker and her family have developed quite the local palate. They enjoy kalua pig and soy sauce. And, "My husband and I have grown very fond of Spam. We love Spam fried rice."

Contributors of these classic dishes include some famous isle faces, including chef Chai Chaowasaree, comedian Frank De Lima and singer Melveen Leed.

Back in California, Abraham pondered how to justify another visit home and zeroed in on the site. His big dream is for Cooking Hawaiian Style to generate enough revenue for a permanent move for him back to Hawaii. The next step in that direction, he believed, was adding another feature: cooking videos.

By January, Abraham and a highly polished crew were setting up shop in a beautiful Hale­iwa home to tape six episodes with a diverse lineup of guests: U.S. champion free diver Kimi Werner, radio personality Augie T, Jessica and Andrea Onetti of Onda Pasta, Miss Hawaii USA 2006 Rada­sha Ho‘o­huli, singer Leed and chef Nicole LaTorre, who advocates food sustainability. Radio personality Lanai Tabura hosts.

"My original goal was to have a semipro camera crew film my family, but it exploded into Lanai as host and a top-notch crew and guests," he said.

The crew was led by director Kai Bovaird and assistant director Dawn Kaniaupio; Abraham was executive producer.

Host Tabura, who’s also credited as producer, admits he eats out more often than he cooks. But his hosting experience from projects for the Food Network and the Travel Channel adds polish to the product.

Friendship is one factor almost equal to his qualifications. "Frank and I are friends. I used to rent his mom’s house 20 years ago," Tabura said.

Plus, "the site is amazing. The traffic is unbelievable. Frank is a big ambassador of spreading aloha, and he’s spreading it with food. He’s showing the world how we come together to eat."

The video lineup reflects the diversity of the site, which features everything from homey and classic recipes to sophisticated contemporary interpretations. Likewise, some guests are trained chefs, while others have little experience in the kitchen.

Ho‘ohuli, for instance, shared a humble home recipe of sardines and tomatoes. She embellished her prep with stories of small-kid time when her parents fed the dish to family and friends on beach outings.

Then there’s chef Andrea Onetti, who delivered a mouthwatering Kahuku shrimp in white wine and garlic sauce over his homemade pasta.

But that didn’t mean the recipe was complicated.

"I like simple, fresh and local. Anyone can do this at home," he said.

For Onetti, the cooking was the easy part. Shooting was another matter. "It was exciting and scary at the same time," he admitted.

Jessica Onetti’s best part of the day was when their filming wrapped.

"The entire crew rushed the plate," she said. "That was the highlight."

Leed, meanwhile, is comfortable both in the kitchen and in front of the camera. The longtime Hawaii entertainer already has a lineup of local cooking shows under her belt, as well as a lifetime in the kitchen.

"I was a little girl when I washed rice in a strainer with a spoon — it saves the grains. My grandma taught me," Leed said. "Now I’m passing it on to my grandchild."

For her episode, Leed prepared Crustacean Polynesia, a crab, shrimp and lobster dish, and true to form, she punctuated the segment with lots of humor.

But like Tabura, there’s a personal reason for Leed’s participation.

"Frank is like a nephew to me. I’m best friends with his mother," she said. "When he asked me to be on his show, I said, ‘Of course!’"

It’s this kind of connection Abraham says he misses most.

"Hawaii people have a different sense of belonging to each other, and food has a lot to do with that," he said. "When people are extending themselves, they wanna cook for you.

"My drive is reconnecting with my roots, and food is one way of reconnecting."

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ON THE NET:

» www.cookinghawaiianstyle.com
» Chef Nicole LaTorre’s Facebook page "Hawaii Sustainable Chef"
» Onda Pasta is sold from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at Ala Moana Farmers Market and 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays at Waimea Valley Farmers Market. They are also serving dinner at Taste on March 27 and April 10 and 24. Visit www.ondapasta.com.