For a certain ravenous, goal-oriented segment of the population, food has become sport. Social media has fostered an atmosphere of gorging and sharing,  without much time for reflection or context.

With many a chef simultaneously pressured to make their mark by putting the most unusual, novel, priciest and extreme on the table, the flavors of Hawaii childhood have all but disappeared from restaurants.

Yes, I get caught up in the madness, too, so it’s nice to step out of the arena sometimes, slow down and remember a time when food wasn’t about trendiness, competition or celebrity chefs, but about love, sharing, nurturing and family traditions.

I was reminded of that when I learned Grand Cafe & Bakery has launched a new comfort food menu, with a couple of weekly specials offered every Tuesday and Wednesday.  

Each of the dishes being introduced is a family favorite that chef Anthony Kui Sin Vierra grew up eating. Last week it was a savory tomato and beef rib stew ($15.50) enhanced with a side of pickled onions, and mac ‘n’ cheese ($10.50) featuring a magical trio of aged white cheddar, Parmesan and brie, bound together by a creamy mornay sauce, and topped with a golden, crisped layer of panko. This yummy duo will return June 3 and 4, and July 1 and 2.

While some restaurant fare can have an overly manipulated, sterile quality, that is not the case here, where the persistence of memory comes through loud and clear with an old-fashioned dish of fried rice ($12.75), a mashup of everything great about Chinatown.

Vierra explained on the menu, "My kung kung (grandfather) Yankee Chang was our fried rice master. His dish, which often included char siu or lup cheong, and shrimp, was enjoyed for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Yun Kui "Yankee" Chang’s day job was chief statistician for Honolulu Rapid Transit Co., forerunner of TheBus. But he was also a local theater buff who transitioned into TV and film roles on shows such as "Diamond Head," "Gidget Goes Hawaiian," "Hawaii Five-0" and "Magnum, P.I." He continued acting into his late 70s before dying in 1989 at the age of 82.

His roles increased his celebrity throughout Chinatown, where he was active in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Hawaii Chinese Civic Association, sharing historical and cultural information by leading Chinatown tours. His educational focus started with family, and when he went grocery shopping in its markets, Vierra and his older sister were often in tow, impressed by their grandfather’s knowledge and how people seemed to know and like him. 

Little did Vierra know that his experiences would later inform his work as a chef, including inspiring him to make char siu from scratch when time permits.

"Anything you could think of, he would let me try, like pi dan (preserved egg) and salt egg. Some things looked a little intimidating, like tripe, or lychee; why would we eat an armored berry? Or rambutan? Being a child, I was a little skeptical once in a while, but I trusted my grandfather."

At home, Chang would assemble his fried rice, setting down large chunks of pork or slices of lup cheong in a bowl before topping it with the rice stir-fried with pork, egg, white and green onions. He’d cover the bowl with a plate, and with a magician’s flourish turn the whole mass upside down, remove the bowl and amaze the grandkids with a perfect mound of rice. That’s the way Vierra serves it today, adding some finesse of his own, so the dish is redolent with the flavor of caramelized roast pork.

The fried rice will make its appearance May 21 and 22, along with pickled pork roast ($15) introduced by Vierra’s grandmother Elsie Ho Chang, who created her own variation of vinho d’alhos learned from Portuguese neighbors while living in Kalihi.

Other dishes to look forward to include shoyu chicken ($14), and baked beans and hot dogs ($11.50) on May 27 and 28.

It all makes sense for the restaurant, founded in 1923 by Vierra’s great-grandfather Ti Chong Ho, with a partner. Today, the restaurant continues to be run by Vierra’s mother, Mona Chang Vierra and family friend Patsy Izumo, who also contribute recipes, including Chang Vierra’s popular old-fashioned lemon cake ($6.50) with lemon-buttercream frosting, and Izumo’s chicken with tofu ($14.75), which is on today’s menu, along with a meatloaf ($15.50) of beef and pork.

Beyond the new dishes, comfort food on the regular menu starts with a homemade, German-style corned beef hash ($13.25) that starts with beef brisket spiced with nutmeg; cola-braised short ribs ($16.85); and luxurious rum-fired bananas Foster french toast ($12.50; $1.25 more for vanilla bean gelato). Sunday brunch offerings, include crab Florentine omelets ($16.50) and classic eggs Benedict ($16.50).

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.