Waioli Tea Room’s mission of vocational training lives on in Manoa

After it opened in 1922, the Waioli Tea Room became the idyllic setting for ladies to lunch on dainty sandwiches and sip tea from pretty china cups and saucers, surrounded by the lush Manoa valley rainforest.

The historic Salvation Army property has been shuttered the past four years, but right after Thanksgiving, fluttering scarlet flags on Manoa Road let the neighborhood know that the landmark had been revamped as the Waioli Kitchen & Bakeshop. New owners Ross and Stefanie Anderson are welcoming people back with a grand opening Saturday.

The restaurant’s classic white French doors open at 7:30 a.m. daily (except Mondays), releasing an aroma of freshly baked scones and banana-nut pancakes that tempt customers to breakfast until the 2:30 p.m. closing. An assortment of egg dishes, sandwiches and salads are also served, with a braised short rib loco moco already a favorite.

Besides an updated, less elaborate menu, the restaurant has a new look with fewer frills. Gone are the floral tea pots, pink tablecloths and quaint knickknacks reminiscent of the Victorian age that made the cafe the perfect place for a bridal shower.

Waioli now has more of a streamlined, rustic feel. Without all the feminine touches, the bones of the bungalow-style structure naturally impart a different kind of ambiance: the big lava-rock fireplace in the lobby, stone walls and entrances, high ceilings, and old-fashioned windows and glass doors that open up to the gardens.

Instead of table service, customers place their orders at the counter, perusing a menu on chalkboard signs. Dishes are delivered to tables later, but the Starbucks generation will be comfortable grabbing tall paper cups of coffee and pastries at checkout, and finding a comfortable spot to hook up to Wi-Fi. Customers can sit in comfy lounge chairs or at sturdy dark tables scattered throughout adjoining parlors, or choose from plenty of seating on the front lanai.

THE WALLS are covered with enlarged black and white photos illustrating the history of the property. Ross Anderson said the tea room was built as a vocational training facility for young women from the Salvation Army orphanage next door, so they could learn to make their way in the world. The orphanage, built in the 1890s, closed after World War II.

Anderson said the restaurant has been furnished and equipped with donated items, describing the decor as “found treasures and second chances.” That also would be a good way to describe his novice staff — people recovering from alcohol and drug abuse in the Salvation Army’s rehabilitation programs and the Women’s Community Correctional Center.

The couple doesn’t run it as a nonprofit, though he and his wife are led by their faith.

“We are independent of the Salvation Army, but aligned in our values and our mission,” he added.

His wife, a Christian pastor who used to volunteer as a counselor at the women’s prison, is an experienced mentor to the restaurant’s eight trainees. “These kids are awesome. I love them; that’s why we’re here,” Ross Anderson said. Wearing white aprons all day, he and his wife help the staff prepare the food as well as serve it.

Terra Nahinu, a recent graduate of a rehabilitation program, said the Andersons are patient and manage to smile through the hectic moments that arise, offering feedback on job performance as well as life in general. They’re understanding if one of her kids gets sick and she can’t come to work. “They’re teaching us how to live real life,” Nahinu added.

Anderson said he is impressed with his staff’s progress, reflecting on a young woman who had never flipped an egg before she started making breakfast at Waioli. “It was a good month’s worth of breaking eggs — we were eating the cost of doing that because we’re not going to serve bad eggs to customers.” Now it’s quite natural for her to turn out beautiful meals without any breakage, he said.

A LONGTIME manager for Duke’s Waikiki and other TS Restaurants properties, Anderson relied on connections with people in the industry for advice on taking over Waioli. A couple of chefs famous for farm-to-table cuisine helped him design a short menu that’s simple enough for unskilled cooks to prepare. The food is built around the best ingredients they can get, he said.

“It isn’t gourmet, but it’s quality.”

Anderson loves baking the restaurant’s bread, but he’s trained someone to do the muffins and the top-selling sweet and savory scones, and another to make the jellies and jams.

They’ve also put their first lettuce in the ground, starting a garden they hope will supply most of the restaurant’s needs. It will be another responsibility for the trainees, Anderson said.

“This is a learning opportunity for someone to care for something, see it through to completion and end up proud of this product.”

Anderson says Waioli’s success will be founded on relationships built with his staff and customers: “I want this to be a Cheer’s, where everybody knows your name.”

He and his wife would be gratified if Waioli became the kind of neighborhood hangout that locals recommend fondly to out-of-town visitors: “You want to get a bit of old Hawaii? You want to get a bit of the rain forest, and have a great meal that’s doing some good for some people? Let’s go to Waioli!”