Açaí what you did there

Running the smoothie bowl game is HI Cravings, a food truck that’s best known for its açaí offerings. It’s owned and operated by Kapolei couple Jess and Kalani Kamana‘o. Known by its long-time customers as JessDaBestAcaiBowls, the biz has been serving up its tasty treats for the last eight years.

“HI Cravings has encouraged local growth of the smoothie bowl and açaí industry, but continues to stand out by offering unique vegan blend bases of different flavors and a wide variety of toppings from healthy to dessert-like,” says Jess. “We do our best to keep things consistent and fresh, but also new to keep them coming back for something different, if they choose.”

When you come upon a HI Cravings truck, ordering is simple. Choose your base (options include açaí, strawberry guava, mango and more) and any additional toppings that sound delicious. Opt for bee pollen, chia seeds, li hing mui, peanut butter, Nutella, cookie butter, chocolate chips, condensed milk — and that’s hardly half the list.

HI Cravings might be known best for its cookie dough topping. For $1.25, add three scoops of just-right (and safe-to-eat) dough with or without chocolate chips on top.

The basic açaí bowl ($5.75-$14.50) comes with vanilla almond granola, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, grapes and local raw honey.

“It’s absolutely impossible to pick a No. 1 favorite item from our menu! It honestly depends on what you’re in the mood for, but a common staple bowl for me would be our Kapakahi açaí bowl with cookie butter or a stuffed strawberry,” says Jess.

The truck stops at a variety of towns around the island all throughout the week, including Kapolei, Makakilo, Pearl City, Mililani and more. Find out where it’ll be next by checking out its website (hicravings.com/schedule) or following @hicravingshawaii on Instagram.

“We appreciate all of the community support during COVID,” says Jess. “It has been so rough for many small businesses and we’re fortunate enough to have great support from the community over the last eight years, but especially during COVID. We are also now franchising nationwide. We are looking for very special candidates to grow our brand with us in the mainland, and have had requests all over the nation for more info. With the right partners, we are looking to spread some HI Cravings aloha off island. We have storefront and mobile franchise options available. For more info, email hicravingsinfo@gmail.com.”

HI Cravings

Instagram: @hicravingshawaii and @hicravingsmobile
How to pay: Cash, credit/debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
How to order: In-person or email hicravingsinfo@gmail.com for catering/tray orders