Sea Dandelion Cafe in Honokaa becomes Blue Zones Project Approved
“I feel so alive!” exclaimed Puna resident, Lorn Douglas, just after finishing his meal at Sea DandeLion Café in Honokaa. Douglas is on the cusp of his 70th birthday this month so taking care of his "body temple” is very important to him. “I would eat here all the time if I lived closer,” he said.
Sea DandeLion Cafe, a family-run business owned by Suelang Watson and Eden Smith, along with their twin sons, has only been open for a little over a year, but this vegetarian eatery is already proving popular - it currently has five solid stars on Yelp, and now, the "Plant Slant" cafe is making its mark as the very first Blue Zones Project Approved™ restaurant on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Suelang Watson and Eden Smith, owners of Sea DandeLion Cafe.
When asked what the Watson-Smith family had to do to become approved, Watson said, “That is one of the things I am most proud of. We actually had to do very little.”
With just a few changes, such as adding more 100-calorie desserts, Sea DandeLion Cafe maneuvered through the approval process rather quickly. Watson says their entire menu already meets the Blue Zones Project Food Guidelines, and her family has been implementing most of the Power 9® principles into their restaurant from the start.
To celebrate, the entire community is invited to Sea DandeLion Cafe's Blue Zones Project recognition ceremony on Saturday, May 14th at 5:30 pm. Festivities will include a traditional Hawaiian blessing by Lanakila Mangauil, Director of Honokaa's newly opened Hawaiian Cultural Center. Guests will get to try free samples of Sea DandeLion's tasty and healthy smoothies created with the special Blue Zones Project blender bike. Please join us!
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO SEA DANDELION CAFE FOR BECOMING HAWAII ISLAND'S FIRST BLUE ZONES PROJECT APPROVED RESTAURANT!
North Hawaii Residents Discover Their Purpose Through Workshop Marathon
Four workshops in just three consecutive days - last month sure was full of PURPOSE! Dozens of community members attended the back-to-back Power of Purpose Workshops from March 17-19 at NHERC in Honokaa and at Annunciation Church in Waimea to discover or re-discover their gifts, talents, and passions.
"I'm so glad I attended the Purpose Workshop," said Hawi resident Valerie Oram. "I liked that this workshop offered me the tools and the time to interact with other participants to get clarity on my life purpose, and how knowing it really matters and can make a positive difference in my life, as well as in my family and community."
During the Purpose Workshop marathon, six people - a mix of Blue Zones Project colleagues and community members - were also trained to become Purpose Workshop facilitators, and will soon be conducting more Purpose Workshops for all of Hawaii Island.
(L-R) Purpose Workshop Facilitator Trainees: Blue Zones Project North Hawaii Organization Lead Dena Ellis, Pauuilo resident Doug Conners, Waikoloa resident Olelo Paa of Glow Hawaii, Life Coach Vicki Stoddard of Hilo, Blue Zones Project Hawaii colleague Christine Osterwalder, and Blue Zones Project Purpose Chair and volunteer Tina Stuart.
"Purpose" is one of the Power 9® - one of nine secrets to longevity shared by the original Blue Zones areas - and research shows that knowing and living out your purpose can add up to seven years to your life.
If you are interested in attending a Purpose Workshop, contact Blue Zones Project Purpose Chair, Tina Stuart, at tina.l.stuart@gmail.com or call (808) 333-2520.
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” — G. B. Shaw (George Bernard Shaw)
Hamakua-Kohala Health's Walking Moai Teams Reach Finish Line
The six teams participating in North Hawaii's first worksite Walking Moai crossed the finish line on April 15 after walking together around Honokaa and Kohala Town for at least 30 minutes each week for 10 weeks.
Team Pono, Holo Holo Sistaz, The Wahine Walkers, AAACT, Team Thrive, and Slow Pokes formed after Hamakua-Kohala Health launched the Blue Zones Project Walking Moai on February 3. Employees at both clinics - Kapaau and Honokaa - participated.
Congratulations to everyone who happily laced up their shoes to take part in Hamakua Kohala Health's Walking Moai!
If you are interested in following in their footsteps, we are planning on launching a community-wide Walking Moai. Details to come soon so stay tuned!
Questions about Moais? Contact Sue Dela Cruz, Blue Zones Project - North Hawaii Community Engagement Lead at Susan.DelaCruz@healthways.com or call (808) 564-4762.
