Up Country Bakery and Cafe, hatched two years ago by Johnny and Antoinette Sharfin, has become more than a place that courts vegetarians, vegans, raw food eaters and gluten-free consumers.
Up Country Bakery and Cafe, hatched two years ago by Johnny and Antoinette Sharfin, has become more than a place that courts vegetarians, vegans, raw food eaters and gluten-free consumers.
The Captain Cook eatery is part of the “food revolution,” one that’s reportedly happening in an explosive way in the dining industry nationwide. The couple has found a surging interest in plant-based diets and a hunger for more options by increasingly health-conscious consumers.
Because of it’s popularity, the couple decided to open a second business, Up Country Downtown Cafe and Health Bar, this summer in the Kopiko Plaza in Kailua-Kona. Both stores are bustling thanks to their “awesome” staff and customers, they said.
Their expansion plans don’t stop there. This month, the Sharfins plan to open Up Country Alii, a bakery and pottery store in the Coconut Grove Marketplace on Alii Drive. The space will be shared with friend Chris Cass, who will serve up pizzas in the afternoon and evenings. Crepes, coffee, smoothies, juices and pastries will be offered in the morning.
The Sharfins believe food is fuel and the food you eat plays an important role in your energy levels. Their mission with these funky eatery hangouts is to provide “soul health food” — bountiful options that are fun, taste good and make you feel full and happy at the end of a meal. Their menu reflects a commitment to supporting sustainability, organic gardening, plant-based choices and the anti-genetically modified food movement.
And yes, meat lovers are accommodated as several menu items feature fish, turkey, chicken, ham or beef. The Sharfins have no qualms about serving meat. They just want it to fit with their mantra of “local, organic, natural and sustainable.”
What’s in season and what’s available determines what’s on the menu, which occasionally results in temporary shortages. The menus are slightly different at each location but include New York-style bagels, sandwiches, pancakes, french toast, omelets, burritos, salads, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, chili cheese fries, burgers and pasta dishes. Depending on where you go, smoothies, juices, coffee drinks and pastries are also offered. Prices range from $4.50 for a bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter to $11 for the Old School Lox, a bagel sandwich with Alaska wild lox, local tomato, red onion and capers, or $11.50 for a vegan Caesar salad with chicken.
Prior to starting Up Country Bakery and Cafe, Johnny was a longline fisherman in Alaska for more than 15 years and owned a construction remodeling business in West Hawaii for five years. Antoinette worked for Huggo’s. She owns Pele’s Pottery, a paint-your-own pottery business that first opened in the Kona International Market, but is now located at the Up Country Bakery and Cafe in Captain Cook. She also teaches art activities to children at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and the resort’s residential community, Kukio.
The Sharfins are vegans who are passionate about consuming pure, healthy food. They transformed their diet after discovering their daughter, Luna, had several food allergies, including to bleached flour and food coloring. Already possessing a love of cooking and baking, the family began whipping up their own solutions to their favorite dishes and sweet treats. Luna and Johnny are the masterminds behind the vegan baked goods offered, Antoinette said.
Another major influence was Antoinette’s mom, who had cancer and died, but learned about and experienced the life-changing benefits of eating organic foods and drinking pure juices. She received this education from an alternative treatment center in Mexico and the lessons stuck with the Sharfins.
The family has lived on the Big Island for nine years. They understand firsthand how it feels to have a love one suffering for a food allergy, as well as know how difficult it can be finding certain products or places to go out to eat. Passion and a motivation to help others were the main reasons why the Sharfins got into the restaurant business. The Sharfins say their eateries are more like community gathering places, where customers not only eat “healthy food that’s affordable,” but also come to relax, talk story and embrace their creative side.
For more information, visit upcountrybakerycafe.com.