Going with the grain at Umeke Market
Friday - January 04, 2008
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If the thought of beginning a new year with a new health regimen is enough to have you reaching for the cream cheese donuts, then you might want to visit Umeke Market, where owners Michelle and Darryl Yamaguchi, along with Darryl’s sister Debbie, have an approach to health that is refreshing, accessible and destined to succeed.
“Healthy eating has to be realistic,” says Michelle. “If it’s not something people can do on a daily basis, then it’s not going to work.”
She advocates making small changes - really small ones - that you feel you can easily live with.
And one of the most reassuring things about the staff at Umeke Market is that they take their own advice.
“This year, for us it’s going to be grains,” says Michelle. “Just introducing grains to our diet, to the deli and to our ready meals will be enough of a step to take.”
The introduction of a quinoa (keen-wa) salad earlier this year alerted Michelle and her kitchen staff to the fact that people want to eat more whole grains - they just don’t know how.
“Grains are a bit of a mystery to most people,” she explains. “People aren’t sure how to cook them or what they taste like. At the deli, our customers can try things first before they take them home and try out recipes themselves.”
The deli section at Umeke, filled with dozens of salads and side dishes, provides a simple way to introduce a whole grain salad or a raw leafy green salad to family mealtimes.
“Lots of our customers come in for side dishes or salads, or just something they can add to an entre they’ve made at home,“says Michelle.“It’s an easy way of introducing healthy food to the whole family.”
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While many of Umeke Market’s customers have specific dietary needs, a growing number of clients are regular people who indulge in the occasional fast food restaurant trip, or who grab take-out food once or twice a week. To satisfy the urge for meat and two starches, healthy plate lunches are about to appear at Umeke. A steam table is the newest addition to the kitchen and Michelle is in the process of preparing healthy plate lunch-style food to go.
“We see a lot of people who want something fast to grab and go,“she says, admitting that she’s often in that position herself. “We have three small children and are working parents, so of course there are times when we’re grabbing whatever we can for dinner.” So the addition of a steam table to the kitchen will make brown rice, veggies and rotating entrees accessible to all.
Final entrees haven’t yet been chosen, but the rotation is sure to include the popular miso eggplant with chicken, sesame brown rice and Thai tofu curry.
With healthy bento boxes, a wide range of sandwiches, burgers, complete meals and sides, there’s something at Umeke Market for everyone, whether you’re already committed to a junk food-free lifestyle or not.
“My favorite thing about what we do,“says Michelle,“is that we’re always trying to get better. I mean, I eat here every day - I’d get bored if we didn’t change things around a lot.”
For full menu details, supplement information or expert advice on changing your diet, check out www.umekemarket.com
Umeke Market
4400 Kalanianaole Highway
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