One misdelivered present last Christmas went a long way.
According to Lila Bermudes and Kamealani Carvalho — co-owners of Kukane Street Stand in Kāneʻohe — that’s how they first met.
“This all started when a package was delivered incorrectly to my new home, which was Kamealani’s old home,” Lila Bermudes says. “[Before this], all the neighbors had told me how great of a baker Kamealani was.”
Bermudes reached out to Carvalho — whose contact information was on the package — to see if she wanted to pick up the package.
“When she came [to get it], we got to talking, and we immediately clicked,” Bermudes says.
“A two-minute conversation turned into 30 minutes,” echoes Carvalho.
During their conversation, Bermudes asked Carvalho if she ever considered opening a farm stand in front of her house on Kukane Street.
“It would be so convenient for everyone that’s passing,” Bermudes says. “You can stop on the side, grab your coffee and baked goods, then you can go to work. My goal was to provide a peaceful place that was convenient.”
Little did Bermudes know that Carvalho and her husband already ran a farm stand, located in Hauʻula.
“We live in Kāneʻohe, but I’m from Hauʻula,” Carvalho says. “We started it there, but it [the commute] was too far.”
Carvalho talked with her husband, Nalu, about the idea — and the duo immediately started working on the business concept. Carvalho credits her husband for building the bake stand that customers see on Kukane Street today.
“I put a lot of work into designing it, but my husband built it,” Carvalho says. “He did such a good job.”
“We just went on faith and everything came together,” Bermudes says.
Kukane Street Stand officially opened in February. While the address isn’t listed on the business’s Instagram page, Bermudes says that customers can usually find it if they use Google Maps to search for the street name.
“You know this area — the back road — if you live in Kāneʻohe,” she says. “There’s a lot of people that pass by here.”
The business’s current name did not come up right away. Carvalho and Bermudes originally referred to the biz as Kukane Farm Stand, but they went back and forth on it.
“We didn’t like it; we tabled it for a little bit,” Carvalho remembers. “We thought, ‘Let’s just called it ‘Kukane Street Stand’ and change it later, but everyone kept calling it that, so it stuck. It’s good for location purposes.”
The bake stand is usually open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 a.m. until sold out, according to Bermudes. She features specialty lattes that available for pre-orders, while Carvalho supplies the stand with a variety of baked goods.
“We only do the pre-orders for the lattes, but we make them in a certified kitchen,” explains Bermudes, who says previous latte flavors included blueberry, cinnamon roll and chocolate haupia.
The bake stand has been known to sell out by 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to Carvalho.
“That’s why everyone’s here at 6 a.m.,” she says. “They’re waiting.”
All the other baked goods at the stand are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The selection can range from bagels and lemon bars to scones. Carvalho’s cinnamon rolls, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies have been customer favorites.
“I’ve been baking since I was eight years old,” Carvalho says. “I started with brownies, then it was rolls and manapuas; then it went to cakes; then I did wedding cakes; then sugar cookies; and then it went to chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls. It just built over the years.”
The bake stand also features desserts from other bakers across Oʻahu. Customers can refer some of their favorite bakers, and some have reached out to the business directly through Instagram.
"When we made the stand, it just allowed us to incorporate what we already loved doing — supporting local,” Bermudes says. “We feature other local bakers that are up and coming, or they don’t have a platform or a place to sell their items. People can give us their name and we reach out.”
Bermudes confirms that she and Carvalho make sure the featured bakers have their food handler’s license or bake in a support kitchen that’s approved by the State of Hawaiʻi, and that their products are a good fit for the stand.
“We make sure the pricing is right; our items only run from $3 to $7,” Bermudes says. “We want to keep it affordable for everyone.
“In order to come and sell at our stand — if you’re going to be a featured baker — it has to be homemade,” she adds. “We want it to be homemade, like you’re baking it for your kids. I like to say, ‘It’s from oven to stand.’”
Items at the stand need to fall under Hawaiʻi’s cottage food law, which allows home producers to sell shelf-stable foods. Allowable items include cookies, biscuits and breads, according to Bermudes.
Customers pay for their baked goods or lattes by using an honor system. They can pay for the baked goods by using Venmo or leaving cash in designated envelopes at the stand. There are instructions to follow.
“It [the honesty] is refreshing,” Carvalho says. “People tipped, especially during the first month [we were open]. This is a really great town to do this in, because people like stuff like this. People will stop for it.”
Carvalho describes having a bake stand as a “full-circle moment,” and is grateful for the support from the community.
“We were here for five years; I did bake sales, but never to this extent,” Carvalho says. “I used to do bake sales from this driveway.”
“Our goal is just to serve our community; that’s what we’re here for,” Bermudes adds. “We didn’t expect what we got; we’re blown away [by the support]. It’s just so humbling and I’m so grateful. We’re having a great time.”
CONTACT
Kukane Street Stand
Instagram: @kukaneststand
Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 a.m. until sold out
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
