Eric and Nicole have been married for 9 years. Eric has 3 children from his first marriage, which he became a single father after losing his first wife suddenly to heart complications. Eric and Nicole met 4 years later and decided to get married after dating for 7 months. It has been a roller coaster of events ever since!After being married for 7 months, they obtained their first commercial space to open a breakfast and lunch restaurant for their community in Hawaii Kai. In May 2012, Moena Café was opened.It immediately took off and it’s been a success ever since! With Eric’s 20 years of culinary experience and Nicole’s entrepreneurial spirit and Accounting/Management background for 10 years, they had a heart to open their own restaurant together. And God has blessed them beyond their dreams!
After opening this Hawaii Kai location, they were asked to franchise from a Japanese company to take their business to Japan. They opened 2 locations in Japan, one in Tokyo and one in Kyoto. Then there was another location opened in Shanghai after Japan. A Taiwan franchisor contacted them in 2016 and was interested in taking Moena Café to Taiwan and so they proudly opened their 5th location in July 2016. In 2017, our 6th location was opened, back to where it all began on Oahu in Kapolei. Due to economic challenges, they have had to close several locations, but they’ve been so grateful for the opportunities that the Lord has given them. As of recent, they opened a new concept called Moena Sweets. It’s their newest sweet shop offering ice cream, gelato, baked goods, and a full coffee bar.