The Volcano

Great to meet you Volcano Girl! Really cool stories and items you have been sharing..

So what did you think of the attempted Bora-Bora drink?

Ahoy, Captain! It was a great night for both my husband and me! :D

So, the Bora-Bora drink...it could have been better. Improvements I would make would be a better rum than the one that was used last night. I think someone mentioned that it was made with an inexpensive light rum, and that would make a HUGE difference in my opinion. The blackberry brandy was a bit much, maybe should have been half of what it was. It overpowered the rum easily (which could change significantly with the use of a different rum). Several others mentioned that they thought a peach brandy would have been better also. I don't think I heard last night what you thought of it, but I would be interested to know.

I am now noting with interest that on the larger portioned recipe for the Bora-Bora, no blackberry brandy was used at all. Instead it calls for cherry brandy and grenadine, in addition to both a light and a dark rum, lemon and pineapple juice.

For those who are unaware of what Capt. Skully and I are talking about, there was a FOM meet and greet last night at the Tropical Bistro in Columbus. I brought along a binder of Volcano things that Mom sent, and that I have been working on. Something those in attendance got to see, that I haven't finished cleaning up, is a page (front and back) of some of the drink recipes that Dad used. Tikiskip persuaded the bartender to make a serving of the Bora Bora for us, and it was passed around for each to take a sip (with their own straw, of course). I realized last night that I have never tasted any of the concoctions that Dad served, so last night was my first!

I was really curious due to the usage of blackberry brandy.. I found it lacking something- which could have been the recipe's balance as you said. I didn't like the initial taste, but the ending was ok. It had an interesting flavor overall, and I think a few tweaks would produce quite a tasty drink.

The Cherry Brandy and grenadine version will probably produce great results- seems more traditional to the drinks and of that era to me (but I'm no mixologist).

It's funny that you can finally try the drinks! :)

I mentioned to the "tiki people" who gathered last night at the Tropical Bistro, that I think I may have figured out who the artist is who did the two menu covers. I zoomed in on the autographed area. It looked like it said "Ka'ne" to me. So I began cyber-sleuthing again and found the name of one artist that really seemed to fit. Have any of you heard of Herb Kawainui Kane? Below is a comparison of his signature then on the two menus, and now, from a current painting that was up for auction at e-Bay recently.

I found several interesting websites with decent info about his background. Go to the websites to learn more about him. He's fascinating!

http://www.coffeetimes.com/herbkane.html

excerpt~

*In 1970, Herb Kawainui Kane left a successful career as a graphic artist in Chicago to begin a new life in the land of his ancestors. Within 14 years he was so renowned in Hawaii he was named one of the state's "Living Treasures."

-snip-

In his past two decades in Hawaii, Kane (pronounced Kah-neh) has become renowned as a fine artist, mostly as an oil painter. His work is seldom found in art galleries; usually every painting has a buyer before it's completed. He keeps a computerized data base of his work, but he's so prolific that even he doesn't know how many paintings he's done over the years.

"Not all my paintings are on the data base," he explains, "and I've never sat down and actually counted those that are on it."

In addition, he has created the artwork for six postage stamps for the United States, nineteen for the Marshall Islands, four for French Polynesia and another six for the Federated States of Micronesia. He also sculpts, has written three books and numerous magazine articles, and he is a very knowledgeable, self taught historian. Combining his love of both history and art, he paints what he loves- Hawaii's past.

-snip-

Kane continued to pursue his itch in college and graduated with a master's degree from the Art Institute of Chicago. He began working as a commercial artist in Chicago, but after "it got to be a bore," he switched to free-lance story illustration for magazines and books.

-snip-*

end excerpt~

I believe that it could have been in the Chicago area that my Dad may have crossed paths with Mr. Ka'ne. Dad traveled extensively on business when I was very little, and we know that he was in Chicago a lot. What I don't know yet is if Mr. Ka'ne is still alive. I hope to contact him if he is. He would probably be around 80 years old by now.

http://www.hawaiiantrading.com/herb-kane/

Once again this thread is thrilling. I was immediately impressed when I first saw the menu cover graphics and illustration - the wahine were beautifully drawn, and graphically the colors were dramatic and exciting. Now to know the artist and to see his progression. That photo you included with Ka'ne and his harbor painting is awesome. Obviously he is dedicated to historically depicting Hawaii's history. That painting of the harbor with outriggers and clipper ships is nothing less than amazing. Can't wait to search for more examples of Ka'ne's masterpieces!

Visit my Online Art Gallery at
http://www.jonmooers.com

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2007-03-08 14:49 ]

Great information on the menu artist Volcano Girl!! That is wonderful. :)

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

VG- it was so nice to meet you the other night. The menus were amazing in person and I loved looking at all of the pictures. What a great family history. My dad was a butcher and owned a very small slaughter house and while we always had a blast spending the day at work with him (I know it sounds horrifying but we got to do a lot of really fun stuff!) it really doesn't compare with owning a polynesian restaurant. It's good that you were old enough to remember so much. Thanks for sharing. And it's quite impressive how everyone has managed to dig up so many details. It's been a facinating read!

Hey Volcano girl.
It was great to meet you and your husband Phil!
I thought we could see more in the photos you had
seeing them in person.
But no. You did a great job posting them!
Also we will have both of you over and remake
those drinks.
The Bistro dose have cheap, Well everything.
It was so cool to have a Bora Bora after all
those years! And your first!
Here we are,Jeff Central,Volcano Girl,Tikiskip.

The photos are better seen on TC than in person. They are too small in real life to see any details at all.

I've just finished enhancing another one of the articles. It was in the Ledger with a date of Friday, Sept. 6, 1968.

What a spectacular time!! :)

This was the BEST "meet and greet" so far by the FOM.

Yes, next time a visit to Tikiskip's will be in order.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Another echo of excitement after reading this thread......after a too long winter this gets the blood moving again!....it's great to see the enthusiasm,fun and passion this forum fosters..(seeing some of my favorite Red Sox players involved is a bonus!) ....all this has given further impetus to continue the Kahiki book project.....as you might guess to really honor the Kahiki's place in poly pop history involves much. ......so many lives and so many stories! !my problem is the magnitude and breadth of such a greatness and how to keep that spirit alive...with the continued help of all you T.C.ers.... it WILL HAPPEN!.....Ma halo "Volcano" you have re-inspired my creative magma.

[ Edited by: Hula Cat 2009-08-18 09:55 ]

I think somewhere in this thread (and in some Mai Kai related quotes) I saw it mentioned that Mai Kai was the only Polynesian themed place in Florida... Now I know everyone knows that ain't so! Hehehehe!!!

All in good fun. This thread is amazing! Any body gone down and photo's the remains yet? Such a shame. But at least theres a building still standing... It didn't completely parking lot-itised.

TG

http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

On 2007-03-10 17:37, TikiGardener wrote:
Any body gone down and photo's the remains yet? Such a shame. But at least theres a building still standing... It didn't completely parking lot-itised.

Plan to. It's just been a busy time for me lately. I'm sure someone will before long. I don't really expect to find much there however.

On 2007-03-10 10:43, Hula Cat wrote:
Another echo of excitement after reading this thread......after a too long winter this gets the blood moving again!....it's great to see the enthusiasm,fun and passion this forum fosters..(seeing some of my favorite Red Sox players involved is a bonus!) ....all this has given further impetus to Melissa and myself to continue our Kahiki book project.....as you might guess to really honor the Kahiki's place in poly pop history involves much. ......so many lives and so many stories! ! our problem is the magnitude and breadth of such a greatness and how to keep that spirit alive...with the continued help of all you T.C.ers.... it WILL HAPPEN!.....Ma halo "Volcano" you have re-inspired our creative magma.

Hula Cat, when you get that Kahiki book finished, would you let me know? Even though I had only been there two or three times, the ambience there was just so similar to the Volcano. It was a certain "je ne se quois" (sp?) that I can't quite put my finger on. My husband and I talked about this on our drive home from Tropical Bistro last week. He had never (of course) been to the Volcano, but I know he and my Dad had talked about it many times, especially after we all visited the Kahiki together (probably 1998 or 1999, we figured). Dad had made the same kind of comments about the atmosphere there. What is amazing is that Dad had never heard of the Kahiki until we introduced him to it. I thought Dad knew every great restaurant in every town and city across America! I know that sounds absurd, but he reviewed restaurants as a hobby, and wrote about them for an independent local paper in Gainesville.

A quick update for others following along:

I did receive a few more photos from Mom over the weekend, and have been trying to enhance them. She was right...they are very dark and of pretty poor quality. Lots of scratches and blemishes. I guess it's just that I can see there are some details in them that are just...out...of...sight (darn!). I keep trying to get those things to come into closer view because I think they provide further clues. For instance, in one I can see that there are three large dark images, similar to the dark picture hanging behind the bar in one of the lounge (Lava Club) photos. Problem is, you can't really make out what they were images of. In another you can see a table set for a banquet or other event, but it's too dark down the table to see what is in the background. I can see that it's a part of the dining room, and it would be helpful for me to see it more clearly. It would help me remember just how Dad had this place laid out. I am particularly frustrated by his sketches. They still don't make any sense to me. It's like they are an extension of the restaurant, but where?

So I'm sorry I'm not posting as much. I'm trying really hard to put together these memories that are sketchy. The basic ideas are there, but the nuances are so hidden and mysterious right now. To add to my frustration, I've somehow "lost" some of the pictures and documents I've scanned. I'm sure they must be on my computer somewhere, but which folder, and where? I think I scanned a few things things in that may have overwritten other files. So as soon as I find them, I'll get them posted. I know you all are interested in more, and it will come...eventually!

On 2007-03-05 16:03, GatorRob wrote:
I spoke to Pia at the Mai-Kai about that luau picture. She showed it to the Thornton's (for those not aware, they are the owners) and honestly, I'm not trying to dispute the picture at all, but they claim it looks to them like a Mai-Kai catered event. I'm not so inclined to believe that because they identified the mugs as the Mara Amu mug, but I'm not aware of the Tiki Leilani mugs ever being used for the Mara Amu. But it would explain presence of the mystery bowl.

Anyhoo, for those of you who like a little controversy, rant on...

First of all, I've stumbled upon this thread a little late - I guess alot late. I'm just too busy, I must make time for TC. Karbora, thanks so much for giving me a nudge to take a look, this thread is amazing.

And Volcano Girl - amazing - thank you so much for sharing with us. Please keep everything coming. It's just what we need here on Tiki Central.

Not to add to the controversy - because there surely shouldn't be one, but the photos on page 6 of this thread are definitely of the Mai Kai dancers. These pictures were among the many I scanned for the family for the photo exhibit last year. Here's one of them:

But like Mrs. Thorton has told me, so many of the dancers and those from the Islands knew each other and would travel to other Polynesian themed restaurants all over Florida.

This is definitely a Mai Kai show. Even some of the dancers are Mrs. Thorton and Toti is in the picture, still employed by the Mai Kai today.

Yee-Haw & Aloha,

The World of Tiki Kiliki

[ Edited by: tiki_kiliki 2007-03-15 20:23 ]

Thank you, tiki kiliki, for sharing your photos, too. Last week, when I met some of the FOM at the Tropical Bistro, tikiskip looked at my photos and said that he was pretty sure those were Mai-Kai dancers also. So that seems to be the consensus on the entertainment.

Along with that info, I have been able to find another picture among the ones my Mom recently sent (that I'm still working on) where the brown mugs in the luau shot were shown on dining/banquet tables that was taken inside the Volcano. I'll post it when I'm finished with it. I have not found any pics with the mystery bowl in them, so I can only guess that the Mai-Kai may have provided that as well as the entertainment.

I apologize that I haven't been on TC since I last posted until just now. I had a few unexpected health problems going on with two of my children that needed immediate attention. My last few days have been completely swamped. So this afternoon was the first time I have been able to be near a computer for days. I've found some of those missing files I was looking for. I think there may still be a few more, but I am not going to spend any more time looking for those. Needless to say, I am having a few computer problems too. It keeps shutting down on me right when I'm in the middle of enhancing! So all I have for now are just a few of the recipe pages. As things progress, I'll post more.

Individual recipes (notice Mom's handwritten note in the bottom left corner):

Recipes for larger quantities:

Those recipes are interesting. I like that they call for Leilani Rum, which was made in Hawaii, but stopped production in the 70s I think. I have a bit of it. A nice white rum. Could you make that a little more readable? Lots of ingredients tend to mean a real recipe. Complexity was not the hallmark of blandness, so these may be worth testing.

Volcano Girl - Thank you so much for posting those recipies!! There's many of us that will enjoy mixing those up! I sent you a PM - get back to me when you can.

Again, many mahalos for sharing with us. This thread is incredible. Only on Tiki Central.

They do look intriguing, although I fear the ones that have 2 or 3 ounces of pineapple juice may be too sweet for my tastes, but the Boca Chica Hut and the last one look interesting. I don't know of anyone who makes Maraschino bitters anymore though.

Thanks for posting these recipes VG!

This is all I've been able to get done so far. I'll post more as I get them finished.
Also, these are obviously from the recipes for the big batches that were made.

I have seen those before!
They were all drinks invented by
Don the Beachcomber.

Just kidding.
Thanks Volcano Girl.

On 2007-03-16 14:14, tikiskip wrote:
I have seen those before!
They were all drinks invented by
Don the Beachcomber.

Just kidding.
Thanks Volcano Girl.

I'm on to YOU, pal!! :wink:

Here's a few more that I got done before the program went berserk again.

This is the beginning of the individual serving size recipes:

OK, I think these are the last of the recipes.

Wow! Just found this thread today! Amazing! Guess that's what I get for spending more time drinking than reading.
Thanks, Volcano Girl for sharing all of those amazing photos and everything else. I'm definitely excited about trying out some of the drink recipes when I get home tonight!

Simply stunning.

An additional comment about the Mai Kai bowl. It appears that the luau photos depict a mystery bowl without the Mai Kai logo (or is my eyesight that bad?). An early version, I think, is what someone had guessed. Is it possible that the bowls were being used in other places without the Mai Kai imprint? Many mug manufacturers supplied the same designs to multiple restaurants. I'm wondering whether that's a possibility here. Not being up on my Mai Kai history, there might be an obvious answer to this question that I'm unaware of.

I'm glad you found your way here, TikiJosh!

Here's just a couple more shots that I've gotten finished. My computer does not like how much I'm putting it through lately. I hope it will cooperate for a while more. Probably needs a good tune up.

Here's a peek at the ladies' room. The older woman is the mother of some good family friends, and the young lady is one of the hostesses, I think. Behind the older woman's hand you can see one of the big shells that was used as a sink. I think there was a sitting room portion before the actual bathroom part. With some sort of big chair. But it's hard to remember for sure. Mom thinks there was one, too, but we feel like neither of us are sure about the sitting area. Gotta wait for more info from the older siblings.

This looks like it was part of a buffet table. That looks like the same Leilani figure that bigbrotiki posted about earlier in the thread.

Here's a different view of that buffet table. Look at the wall-hanging on the right. That completely intrigues me. I used to draw a picture of a character that looked very similar to this when I was say in first or second grade, but that would have been before the restaurant opened. I'm wondering where it came from and how I would have seen it before we moved to WH. OR maybe I'm just getting my early grades mixed up. Any way, if anyone knows anything about that wall-hanging, I'd love to hear about it. I have tried cleaning up this photo as best as I can. Wish I could get more out if it (and my others!!), but I think this is as good as this one will get.

I tried to zoom in on different parts of these pics, but this is one of the only ones that came out clearly. I wish I could tell you all where the buffet table would have been located, but it just escapes me. Mom wasn't much help.

Just to reiterate what I've mentioned earlier, this last group of pictures is very hard to work with, and now my computer is having hissy fits. To top it off, there's been a lot going on in my own little family that is keeping me from making significant progress on this. So I just want you all to know to keep an eye out for more.

Also if anyone makes any of the recipes and wants to share with me their experience, I'd love to hear what you guys all think of these recipes. PLUS, if anyone has any updated information that they could share (jpmartdog, how's your lead panning out?), I would SOOOO love to hear what you've uncovered!

If anyone has questions, be sure to pipe up! You all may have some that haven't been asked that I or somebody else knows the answer to.

I found one more that I forgot to upload last night. It's one from before the Volcano opened, so it must be sometime in 1967. The lagoons haven't been filled in yet, at least some of them. This is taken looking northeast. The building on the left is the nightclub. 6th Street is the road there, the restaurant building is behind the photographer, the entrance driveway from 6th is to the left (north) of the nightclub (out of view).

I finally got around to visiting the old Volcano location. The A frame building that we saw overhead pictures of earlier houses a nightclub called the Lagoon Nite Club.

The last shot is looking west towards Lake Howard. This sure looks like one of the buildings in your posts, Volcano Girl. The building's profile and roof are spot on with your pictures from what I can tell. Only problem is, it seems to be facing the wrong direction, from your descriptions.

I didn't go inside since I had my family with me at the time. I did poke around the building though and there weren't any details to reveal its past. What do you think Volcano Girl? Is this your building?

Wow! Looks like the happening place in town!

..no but really: A-Frames rule, in whatever condition!

Nice. Thanks Rob. It's a nice ghost of the past, and it certainly hints at maybe secrets inside.

Just bumping this thread. It was so fantastic to have all of this revealed. Kind of like King Tut's tomb being opened.

Geoff! It's you! :) And you're damn right, folks should view this thread from page one to the end, it is the sort of evolving Tiki archeology that can flourish only here on TC (and that I never had enough room for in my books).

Thanks for the bump. This is fascinating and I would have never found it.

Mahalos!

Wow, this thread is really fascinating.

So, Valcano Girl, are you a full fledged Tikiphile yet ?

What a great place.

I'm guessing the Windows with rain falling on them may have been an idea influenced by the Mai Kai ?

Either way, What a place.

Aloha Sven,
Yes, we're getting our tiki vibe on again after a prolonged absence from the friendly isles. I've been digitizing some of my vintage Hawaiian vinyl (Fran Langford 78s, a dozen 49th State recordings, and a batch of lps by The Polynesians), scored a few old mugs and some aloha shirts while thrifting the last few weeks, and am planning on a little tiki trip to the west coast of Florida over Labor Day weekend. I may even get around to posting a long-overdue review of Tiki Modern on Amazon, so watch out!
Okolemaluna!
KG

Great! Any shirts I might wanna use in "The Look of Tiki" ? And did you see Dustycajun's Hawaiian Florida post? I know you have a lot of those cards --but not all of them, it's a very comprehensive collection!

Wow...I love finding threads that really surprise you! Thanks for keeping this awesome thread up VG!

Haven't heard from Volcano Girl in a long while. I was hoping she'd see the pictures I posted of the Volcano building as it now looks, but I don't know if she ever did. This was a really fun thread to participate in. We need more mysteries like this to solve that end up this way! Sven, did she ever send you any of the pictures for use in a future book? That sign deserves to be preserved in a book.

PS - Glad you're back in a tiki mood Geoff. :) As you know, my home bar (coming together nicely right now) was directly inspired by what you were able to achieve with your bar in roughly the same space I have. We'll have a soft opening soon.

Bump!

I was reading through Tiki Road Trip the other night and came across the great picture of The Volcano in there.

Wanted to know more so I did a search here.

Amazing thread. :o

I can't believe I didn't see this in 2007.

Yeah, this is one of the all time classics on TC. :)

I loved reading through this thread. Please see my new thread here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32348&forum=2&start=last&1

It looks like The Volcano was originally part of a larger property called the Kahiki Motel and Tiki Lounge.

Also, there is some info that connects Kahiki with the Mai Kai, so that may explain the Mai Kai bowl showing up at The Volcano.

http://www.tabooisland.com
http://tabooisland.blogspot.com/

[ Edited by: Mo-Eye 2009-05-14 03:43 ]

Now here is a Volcano... Killer photos.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1203028/Fiery-images-killer-volcano-claimed-36-000-lives-stirs-more.html

Those are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

still missing Volcanoe girl and her stories and history. Anyone in touch with her? Please tell her she is missed on TC.

On 2009-03-25 07:09, bigbrotiki wrote:
Yeah, this is one of the all time classics on TC. :)

To be sure. Wow!

It's one that once you find it, you have to go back to the beginning and follow all of its twists and turns to the end, looking forward to seeing it take another breath-taking step. That is a rarity in any thread, but thanks to the intimacy of Volcano Girl...

[ Edited by: The Gnomon 2009-07-31 11:27 ]

Mahalo. I was the eldest child of the owner of the Volcano Restaurant and Lounge in Winter Haven, Florida. I worked in the restaurant at a variety of jobs, whatever had to be done. One of them, was to go out to the Volcano and actually pull a switch -at a specified time- which made it erupt with fire. Sometimes it was made to erupt for a special birthday or similar event or timed with a signature song by the Buddy Canova Group- "Tiny Bubbles" was one of them. The lagoons also had fire coming out of the water-but only at night. Dad was classmate of Dick Pope Jr whose father opened Cypress Gardens. The lagoons had either natural gas or propane coming out of a pipe under the water and lit on top of the water. There were tiki torches as well, that I sometimes lit. The restaurant had valet parking in the evenings. The building that stands on the property now, was not part of the Volcano. It only had the 2 high roof buildings. One building was the restaurant and the other was the lounge. After the restaurant closed. The property remained vacant for a year or so. Then that building opened where the parking lot was. The parking lot was down the hill and a valet was needed to get your car. Initially, there was a small parking lot and it had to expand. The Volcano was a very busy restaurant at the time. Dad was an entertaining personality himself. He often wore brightly designed Polynesian fine silk jackets-specially made, one of a kinds while in the restaurant. He would visit each table and made sure you were taken care of. Even of the simplest of needs. There were warm moist towels at your table after your dinner. He had ice creams that were specially made for him-pink champagne,grasshopper,pink squirrel, and Irish coffee. Imagine just how it was. Disney World opened and its Polynesian Resort restaurant was nothing like his service. However, some of his dining guests were spy imagination people and they borrowed some of his ideas. Why did it close? I personally don't know... but believe it grew too fast too soon. The draw to Hawai'i is always there. What is it with its people, their customs, their favor to visitors? It is the only State that I have yet to visit. What a shame. My Polynesian name is "Kavika". In one of the pictures my sister posted... the chef...Joe was probably making "Cha Sui". Above the kitchen were rooms and offices. Joe stayed there getting only a few hours sleep and back to work in the kitchen. However, there were days that he didn't get up until early afternoon. Dad tried to be as authentic as possible. When you entered the restaurant via a board walkway over the lagoons you'd go through a cave entrance with water fall sides. It opened up to a presentation room. The Bora Bora statue was there. Turning to the right was small lounge, that served liquor and pu-pu's, the left would be the main dining room. It also featured water falls. My father was full of showmanship,trusted God, worked to please people. I would like to see the Volcano idea again. One can't pass up the charm of the Polynesian peoples. One is comfortable there. Wouldn't you agree?

Here is a matchbook that I have from the restaurant.

I have a photo of the neighboring restaurant -The Park Restaurant-owned by Nick Roubos
Notice the Phone number a 5 digit number. The full number would have begun with 29
which would have been short for CY for Cypress 2-7992 or 292-7992
card00515_fr Nick Roubos