Meet Joe Serrano of Kahuna Joe’s and Aloha Beer Garden in League City and Kemah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Serrano.

Joe, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
You don’t know what you are capable of achieving until you get up one morning and shout from the top of your lungs – “That’s it! I’m done with this daily grind. It’s time to do something amazing for myself.” In 2007, Kahuna Joe’s Hawaiian Shave Ice was born.

The next day I was in search for the perfect spot to call home for Kahuna Joe’s. It had to represent my eclectic personality, which I envisioned and a mock-up of an old vintage surf shack, with a charismatic outdoor setting and far away from the cookie-cutter shopping centers. I leave that for the franchises.

After months of searching, a woman called me out of the blue and said, “I hear you looking for a place for your business. It’s not much and needs work but you might be able to do something with it. ” Where she got my cell number I have no idea and didn’t ask. Without hesitation, I quickly jotted down the building address and headed to the main street in the Historic District of League City.

Driving on the main street through the beautiful oak tree arches, I pulled up the driveway of an aged aluminum building. The owner walked me behind some large brush, trees, and debris and there sits an old wood framed building tucked away in the corner of the property. What a blessing? It was perfect.

With $4,000 in my life savings and tons of sweat equity, my vision of Kahuna Joe’s vintage surf shack came to fruition. Yeah, I had a rewarding career in the business aviation industry but money isn’t everything. So I gladly exchanged the suit and tie for board shorts and sandals. Quality of life beats out the 5 a.m. alarm clock any day.

Ten years later, the vintage surf shack in League City is still home to Kahuna Joe’s and have since expanded to our second location in Downtown Kemah – Kahuna Joe’s merged with our new concept the Aloha Beer Garden.

Today, Kahuna Joe’s has been voted as Houston’s best by KHOU 11 news, Ultimate business of the week by the Houston Chronicle, special guest appearance on Great Day Houston, as seen on TLC series OutDaughtered season one episode 2, Houston Press hot spots for food and drink and recently published as Galveston County’s best destinations for frozen treats by the Daily News, Let’s Eat Out magazine.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Have you heard the term, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it?” Well, there is truth to every bit of that of that statement. From build-out issues, permits, inspections and dealing with city bureaucracy almost had me throw in the towel. Now that you are open for business, how do you get customers, deal with competition, finances, etc…

Entrepreneurship is a huge undertaking which requires you to dig deep inside yourself and give it everything you got to be successful. You will face all your fears, insecurities and the list of issues that never seem to stop. But once you passed the endurance test and make it to the finish line – you earn your bragging rights as a successful entrepreneur.

Please tell us about Kahuna Joe’s and Aloha Beer Garden.
Kahuna Joe’s is known for our unique twist to Hawaiian style shave ice. For most guest, it will be their first experience to try a shave ice merged with heaping scoops of ice cream, exotic flavors and finished with a delicious topping. Our expansive menu could take you a while with top sellers such as the Shark Attack, Hawaiian Honeymoon, Shaka, Waikiki Dream, Beach Bum, Texas Twister or Wicked Diablo, just to name a few.

We hand-craft our flavors daily with natural fruit exacts shipped in from Hawaii. You can try flavors such as Li Hing Mui, Melona, Guava, Passion Fruit and POG (Passion Orange Guava). All native to big island.

Our new product launch for this year is the Surf Shooters. A totally new concept where you can pick up to five shots of shave ice flavors on a rad surfboard – great for sharing or trying new flavors. How about our signature Hula Breeze – a refreshing beverage made with natural fruit purée, green tea, ice blended and finished with coconut fruit gummy’s.

This year, we expand to a second location in downtown Kemah, which introduces a new concept to adult shave ice. Kahuna Joe’s and the Aloha Beer Garden is Kemah’s newest island vibe drinkery offering rotating line of craft beers, frozens and our unique blend of infused shaved ice. With a beach-themed outdoor yard, games and family-friendly atmosphere, it’s is a one-of-kind destination you will enjoy to visit.

What were you like growing up? Personality wise, interest wise, etc.
I grew up in the Heights, off 26th street and Ashland. I loved the neighborhood and still do today. As a young lad, I enjoyed cruising the neighborhood on my bike, hanging out with my close group of friends, sports and all the daily adventures a kid can experience. I was a very independent kid with tons of responsibilities from helping my mother with errands and house chores to working my weekend paper route with the Leader newspaper.

I had a pretty large wish list of things I wanted to accomplish when I grew up. Today, I am veteran of the U.S. Air Force, traveled the world, attended the University of Maryland, had a successful career in business aviation, love to snowboard, surf, scuba dive, mountain bike, camp and everything in between. Now a small business owner, there are very few blocks to check off my bucket list.

Contact Info:

• Address: Kahuna Joe’s Hawaiian Shave Ice
  812 East Main League City, Texas 77573
• Aloha Beer Garden
  604 Bradford Ave Kemah, Texas 77565
• Website: www.kahunajoes.com, www.alohabeergarden.com
• Phone: 281-338-6090
• Email: kahunajoes@yahoo.com, alohabeergarden@yahoo.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kahunajoes, www.instagram.com/alohabeergarden/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KahunaJoes, www.facebook.com/alohabeergarden

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