The Family Dinner

e ʻai kākou: come, let us eat

A gathering of invited guests. Bring a dish, pour a drink, share in the spirit of ʻohana.

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An ipu gourd beside wooden bowls of poi, lomi and laulau on a woven mat
I · Ka Ipu

The vessel that held the meal also kept the time.

The ipu is a gourd, one of the plants the first voyagers carried to Hawaiʻi by canoe. Dried and hollowed, it held water, poi and whatever else a household needed to keep. Joined to a second gourd as the ipu heke, it became the drum that keeps time for hula and oli.

So the ipu had two places at any gathering: in the middle of the meal and at the front of the dance. That's why it sits at the center of our mark.

IpuGourd. A canoe plant, grown for vessels and drums.
Ipu hekeDouble-gourd drum that keeps the beat for hula and oli.
ʻUmekeBowl or calabash, shared at the center of the table.
II · ʻOhana

Every shoot from one root.

ʻOhana grows from the word ʻohā, the young shoots that sprout from a single kalo corm. Each shoot becomes its own plant, and all of them are fed by the same root.

That's the table we set. Guests come from different places, trades, generations and walks of life. They share breath, food, music and company, and they leave as family.

Two women touching foreheads in a honi, one wearing a maile lei
Hā
Breath
The evening begins quietly, with a breath shared before the first word.
ʻAi
Food
Every guest brings a dish, and every dish goes down the whole table.
Mele
Music
Music plays all evening. Now and then, someone gets up to dance.
Pilina
Company
Strangers when they sit down, ʻohana by the time the haupia comes out.
III · How it works

Four steps to the table.

i.
Register
Tell us who you are. Every registration is reviewed personally, and you'll hear back by email.
ii.
Receive your invitation
When a table is set, your invitation arrives with the date and the theme, by email, text or both, as you prefer.
iii.
RSVP & bring a dish
RSVP for yourself and up to two guests, then tell us what you're cooking. We'll suggest where it fits on the table, and we have ideas for the theme if you want them.
iv.
Come to the table
Bring your dish. The place, the music and the company are taken care of.
IV · The table

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Twenty seats at every table. Invitations go to the list, seats go to those who RSVP, and each member may bring up to two guests.
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Invitations go to the list first. Register, and once you're approved, yours will arrive by email or text, as you prefer.
Registration received.
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You're on the list.
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Open your invitation
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Your RSVP & dish →
V · Register

Your seat is waiting.

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E komo mai, {{ memberFirst }}.

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The Family Dinner
e ʻai kākou: come, let us eat
The Ipu ʻOhana Dinners Register
© 2026 The Family Dinner
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The Family Dinner
Setting the table…
This invitation has passed.

That table has been cleared. Register and you'll be invited to the next one.

Visit The Family Dinner
You're invited
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Bring up to two guests. The address comes with your confirmation.
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Bring a dish

The board

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Member sign in
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The Family Dinner
e ʻai kākou: come, let us eat
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