About Us

The term “Hapa” is short for Hawaiian slang Hapa Haole…Hapa, meaning “half” in Hawaiian…. Haole means white or without breath…Today, it is used by many multiracial individuals of Asian or Pacific Islander descent who have embraced the word as a term of prideful self-identification of half asian, half white. Scotty Shelton grew up as a Hapa in Southern California. His Japanese mother worked in restaurants his whole life. This is where he found the love of Japanese-Hawaiian cuisine. Together, with his life-long friend Nobi Hasegawa, they have brought their love of Japanese-Hawaiian cuisine to SWFL.