MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — A Mesa restaurant celebrated one year of sharing delicious Hawaiian food, flavors of the Pacific and the aloha spirit with Arizona.
Blaise and Kanani Aki opened Pacific Rim & Bento in 2024 near Dobson Road and Southern Avenue.
The Aki’s have been married for 31 years. They grew up in Hawaii and wanted to share the dishes they enjoyed on the islands and their Hawaiian culture with Arizona.
Blaise is a Marine Corps veteran who went to culinary and sushi school and has worked in the industry since 1985. Kanani has been managing food establishments for the last three decades.
The Aki’s first venture was their food truck, Pacific Rim & Sushi, which they opened in 2021. Since then, they have attended various events and festivals across the Valley.
READ MORE: Pacific Rim brings flavors of Hawaii, aloha spirit to Mesa
Their restaurant, Pacific Rim & Bento, offers a diverse menu with items like a Hawaiian plate made with kalua pig and lau lau, a mixed plate with char siu chicken, teriyaki beef and kalbi, a teriyaki burger, chicken katsu, Loco Moco as well as poke, sushi, bento boxes and spam musubis.
All island-style plates are served in a mixed plate with rice and mac salad, similar to those in Hawaii.
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Along with delicious meals, Pacific Rim shares the aloha spirit with the Valley. ‘Aloha’ is a word commonly used in Hawaii and goes beyond a greeting or farewell. It expresses the people of Hawaii’s warmth, sincerity, unity and kindness.
Pacific Rim also often has musicians playing Hawaiian music and hula performances at the restaurant.
As the Aki’s look forward to another year of serving the Mesa community, they are also planning to expand Pacific Rim to the West Valley, and Blaise is working on finishing writing his book.
To learn more about Pacific Rim & Bento, click/tap here.
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