Taste n See: A Light in Pahoa

By Brooklyn Joy

On March 1st, something tender and surprising sprouted in our little town of Pahoa. A new bookstore opened its doors: “Taste n See”… and here’s the part that made me lean in closer: it’s owned by Serena Michel, a 15-year-old girl. And her parents, Alison and Stefan, are helping her run the store! 

As soon as I learned that remarkable detail, I knew there was a story here beyond parenting techniques. And after sitting with Serena and Alison for an interview, catching chill bumps again and again, my hunch was confirmed.

The name ‘Taste n See’ comes from the verse Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Which really captures the essence of this store’s story so far. It’s a light that can be seen shining from something deeper than just the books. 

Seeds and Soil for the Dream

The Michel family calls themselves “the professional travel-on-a-shoestring” family. Since she was 8 years old, Serena has been traveling to corners of the world that most people still keep on their bucket lists.

And in each hostel they’ve stayed in, there is almost always a little reading nook. Alison has 14 photos of Serena in 14 different book nooks across countries and continents.

“Serena’s a researcher,” Alison told me. “Wherever we travel, the first place she finds is the little bookstore in town, or the library.”

Last year, Serena set herself the challenge of reading fifty classics in twelve months, and she finished the year with seventy!

When her mom asked what she’d taken away from that year, Serena answered with two words: empathy and perspective.

Books, she explained, let you walk in another’s shoes — or even bare feet. They allow you to experience another world that you would never have seen otherwise. 

It’s easier to judge from a distance, but can you separate yourself from another when you’ve tasted the same experiences they have?

The dream of running a bookstore was planted in her at the beginning of this year. Serena brought the idea to her parents, and with their support, it quickly came to life within just a few months. 

Serena said, “I feel like it was very spontaneous. It all happened suddenly. We definitely proceeded a lot more when we started seeing God’s hand in it.“

Divine Reassurance

The signs began when they started looking around for the right location. 

One day out running errands together, Serena and her mom asked themselves if this vision was something they really wanted to pursue. And once that commitment was made, the pieces started coming together. 

Serena suggested they look around in Kea’au, where they stumbled upon the Pacific Floral Exchange warehouse. Unsure of what they were even doing there, they walked in and were greeted by a large local man at the door.

When Serena shared her dream of a little bookstore that could host readings and keiki gatherings, he stopped, stared at her, and said he had prayed about this. He had seen it in a vision. They learned he was the owner, whom they hadn’t seen anywhere near the entrance since.

This first act and its response felt like a profound affirmation that what they were doing was right, and to see it through. Pacific Floral now blesses the shop with anthuriums for its made-to-order vases.

Following the clues after Keaʻau, they searched in Hilo, but were brought back to Pahoa, where a sign in the window gave the spot away. A week later, they were inside painting the walls.

When they first walked through the building, the simple intention it was all to be built upon made itself clear: “Just be a light in the darkness.”

And that simple but strong intention has quietly guided everything that followed.

More Than a Store

On opening day, nearly a hundred people joined them in a prayer walk through Pahoa. Since then, Taste n See has become a gathering place for the community. 

On some days, there can be 20 people sitting out on the walkway. When Alison’s heart tenses at the thought of them blocking customers, she hears a reminder: “Those are the customers. They’re the most important ones.”

In the back, there’s now a little food pantry. Serena serves noodles and coffee in the morning, and at night, another small circle gathered for theirs. For some of them, it’s the first time in decades anyone has asked how they like their coffee made.

Anchoring in Light and Aloha

The community responded quickly. Serena made back her investment in the first month. Then she won a $1,000 grant from the Awesome Foundation, which was the exact boost she needed to cover rent and finish setting up.

But the deeper truth is this: what began as a bookstore cafe has unfolded into a call to anchor ohana and aloha in Pahoa.

There’s John, the unofficial mascot, who shows up every day, ready for deep conversation. There’s surfer Dave, who’s fiercely protective of Serena and the store. There’s Angel, the tattoo artist next door who hangs out like family. There are the cookies passed out when the street energy turns tense, softening the air with kindness. There’s the sign that gently suggests purchasing a second pastry for someone on the curb that could be hungry.

And there’s Alison’s reminder:

“God is good, yeah? He wants to take us on an adventure. Not just to sit down and read about Him, but to grab His hand and let Him take you out into the world. Or sometimes just bloom where you’re planted — and it’ll still be a wild ride.”

Whatever you call it — be it the Universe, God, Source, or Love — it’s always extending the same invitation: to participate in the story of goodness unfolding through us.

Hearing the Michel family’s story, I realized how Love often disguises itself in the simplest forms: a listening ear, a spoonful of sugar stirred into coffee, noodles offered to a hungry stomach, flower vases with special anthuriums, books opening doorways to new perspectives.

It’s in these small offerings that we’re reminded to follow the dreams that carry us into something bigger than ourselves.

And perhaps the truest invitation Serena and her family extend is this: taste and see the goodness in others, and discover how much light still exists in yourself.