“The ocean was our playground, our teacher, and in many ways our babysitter growing up,” says surfer and model Malia Murphey, who, together with her childhood friend, photographer Brooke Berry, founded popular North Shore eatery Raised by the Waves. “We wanted to create something that honored the lifestyle and values that shaped us. The name reflects that connection and our belief that the healthy ocean lifestyle has the power to bring people together.”Both Murphey and Berry grew up on the North Shore and come from a long line of watermen. After years of traveling and eating at plant-forward cafés around the world, they realized their own community was missing something similar. They opened the café in 2018, operating out of a charming,plantation-style storefront in the Kahuku Sugar Mill. The café is locally owned, entirely plant-based, and plastic-free. Murphey was vegan when the café opened, and that shaped its early direction, but she insists that“our goal has never been to tell people how they should eat, but rather to inspire healthier choices and show how nourishing, flavorful, and healing plant-based foods can be.” The café works with island farmers and producers to incorporate locally grown, organic ingredients whenever possible. Items suchas the Sunrise Waffle, Spicy Poke Bowl, and Seamoss Shakes are among the favorites, while the nutrient-dense Aloha Bowl features its signature Seed Cheeze, a family recipe and the original inspiration behindmany of the menu items.“Life on the North Shore revolves around nature, community, and connection, and that’s exactly whatinspires everything we do at Raised by the Waves,” says Murphey. “We wanted to prove that healthy food can be exciting, healing, delicious, and deeply connected to our local community.”

Raised by the Waves; 56-565 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku; open daily, 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; raisedbythewaves.com