Meet Mike & Dana

After working in hotel restaurant management at Hyatt Hotels, Manele Bay Resort, and the Wailea Four Seasons Resort, Dana opened the first Cafe O‘Lei in Makawao, Maui, in 1997. Started as a 5-table outdoor cafe serving sandwiches, salads, coffee, and tea in Upcountry Maui.

It didn’t take long for her husband to join her at Cafe O‘Lei, with Mike leaving his job as Executive Chef for the Outrigger Resort in Wailea to focus on expanding their business. The Cafe O‘Lei brand quickly evolved into one of Maui‘s favorite and most trusted quality restaurants and catering on the island.

Mike and Dana have been married for over 35 years and enjoy spending time with their daughters, Claire Byler and Cherub Lang, who are also in the family business, along with their husbands, Darren Byler and Dan Lang.

More than anything else, they enjoy being with their five grandsons, who are also their most excitable food critics. The family operates Cafe O‘Lei at the Plantation, Cafe O’Lei Kihei, Cafe O‘Lei Catering, and the soon-to-be Cafe O‘Lei Kahului. Cafe O‘Lei is truly a family-owned and family-run business!