The line outside of Coffee Talk was benefit-buzzing on Friday, Sept. 5, in celebration of the return to Honolulu of Jo Kapololu, former proprietor of Kapahulu’s Java Java Cafe and the experimental Lizard Loft. Teenagers with enthusiasm worked the door and the art of persuasion. Tears from the Sky flowed out of Makana’s lips as the dynamic virtuoso crooned in the corner of Kaimuki’s neighborhood java spot. His dazzling performance, hypnotic and brazen, was the perfect accoutrement to the spirit of the evening.

Kapololu, with a pixie cut and vivacious eyes wore a dress that boasted her muscular back and arms. No one would speculate that Jo is a breast cancer survivor, nor suspect that she journeyed through a bilateral mastectomy with a four-stage reconstruction.

Lisa Higashiguchi, Jo’s childhood friend who is a fast friend and co-worker of Hoku’s Chef Wayne Hirabayashi, orchestrated the benefit with the assistance of Kapololu’s core friends.

“The evening was a contagious expression of love and support. People from all facets of my life came out: people I knew from Kapahulu, other business owners–firecracker women, my single mother friends, past boyfriends, you name it.” Lessons of Love–the nomenclature of the night–is testimony to the compassion of community endemic to Hawai’i and to authentic neighborhoods like Kaimuki.

Hirabayashi surveyed the culinary entrances and exits in his dashing white coat and compact form. He offered scintillating pupu, from vegetarian paninis to delectable slices of sirloin: “We tried to satisfy all kinds of palates and cultures. Of course there is an array of vegetarian dishes for Kapololu–but you have to have your protein as well.” People dipped tooth-pick bananas and strawberries into the decadent chocolate fountain as conversation crescendos–a cacophony of friends, intimates and strangers coming together.

The timbre of Jo’s voice is at once feminine, almost wispy, but her force is irrefutable. “You know I always thought of myself as a self-reflective person. I believed that we all really have two choices–fear and love. I thought I was moving in the love direction. But I guess I never really felt loved deeply until I was diagnosed with cancer. It was my assignment. I now see it as a gift to myself, the opportunity to heal myself physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

Jo refashioned her diet, eliminated meat, meditated and religiously practiced Bikram Yoga. “This was my empowering reply. I got to know my body better. I needed a more alkaline body, which is basically going raw.”

Kapololu leaves for Santa Monica today. “Returning to Hawai’i was a magical closing for me. I am now ready to go back to work.”

“The evening was humanity in action,” says AnnMarie Manzulli. “In a few short weeks, a small group of friends fused efforts that sparked an event with a life of its own… an inspirational community event. It re-inspired my faith in possibilities.”

If you would like to donate, visit [friendsofjokapololu.com].

[www.friendsofjokapololu.com].