Big wave champ Billy Kemper is known for his biggest wins on some of the world’s heaviest waves, but the most meaningful win in his life right now is the eclectic coffee shop he just opened in Waialua, the Lovenote Cafe.
“You’ve just got to celebrate the small victories. Whether you’re injured or doing the best you’ve ever been doing, never get ahead of yourself and look at the smallest victories as the biggest wins,” Kemper told me. “Just because it’s a cup of coffee doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong next to a world title.”
The Music
A self-proclaimed “coffee nerd” who openly values his family above all else, it comes as no surprise that Lovenote Cafe is not only filled with delicious offerings, but is also a true love note to Kemper’s wife, Tahiti Hernandez Kemper, and her music-steeped upbringing in Honolulu. The name of the cafe itself is an homage to his wife’s middle name, which stemmed from the family band her father, Pete “Dr. Doo-Wop” Hernandez, founded, The Love Notes.
That family venture not only introduced the world to Hernandez Kemper’s brother, a man we know as Bruno Mars, but also earned her father a place in the Doo-wop Hall of Fame, Kemper said. The unique love note neon adorning the order counter — a musical note with hearts where the circles would be — was created by Kemper’s wife to mirror a tattoo Kemper’s father-in-law has, which Kemper said he’ll likely end up adding to his own tapestry of ink someday as well.
“Completely on the opposite end of the spectrum from surfing would be music,” Kemper said. “It was [my wife’s] dad and uncles…and it slowly evolved into being all her sisters, her brothers, her mom and it was their show, and her older brother was an Elvis impersonator at three years old — that was The Love Notes.”
The musical history is acknowledged as soon as one enters the cozy cafe, which occupies an open corner at the entrance to the retail building at 66-935 Kaukonahua Road. The largest wall of the space is adorned with vinyl record sleeves from artists like Elvis, Prince, and James Brown — all of whom the Hernandez patriarch knew — along with a Bruno Mars album sleeve and, of course, an album from The Love Notes, whose sleeve is in the center of the display.
Other album sleeves nod to artists who appear on every surfer’s favorite playlists, like Bob Marley and Sublime. The locally-sourced monkeypod wood bar that somehow perfectly gels with the 1950s malt shop-style bar stools is another nod to the North Shore, as is the large framed photograph of a searing backhand bottom turn at Pipeline performed by Kemper’s beloved late brother, Eric. A braided ti-leaf lei from the cafe’s grand opening party on October 10 holds permanent residence draped across the frame of Eric’s photo, maintaining the great vibes created that day as some of the biggest names in surfing and music visited the cafe for live music and tasty treats.
“The grand opening was incredible, the whole community showed up. It was more of a party than a cafe,” Kemper recalled with a broad smile. “But I think that resembles and represents my wife and her family: a gathering is a party.”
The Building
The Lovenote Cafe welcomes people into what is locally known as the Old Koga Building, which housed a movie theater in the late 1940s before being converted into retail space. The entire building got a redesign in the past year: once covered completely by a towering wave and marine life mural painted by Hilton Alves, the entire building was re-painted pure white at the end of last year as the transition began, with some old shops moving out of the space to make way for new vendors.
The sudden, stark white paint job sparked considerable uproar from North Shore locals who cherished the Hilton mural, the remnants of which are preserved at the Koga building in a couple of honu (sea turtles) that were not painted over. In early October, the building received its full, final new look with outdoor artwork featuring lei and a hula dancer by local painter Jack Soren, whose work has been used for local contests like the Vans Pipe Pro and the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout.
Kemper said he considers the building’s new look to be a refresh that the small North Shore town needed after the devastating floods that hit Waialua with the Kona Low storms in March. He said that the Koga Building was a crucial resource hub during the flood recovery and needed to be honored properly.
“It was only right to give [the town of Waialua] a lei of fresh flowers, native flowers,” he said. “In Hawaii, that’s kind of what we do, whether it’s a funeral, a birthday, a wedding, whatever you’re celebrating you’re always giving flowers to give them power, give them a moment, to give them that energy, and that was [Jack Soren’s] blessing to this town. And for us to be able to serve them, it’s a blessing.”
The Menu
The Lovenote cafe’s menu is another ode to the Kemper family and the North Shore itself. The coffee beans used for the cafe’s brew are sourced weekly from Haleiwa Coffee Roasters; the cafe’s signature Lovenote Latte — espresso with collagen, chocolate Himalayan salt, Laird superfood creamer, and steamed milk — was a drink Kemper said he made for his wife every morning before the cafe was even conceived; and the Protein Coffee Smoothie — grass-fed whey protein, espresso, milk, banana, and the option of added dates — is a concoction the athlete said he enjoys religiously at home.
The food menu also has abundant options, but the ones likely to stoke North Shore locals out the most are the savory breakfast burritos and baked goods, both of which are prepared fresh daily and delivered by Pupukea Grill, the food truck frequented by the North Shore’s best surfers at the base of Pupukea Hill near Foodland. Bringing these delicious options to the west side of the North Shore saves Waialua residents who love Pupukea Grill a long drive battling traffic, and those locals are the audience Kemper aims to please.
“I was trying to see what would just bring a vibe, you know? A place where people can gather, not just a place where somebody can buy something,” Kemper said. “That really went into this location: being more in the community and less in the tourism. We’re next to a staple of our community as far as bakeries, Paalaa Kai Bakery, and we’re not competing with them. If people want to go buy a box of cream puffs and come by for a latte and a breakfast burrito, we’re just trying to fill a gap in our community.”
The Big Waves
For over a month before the grand opening and in the weeks since, Kemper said it was he himself who has opened the cafe every morning before 6 a.m. as the family prepared the space and now run the coffee shop. The two oldest of Billy and Tahiti’s four sons, both teenagers, routinely work behind the counter, and Kemper himself has picked up barista skills to be able to help his small staff.
“It’s been a totally different approach to life for me, but it’s so rewarding. In surfing, I’m always looking for good waves, big waves. I’m looking for adrenaline. With this, I’m just looking to have a conversation and provide for people, give them a good cup of coffee and a good snack. And to see continuous people come back day after day, starting to know people’s drinks, it’s a validation that I know I’m doing what I wanted to do,” Kemper said, his eyes shining with the same satisfied glee as when he recalls a perfectly shaped barrel.
Despite the fulfillment Lovenote Cafe brings to his life, Kemper said he’s far from done surfing professionally. The 36-year old said that his “body is in the best shape of my life” and he’s stoked for the forecasted historic El Niño winter. But in the modern world of big wave pro surfing — where the WSL has suspended its Big Wave Tour and opportunities to earn money from victories have been reduced to video-entry contests and regional events — Kemper said he recognized the need to diversify in order to continue chasing swells and supporting his family.
“To make it in surfing, you need to be playing multiple roles. You can’t just be great in big waves and charge hard. You can’t just be good at airs or be good in a jersey. You gotta be diverse. You also have to have a character, a sense of humor, be unique in your own way. There are so many avenues that connect to surfing,” he advised, though he remains hopeful for the future. “Nowadays, I do think there’s a circle coming back to surfing. I think that the surfers are getting events back, I think money’s coming back, there’s new brands that are blossoming — I honestly believe we haven’t had our best days of professional big wave surfing.”
Kemper said his original plan, had the Jaws competition continued being a regular occurrence as it was pre-pandemic, was to begin winding down his participation in contests by 40. But with icons like Shane Dorian that competed well past that age and with the opportunities being so few and far between these days, Kemper said he’s still highly driven to compete with no end in sight — as long as he’s in the right shape to win.
“If I’m not competing to win, I really don’t care to compete. I’d rather just pick my days and ride the waves I want to ride. I’m trying to find that balance of obsession, like when to go and when to let go.”
When the time comes for Kemper to stop competing, he said he will still chase swells at the spots that mean the most to him. Without hesitation, he admitted, with a small apology to his family, that “I would probably miss the birth of my child” for all-time conditions at Jaws or Cloudbreak, adding, “I hope and I do believe that my family and everyone around me understand how meaningful those two places are out of anywhere in the world.”
“Basically, when I stop looking for the wave I want to ride, that’s when I’ll stop surfing out there, because I’m still chasing the wave that I haven’t made yet, and it’s a scary thought just thinking of that wave. And if I have any doubt in my mind about wanting it if it comes to me, I don’t want to be out there,” Kemper said.
And until that wave comes, Kemper said he’s achieving small wins daily at Lovenote Cafe, the full name of which is Lovenote Cafe North Shore. When asked if the location moniker suggests a potential franchise operation, he chuckled and gave a relaxed shrug.
“I’ve never tried to put a cap on myself. If this ends up in Las Vegas, if this ends up in Waikiki, it’s a blessing. I’m just grateful to move forward and continue serving good coffee and good energy,” he said. “The sky’s the limit.”
