https://www.instagram.com/kukimanofficial/?hl=en
Can’t stand the heat? Then get out of the kitchen!
Don’t tell a professional fire knife dancer that.
Larry “Tui” Tuileta has embraced the heat, both on stage and in his Kaimuki kitchen. When COVID-19 restrictions led to his gigs as a performer being curtailed, the former University of Hawai’i volleyball All-American upped his baking game, turning to his comfort food as a catharsis.
“Growing up, I’d go to The Cookie Corner almost every day,” Tuileta said of the kiosk at nearby Kahala Mall. “I love cookies.
“I was working a normal job and then this pandemic. I had a lot of time on my hands. I ended up making cookies one day, put it up online and asked if anyone wanted. People said they did. They thought they were pretty good. So I thought it was a really good idea to get out of my comfort zone do this.”
And so The Kuki Man was born. Tuileta’s business is strictly online through this Instagram page (@kukimanofficial) where orders are taken “Live” Sundays beginning at 6 p.m. The link is active until the maximum orders are reached for the week, which is about 120 boxes of four manapua-size cookies.
Deliveries are made three times weekly geographically: Waipahu to Kapolei on Mondays, Kaimuki to Pearl City on Wednesdays, and Kaneohe to Hawaii Kai on Fridays.
The 25-year-old hasn’t done any advertising beyond Instagram and word of mouth. It’s gone from three to four people ordering to maxing out online orders in about an hour. (That’s 40 boxes per delivery day).
“Only the quickest hands will win,” the self-named Kuki Kreator posted when offering an ordering tip.
Tuileta offers several flavors each week, his traditional chocolate chip along with flavors of the week. He’s been creative, putting a brownie inside, using Twix candy bars in the dough and adding Reese’s peanut butter cups. Popular flavors also include S’mores, and Kukis and Kreme.
Tuileta had to buy a new refrigerator and, last week, was most excited about getting an industrial-sized mixer. The latter allowed him to go from five quarts of batter to 20 quarts at a time.
“It’s made things a lot faster,” he said. “I had to calculate what was the max I could do without going insane. I decided 40 boxes a week.
“But the plan was always to increase. It was how to do it, how to work smarter, not harder. Now it will be more (cookies) since I got this mixer.
“I”m still learning on the go.”
Although he does have help from friends and family, The Kuki Man is pretty much all Tuileta. It’s his own recipe which, he says, he’s continually improving … with plenty of tastes tests.
“You GOT to taste it,” he said. “Gained weight weight like so many people during this time. That’s why I also have a treadmill.”
Tuileta preps the day before each delivery, hand-rolling out the dough, weighing each ball so it’s “6.0 ounces on the dot,” Tuileta said.
“I lucked out that the pandemic didn’t affect the business. Because it’s a delivery and not a lot of contact, we have stayed open.
“Besides, cookies are essential.”
When considering a business name, Tuileta said he asked his dad, Larry Sr., what the word for cookie was in Samoan. Tuileta was told, “Kuki,” and thought it perfect.
He wanted his logo to be a cool-looking cookie guy. Friend Rachel Rosales designed the logo of a chocolate chip cookie with arms crossed and wearing a kapa-print baseball cap backwards, a la Tuileta.
The 25-year-old delivered his first box on April 1. On May 8, he reached 500 followers on Instagram … 1,000 on May 30 … and 2,000 on Aug. 30.
When celebrating milestones, Tuileta does giveaways which have included three boxes of designated flavor choices.
Besides cookies, Tuileta is considering a logo store with items such as his signature T-shirt: “Real Men Bake Kukis.”
His success is not surprise. Tuileta has excelled in whatever he’s chosen to do.
At Punahou, he was three-time all-state in both volleyball and football, leading the Buffanblu to three consecutive state volleyball titles and one state championship in football during an 11-0 run. As a quarterback, he was the two-time state Gatorade Player of the Year, and, as an outside hitter, Volleyball magazine’s national player of the year.
For the Rainbow Warriors, Tuileta transformed himself from outside hitter into an All-American libero his final two seasons. He played for the U.S. national team at various levels, his last being in 2019 with the senior team at the Volleyball Nations League.
He returned home, deciding, ‘It was time to do something else,” said the baker whose apron calls him the “World’s Okayest Cook.”
Ono does come with a price. Boxes are $16 each except for Kukis and Kreme at $17.
Having been lucky enough to get an order in, the cookies are well worth it. May I suggest pumpkin as his next flavor?
