In a stretch of Ellettsville once marked by empty storefronts and no Hawaiian restaurants for miles, a bright turquoise sign on Temperance Street now reads “Hawaiian Hoosier.”
Hawaiian Hoosier Snacks and Gifts was named the 2025 Chamber Award of Excellence small business winner by the Greater Ellettsville Area Chamber of Commerce.
The award was presented at the chamber’s Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on Oct. 28. Century 21 Real Estate Broker Tracy Young nominated Hawaiian Hoosier. Young said in the short amount of time Hawaiian Hoosier has been open, CEO and founder Stacie Marotta has made a huge impact on the town.
“It’s not just a restaurant, she also does activities for kids,” she said. “Not only is she a businesswoman, but she is also making an impact in our community.”
Hawaiian Hoosier launched an initiative in 2024 that teaches local children the Aloha Spirit and the value of community, family and giving back. The Live Aloha Keiki Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month and is free of charge.
Marotta’s idea for Hawaiian Hoosier began far from the islands. After moving from Hawaii to California and then to Monroe County four years ago, Marotta brought her homemade snack mix — a blend of Chex cereal, golden honeycombs, nuts and pretzels goated in a light glaze and a hint of spice — with her. She said she brought her snacks to a Christmas party two years ago and everyone wanted to buy them. An individual who worked for the Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington asked to help her create a business plan to get it on the market. Within a year, she had a business plan and a storefront.
When Marotta opened Hawaiian Hoosier in August 2024, she said she wasn’t trying to build just another restaurant; she wanted to create a place where Hoosier hospitality met the warmth and flavor of her Hawaiian roots.
“People come here not just for food,” she said. “They’re coming here for an experience for how we make them feel. This is their vacation from whatever they’re in right now.”
Known to the community as the “snack shack,” the bright, tropical storefront is one of the only Hawaiian restaurants between Indianapolis and Evansville — offering everything from wasabi popcorn to its signature sweet and spicy “Aloha Mix,” a recipe using Chex cereal Marotta created with her late mother and nephew.
What started as a small snack business quickly grew into a full-service eatery — a “love story to Ellettsville,” Marotta said. The shop offers a barbecue beef plate, Spam musubi, fried rice and more.
“We knew this community needed more food options, and we wanted to be part of that change,” she said.
While running the store, Marotta works full-time as the communications and membership director for the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation. She balances her day job by running the restaurant before and after hours. She has many community partners that help her and a full-time staff of seven, Marotta said.
“I always say, if you don’t have aloha in your spirit, you shouldn’t be here,” she said. “Because this is more than food — it's about bringing people together and showing that Hoosier hospitality and the aloha spirt are really the same thing.”
As Ellettsville looks to grow through revitalization projects like Envision Ellettsville Vision Plan, Marotta hopes her small business can be part of the town's rebirth. Next summer she hopes to expand the shop’s outdoor seating.
“Every single day at the snack shack is the best day of the week,” she said. “I just want people to feel at home, whether they’re from Ellettsville or the islands.”
Hawaiian Hoosier also has online ordering and ships snacks nationwide, with orders coming in from Tennessee, California and even Hawaii, Marotta said. The shop also offers food delivery services through UberEats and DoorDash.
