Alex Le was the general manager of one of Hawaii's toy meccas, Toys N Joys for almost 20 years until the original Kaimuki location. He was a fixture there, and many customers called him a friend. Even with valued and regular customers growing up with this store in getting all their gaming, anime and toy needs, the store eventually closed in 2013, with factors ranging from the recession of 2008 to the paradigm shift in the gaming space moving online that contributed to the decision to close shop. Alex was ready for his next adventure and had planned to "get off the grid" and travel the world for a bit.
However, opportunity knocked when his brother, Andrew Le, decided to go out on his own and start a pop-up dinner in Kaka'ako. Alex soon immediately fell in love with the food business, especially when it converged with what he loved most growing up in the Le household, his mother's cooking being enjoyed by new diners. He soon saw himself as a purveyor of Mama Le's cooking and found the perfect format for it -- the farmers market.
Soon enough, he built a rabid and loyal following. Even though the brick and mortar has been opened for over a year now, the farmers markets are stronger than ever. Alex has organically found a new role in The Pig & the Lady as the head of farmers market and special events for the company and you may see him in a multitude of roles, ranging from serving you some curry at the farmers market, to overseeing a catered event, bussing tables and sweeping floors.
Alex loves what he does and sees the immediate reactions of happy faces from satisfied customers. That trip around the world will have to wait a bit longer.