Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine speaks with Qiana DiBari of Sale Pepe & Pacific’o. In this podcast Qiana talks about building loyal customers with Sale Pepe since opening in 2014…her background growing up in Brooklyn, her time managing with A Tribe Called Quest, the recent loss of her mother-in-law who was an inspiration for Sale Pepe…

The first thing I notice walking into Sale Pepe are the sacks of imported Italian flour stacked in front of the pizza oven, with red tiles as bright and shiny as Dorothy’s ruby slippers. The oven, like its owners, Michele and Qiana Di Bari, is a long way from its original home (the oven from Naples, the birthplace of pizza; Michele from Milan and Qiana from New York). The first time the Di Baris ever visited Maui, Qiana says, “We had this emotional feeling. I know it sounds trite and you’ve heard it a million times, but we felt like we found our place in the world.”