ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Anchorage’s only German restaurant is getting set to close its doors on New Year’s Eve following the death of its owner earlier this month.
Known as “Uncle Bill,” Bill Ho’Opai died of a heart attack on Dec. 6 at the age of 72.
Ho’Opai, who was well known in Mountain View, died earlier this month of a heart attack(Courtesy: Corinna Kanaina)
West Berlin opened in Mountain View in 2014 in partnership with the Anchorage Community Land Trust which owns the building and the land.
It wasn’t Ho’Opai’s first restaurant in Anchorage: he had also founded and co-owned the two Hula Hands restaurants that serve Hawaiian food.
Ho’Opai’s niece, Corinna Kanaina, explained that once her uncle felt confident the two Hula Hands restaurants were running smoothly, he turned his attention to his passion project: opening a German restaurant in Anchorage.
She said the Native Hawaiian found his love for German food when he served in U.S. Air Force in the 1970s.
“His tour took him to Germany. He spent seven years there in Germany and learned the cuisine and came here,” Kanaina said.
West Berlin served authentic German food that lured customers from all over Anchorage, including the nearby Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Just days before its closing, the restaurant filled with customers for lunch. Many said they would miss the food but also the man who served it.
Ho’Opai was well known in the Mountain View community, sponsoring sports teams, supporting youth organizations and serving on boards. He also threw an annual Oktoberfest party for the local German immersion school, Rilke Schule.
Kanaina said news of his passing and the restaurant’s imminent closure has brought in more than a thousand condolences.
“I’m still surprised at the amount of response that I’ve received from the community, from customers,” she said. I have hand-written letters that say we are going to miss him and his very good food, but, you know, he made you feel like family when you came in.”
Kanaina said the family is honoring Ho’Opai’s wishes that the restaurant close upon his death. The Hula Hands restaurants will remain open and operating.
A large service is planned for Ho’Opai on Jan. 23 to which the community is invited. It will be held at the Muldoon Assembly Church at 7041 Debarr Road. Kanaina said a time has yet to be set but the information will be posted on the West Berlin Facebook page.
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Dining and Cooking