Thirteen years ago, Michael Mohica was on his way back from catering a wedding in McCall when he heard the thundering sound of a helicopter.
He watched the helicopter for a long time--watching it disappear and reappear countless times as it worked to battle a fire somewhere nearby. When he finally got home that night, he picked up the phone and made a call.
"I just wanted to say thank you for all they were doing," Mohica remembered with a smile.
Mohica's company, Kanak Attack, has been serving up delicious Hawaiian food in the Boise community for years. It started as a taste of home he wanted to share with Idahoans.
"Every dish that we make, it's a little bit of my family that I'm presenting to the community here," Mohica said. "We just want people to taste the flavors of Hawaii and all the different cuisines we can create."
After that day in McCall, and several conversations with the fire captain, Mohica arranged for Kanak to help feed firefighters that next summer--and they've been doing it ever since.
He says his food is rooted in the community--so to be able to help feed those serving the community is a huge honor.
"These guys are just exhausted and they're working 12 to 18 hours a day--and all they want to do is come back to camp and enjoy a nice hot meal. That's our privilege," Mohica said. "We've been enjoying it. It's really feeding our community, and feeding the firefighters that do so much for us."
It's going to be a busy season for those firefighters. As Idaho News 6 has reported, Gov. Brad Little announced an emergency disaster declaration due to wildfires within Idaho earlier this month.
The emergency order applies to all lands protected by the Idaho Department of Lands, which enables the Idaho National Guard to assist in fire suppression, said Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller.
"Fighting wildfires across the west requires a well-coordinated effort among federal, state, local and tribal entities," Miller said.
Little said it "is absolutely the right time" to make the declaration due to wildfires around the region and limited resources.
"We want the people of Idaho to know how important it is for them to do their prevention and to comply with these closures by these land managers," Little said.
