The Well Bento will close this month due to the expiration of its lease.

Owner Kristine “;Kristal”; Brown is bubbly and enthusiastic for the future as she tries to figure out how she will actually fit in all the work-life possibilities that are swirling around in her head.

She has tried to find a buyer for the eatery, but no serious buyers have emerged so far. It should be a “;hard-core fan with cash”; who knows the restaurant business, she said. In the absence of such a solid offer, Brown is focused on selling the restaurant's equipment. Everything, including the kitchen sink, must go. “;It turns out the kitchen sink is mine,”; she giggled.

The Well Bento was established in 1997 by Harris and Miyuki Brazina to be a takeout restaurant where people could buy cooked-to-order bentos to go—but not your basic protein-and-starches-with-gravy-all-over-type fare.

Organic, macrobiotic, vegan, vegetarian and transitional were words used to describe the foods on Brazina's menu, including his signature millet almond tofu croquette, or tofu sour cream, which actually contains no dairy. It also offers meat and fish dishes.

“;It's all nutritionally well put together, digestible,”; Brown said.

“;Yes, it may have meat or fish ... but the thing is, it's tied in together with a right ratio of proteins and carbohydrates.”;

Brazina closed the Moiliili restaurant in August 2005, reportedly for family reasons, but it was reopened two weeks later by then Kristine Wilcox and Todd Brown, who married a few months later.

Aside from the lease expiration, there are numerous reasons for her decision to close, she said.

“;We saw this as a project, and now we're both on to other projects.”; Todd Brown's career has been as a chef, while her pre-Well Bento years were spent in the healing industry and as a nutritionist—the calling to which she has returned by day.

“;And I'm a full-time mom. My son is 10 and this stuff is really important,”; she said, referring to the all-too-familiar blink of an eye during which children grow up.

Well Bento has had beyond-loyal customers in its history, even through the ownership change five years ago. Some customers are there every day it is open, and many always order the same thing. Others, when informed of her plan to close, express alarm over where they will be able to get such specialized fare.

“;The whole thing with the Well Bento is, I've learned so much and met so many people, connected with so many hearts and made so many connections that I know will be fruitful in the future,”; both for them and for herself, she said.

The closing will be bittersweet, but she does not view her five years as a restaurateur as a failure.

“;You've gotta do what you've gotta do and look at the fact that you did it. It was awesome, and I'm not even a classically trained chef,”; Brown said.

The restaurant will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through next Saturday. She might open earlier some days. “;If the doors is open, we're cooking,”; she said.