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editorial
Editorial Director Diane Seo dianes@honolulumagazine.com
Executive Editor Katrina Valcourt
Dining Editor Mari Taketa
Home & Style Editor
Brie Thalmann
Digital Editor Andrea Lee
Contributing Editor Don Wallace
design
Creative Director James Nakamura jnakamura@honolulumagazine.com
Senior Art Director Christine Labrador
photography
Sta Photographer Aaron K. Yoshino
marketing
Marketing Director Christy Davis christyd@honolulumagazine.com
contributors Hailey Akau Martha Cheng Annabelle Ink Courtney Mau Zak Noyle Sheadon Shimabukuro
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See page 97 for the story.
FEATURES
24 Wisdom of Our Kūpuna Here’s how we can all live better lives.
BY
ANDREA LEE, DIANE SEO, MARI TAKETA, BRIE THALMANN AND KATRINA VALCOURT
41 Kūpuna Resource Guide
These more than 200 organizations can help seniors learn, live and thrive in Hawai‘i.
CELEBRATING HAWAI‘I’S SOUL DECEMBER 2025/JANUARY 2026 VOL. LX NO. 5
59 Best Lawyers in Hawai‘i 2026
We worked with the research firm BL Rankings LLC, publishers of The Best Lawyers in America® , to bring our readers this list of the 478 top lawyers in the Islands.
DEPARTMENTS
8 Editor’s Page
THE JOY OF AGING
Our cover feature came about from the realization that getting older does mean you get wiser.
BY DIANE SEO
11 Currents
The rundown of this season’s surf competitions, holiday concerts and events. Plus, tour a local jewelry designer’s home, celebrate a national historic site, eat ‘ulu and meet a super foster.
97 ‘Ono
WORTH THE DRIVE
Eight spots outside Honolulu that townies should visit—for reasons they may not realize.
BY MARI TAKETA
104 Afterthoughts NOT A FOODIE
Despite our similarities, my dad and I had very different tastes.
BY KATRINA VALCOURT
ON THE COVER: Gov. John Waihe‘e III
Photo by Aaron K. Yoshino
Sushi tacos are a mustget at T8ste Buds in Mā‘ili.
AARON K. YOSHINO
The Joy of Aging
Our cover feature springs from the idea that wisdom grows with age.
WISDOM OF OUR KŪPUNA began with the sentiment that getting older is not just good—it’s something to look forward to.
Of course, we are bombarded with an opposite message: Your body is feeble, you are invisible, you’re over the hill. But this externally focused narrative ignores aging’s true benefits. Yes, having an older body can be challenging. Illnesses are more common, sleep can be elusive, memory loss is more common, et cetera.
But there are upsides. As you get older, you live more in the moment, care less about what others think, have deeper gratitude for simpler things, and understand the value of true friendships and strong family connections.
Popular culture has started to tune in to this. On social media, there are now lots of folks well past retirement age offering life advice, health tips and more. Older folks are going viral, and many of the people liking their posts are young enough to be their grandchildren. Take one Instagram post from @makebigtalk that currently has 1.6 million “likes” and 8,200 comments. It features a 90-year-old woman offering advice such as, “Bad things pass, and you can just open another door.” One commenter’s response: “God, I hope this is me someday.”
My own 20-year-old daughter, who works as an esthetician while attending college, told me she loves when older clients offer her words of inspiration and life advice. “A man is not a plan,” one told her.
This is the backdrop for how Wisdom of Our Kūpuna came to be. For our last issue of the year, I wanted to celebrate being older, with all the valuable life experiences attached to it. I figured it would be well received, because in Hawai‘i, respecting our elders is part of our culture.
Our editorial team then identified older adults—some well-known and others not— to feature. Who we spoke to: a 100-year-old swimmer with a simple yet irrepressible joie de vivre; a former two-term governor of Hawai‘i; a soulful waterman and artist; a mother who fled Vietnam during the war; an 80-something retiree still giving back in the community; and a fearless “auntie” who houses homeless people at her village. Along with these folks, we asked many others, 70 years and older, three questions:
What makes you happy, what advice would you give your younger self, and what has been your greatest life lesson? Their responses left one of our writers in tears, and it’s exciting to now share what they said. Overall, our subjects reveal a deep humanity and suggest paths for all of us to go forward in meaningful ways.
A few notes: The photos accompanying our stories were shot by photographer Aaron K. Yoshino. Rather than downplaying the lines on our subjects’ faces, we are showcasing them to highlight their fully realized lives. We also have amazing videos, now available on honolulumagazine.com, created in partnership with our sister company Eleven 17, which is headed by the uber-talented Zak Noyle. I can’t thank Zak enough not just for all the time he and his team devoted to planning, shooting and editing these videos, but for believing in the story. When I initially told Zak about it, he immediately saw the multimedia potential and didn’t hesitate to deploy himself and his team (most notably videographer Sheadon Shimabukuro) to enhance our storytelling. Our partnership with Eleven 17 charts a new, exciting course for HONOLULU to tell stories on multiple platforms that, in the case here, bring the wisdom of our kūpuna to vivid life.
DIANE SEO EDITORIAL DIRECTOR DIANES@HONOLULUMAGAZINE.COM
Edward Kuba, one of our featured kūpuna, was recorded for a video by Zak Noyle.
Best Brunch GOLD
Best Breakfast GOLD
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LIFE IN HONOLULU
➸ WHETHER YOU’RE A SURFER OR SPECTATOR, ’tis the season for trekking to the North Shore to catch the massive winter swells. The biggest names in surfing are expected for various events, including the Eddie Aikau Big Wave International if conditions at Waimea Bay (pictured) are right. To check out the action, turn to page 23 for our roundup of some of the most thrilling North Shore surf competitions. —Diane Seo, photo by Zak Noyle
HAPPENINGS
Winter Picks
Top events this season.
BY ANDREA LEE
FESTIVAL
Christmas Spectacular
Every Friday, Saturday, Sunday in December / Free admission Sacred Hearts Academy
Experience the magic of a snow and light show, take a photo with Santa, decorate gingerbread houses, make s’mores around a firepit and see the original musical The Year Christmas Was Almost Cancelled.
moolelostudios.square.site, @moolelo.studios
MARATHON
Honolulu Marathon
Dec. 14 / 5 a.m. / $225 standard entry Begins at Ala Moana Beach Park
More than 35,000 runners are expected to make the 26.2-mile run through downtown Honolulu, Waikīkī, and out to Hawai‘i Kai. Everyone finishes with a medal and a fresh malasada.
honolulumarathon.org, @honolulumarathon
COMEDY
Tumua: The Chee Hoo Tour
Dec. 27 / 8 p.m.
Blaisdell Arena / From $38
Known for finding humor in Hawai‘i’s everyday moments, local stand-up comedian and performer Tumua Tuinei returns home during his national tour. ticketmaster.com, @tumua_
See more things to do this winter at honolulumagazine.com/things-to-do
FESTIVAL
New Year’s ‘Ohana Festival
Jan. 11 / 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. / Free admission Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i
Welcome the Year of the Horse with Japanese new year traditions, live performances, festival foods, cultural activities and the 74th Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony. jcchawaii.org, @jcchawaii
SPORTS
Sony Open in Hawai‘i
Jan. 12–18 / $40 one-day ticket
Wai‘alae Country Club
See 120 of the world’s best golfers tee off in the year’s first, full-field competition of the PGA Tour, with proceeds benefiting local nonprofits. sonyopeninhawaii.com, @sonyopenhawaii
THEATER
Dial “M” for Murder
Jan. 22–Feb. 8 / From $25
Mānoa Valley Theatre
See the thrilling stage play that inspired the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name; it follows Tony as he tries to entrap his unfaithful wife after his murder plot goes awry.
manoavalleytheatre.com, @manoavalleytheatre
HOLIDAY
’Tis the Season
Enjoy holiday-themed concerts, musicals, dance performances and movie nights.
BY BRIE THALMANN
MUSICAL
Piney Needlesmith and The Road Less Traveled
Various dates, Fri., Nov. 21–Sun., Dec. 7
$43–$70
Diamond Head Theatre
diamondheadtheatre.com
OUTDOOR MOVIE SCREENING
Dive’n’Movie Night: Arthur Christmas Sat., Dec. 13
Included with $49.99 kama‘āina general admission or $59.99 season pass Wet’n’Wild wetnwildhawaii.com
DANCE
Ballet Hawai‘i: The Nutcracker Sat., Dec. 14–Sun., Dec. 15
$62.30–$151
Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall
ballethawaii.org
CONCERT
Jake Shimabukuro’s Holidays in Hawai‘i featuring Justin Kawika
Young and Jackson Waldoff
Tues., Dec. 16–Fri., Dec. 19
$35–$55
Blue Note Hawai‘i bluenotejazz.com
CONCERT
Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra’s Hapa Holiday Extravaganza featuring Natalie Ai Kamauu
Thurs., Dec. 18
$43.50–$137.50
Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall myhso.org
CONCERT
Christmas in Hawai‘i with Kimié Miner & Friends
Sat., Dec. 20
$35–$55
Blue Note Hawai‘i bluenotejazz.com
CONCERT
Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra’s Home Alone in Concert
Sat., Dec. 20
$43.50–$137.50
Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall myhso.org
CONCERT
Kalani Pe‘a’s Hawaiian Christmas Show
Sat., Dec. 20
$60.50–$165.50 Hawai‘i Theatre Center hawaiitheatre.com
MERRY MELE
Tune in to our Hawai‘ithemed holiday playlist.
NOTHING HERALDS THE HOLIDAYS LIKE SOME FESTIVE TUNES, which is why we tapped local music aficionados—DJs Tittahbyte, Compose, Delve and Packo, and Aloha Got Soul’s Roger Bong and DJ O’Spliff—for their favorite local holiday songs and compiled them in an awesome playlist. Throw them on during your holiday parties, while cruising the downtown light displays, really any time you’re in need of some cheer they’ll be your soundtrack for the season. —BT
New In Town
Places and activities that have opened recently.
BY ANDREA LEE ARRIVALS
KA-CHO-FU-GETSU GALLERY
Admire and take home curated artisan-made pieces from Japan, ranging from lacquerware and ceramic sake cups to carved wooden lamps and original paintings.
800 S. Beretania St., Suite 240, Downtown, kcfg-japan.com, @kachofugetsu_us
KA LA‘I O KUKULUĀE‘O PARK
Ward Village’s new public park has a play structure, seating, native plants, a water refiller, a Biki station and plenty of grassy space to run around on with family and pets.
Bishop Museum’s on-site café run by Highway Inn serves up local favorites like poke, beef stew and Hawaiian plates. Many of the recipes were handed down from the owner’s grandparents.
Love crafting? This new workshop studio hosts weekly classes where you can make everything from soy candles and block-printed tote bags to Turkish mosaic lamps and moss wall art. Private workshops offered.
15 N. Pauahi St., Chinatown, kraftstories.com, @kraftstoriesofficial
MILESTONE
Preserving Our Painful History
Honouliuli, Hawai‘i’s longest-running internment camp, soon will be open for tours.
BY KATRINA VALCOURT
HONOULIULI INTERNMENT CAMP
all but disappeared after being dismantled in 1946, a painful relic of World War II forgotten in a Kunia gulch until its rediscovery in 2002. Another 13 years would pass before it would be designated a national monument by President Barack Obama. And since 2015, progress to recognize and preserve the 123-acre site, which had detained mostly Japanese American citizens as well as prisoners of war, has ramped up.
“A lot of the first initial years were spent doing research and planning, and understanding the natural and cultural resources that were there,” says Honouliuli’s Christine Ogura, a nisei born and raised in Mō‘ili‘ili. She’s been the superintendent of the site since September 2024.
Now designated as one of two official national historic sites in Hawai‘i, Honouliuli has undergone
In 2023, members of the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center laid new cement to rebuild the rock wall (above left) and restored the date of Aug. 30, 1920, in fresh concrete on the aqueduct (above right). The inscription had been broken.
restoration work on its aqueduct and rock wall, some of the only major features that still exist from the war.
The park’s team of three—Ogura, biotechnician Hannah (Jian) Shiraishi-Rzeszewicz and archaeologist Jonathan Mayes—has also been working on monthly vegetation maintenance, relationship building and, soon, natural resource management that includes native species. They’re looking for volunteers to help with things like weed whacking, outreach events and research.
The goal is to open the site monthly to limited tour groups beginning in the spring of 2026, and to eventually recruit volunteer docents to expand the tours. “The reason why it’s not open to the general public and people can’t just drive there like Pearl Harbor is because the [National] Park Service doesn’t own any land that connects to a public roadway,” Ogura says. But UH West O‘ahu, which has had a long-standing partnership with Honouliuli, does. “When the park was established it was always with the understanding that UH West O‘ahu would be the access point for the public,” Ogura says.
To guide future usage, she’s also working on a long-term general management plan, which the public can take part in. “The feedback from the public has been so positive,” says Ogura, who was shocked when she learned about the internment of Japanese Americans from a Honolulu Star-Bulletin article she read while living on the mainland. “Had I been born a generation earlier, it could’ve been me. That’s why I took the position.”
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the site’s national designation, the Downtown Art Center will host a community art exhibit from Jan. 2–16, featuring works inspired by the area, personal insights, and stories about its history. It will be open to all ages, experience levels and mediums. Stay tuned for more events in 2026, which marks 80 years since the camp closed. nps.gov/hono, @honouliulinps
Should You Still Get Vaccines?
We asked our state epidemiologist to help clarify the confusion.
BY DIANE SEO
WITH CURRENT NATIONAL DEBATES
swirling around vaccines, we reached out to Sarah Kemble, state epidemiologist and chief of the disease outbreak control division for Hawai‘i’s Department of Health, to clarify our state’s recommendations for childhood vaccines, the flu shot, COVID-19 vaccine and other immunizations.
In September, shortly after we spoke to Kemble, the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recomended that those 6 months and older consider the COVID-19 vaccine based on “individual-based decisionmaking.” This is a departure from ACIP’s past guidance, which supported the use of vaccines for everyone 6 months or older. ACIP’s vote came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration limited approval of the Moderna COVID vaccine to those 65 and older, as well as those as young as 6 months who have at least one underlying medical condition.
Many people are confused about the changing vaccine recommendations coming from the federal level. Does the state of Hawai‘i still support vaccines?
SK: The state of Hawai‘i still believes that vaccines are one of the most important ways that people can protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. Our recommendations for the fall for respiratory virus vaccines like flu, COVID and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) essentially haven’t changed very much from prior years. We believe that everyone who wants to get a COVID vaccine should be able to get one because they have been shown to benefit all age groups to which they are available, 6 months old and up. With the flu and RSV vaccines, we know and have seen season after season that they do provide benefits to keep people from getting severely ill to keep them out of the hospital. We especially recommend the COVID vaccine for people with underlying medical conditions, but really anyone aged 6 months or older who feels they would like the protection of the vaccine should be able to get one.
Recommendations for the 2025-2026 Respiratory Virus Season
Age/Condition
Children
• All 6-23 months
• All 2-18 years with risk factors or never vaccinated against COVID-19
• All who are in close contact with others with risk factors
• All who choose protection
• All who are planning pregnancy, pregnant, postpartum or lactating
• All 65 years and older
• All younger than 65 years with risk factors
• All who are in close contact with others with risk factors
• All who choose protection
Influenza
• All 6 months and older
• All who are planning pregnancy, pregnant, postpartum or lactating
• All
Source: West Coast Health Alliance
Can you still go to CVS, for instance, to get the COVID shot?
SK: What we’re hearing is that adults certainly have been able to go to pharmacies and get the 2025-2026 formulation. You may need to check a box to say that you meet some underlying condition. We hope that these recommendations will help to support the access, the insurance coverage and all the other things that need to come along for people to have the vaccine when they want to.
Can Hawai‘i chart its own course and not follow national recommendations?
That’s a really complicated question. There are federal laws and there are state laws, and we now see a divergence of what states are recommending. We get asked a lot if a physician can prescribe the shot if it doesn’t exactly match the ACIP recommendations. We have to remember that ACIP recommendations are just that—they’re recommendations. Insurance coverage may be tied to those recommendations, however, as a physician, I can prescribe vaccines if I think patients are going to benefit from them.
Is it helpful that Gov. Josh Green has been so outspoken about recommending vaccines?
It’s so helpful right now to have a clear voice, especially from a physician governor. To be able to say publicly that vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones—that’s such an important message. It’s also really important that we base our vaccine decisions not solely on politics but on science. The DOH is part of the West Coast Health Alliance … joining with other states to do careful scientific reviews and make evidence-based decisions.
What can the DOH do to relay its vaccine message to the public?
What DOH is doing is being a trusted messenger, being the voice of consistent and evidence-based recommendations for the public. We’ve joined with our colleagues to examine the data, question what’s going to be best, and come to a consensus about good evidence-based information to relay.
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Fête’s ‘ulu aloo features Indian spices, ‘ōlena and black mustard.
Everything’s Coming Up ‘Ulu
Once mostly a potato substitute, the starchy fruit now stars in desserts, pastas and more.
BY MARTHA CHENG
AFEW YEARS AGO, Christine Lee received an ‘ulu from her neighbor. But life got busy for Lee, who develops the menu and recipes at Island Vintage Coffee, and the ‘ulu collapsed into mush. Undeterred, she tried making mochi with it and discovered that its fragrant pulp improved the rice cake’s texture, keeping it supple while adding a sweetness that cut the powdery taste of rice flour. She loved it so much she bought up an entire pallet’s worth of sweet ripe ‘ulu from the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative to incorporate into the mochi that adorns Island Vintage’s shave ice. These days, the overripe ‘ulu, as Lee calls it, has been harder to come by, so she mostly caramelizes the firmer fruit and serves it with maple syrup in lieu of breakfast potatoes.
In the past decade, ‘ulu has occasionally peppered restaurant menus, usually in the form of fries and mash. Understandable, given that the starchy fruit is often compared to a potato. But in recent years, chefs have proven it more versatile. At Kapa Hale, Keaka Lee roasts soft, ripe ‘ulu to concentrate its flavor, then adds it into the batter of upside-down pineapple cakes. For his ‘ulu haupia sorbet, he leans further into the fruit’s tropical notes. Across town, Fête’s savory ‘ulu aloo borrows Indian spices, including ginger, ‘ōlena and black mustard seeds bloomed
in oil, to perfume a crushed mound of ‘ulu topped with crispy okra shreds dusted with chaat masala. A tangy liliko‘i black sesame chutney alongside helps to underscore ‘ulu’s faint fruity fragrance.
The growth of ‘Ulu Co-op, which launched in 2016, has helped to fuel chefs’ creations. While a single ‘ulu tree can produce about 300 pounds of food a year on average, the seasons are often short, and the starches in a firm, mature ‘ulu can soften and convert into sugar within days. From there, it’s a fine line to spoilage. The co-op now steams and freezes the fruit, resulting in a more consistent year-round supply, and offers other ‘ulu products.
Chef Chris Kimoto of Skull & Crown Trading Co. uses the co-op’s ‘ulu chocolate mousse. To make the tiki bar “feel more Hawai‘i than what tiki is usually thought of as,” he incorporates Hawai‘i-grown ingredients into dishes like the s’mores pie, melding the memories of Ted’s Bakery’s chocolate haupia pie with the nostalgia of campfire s’mores. The smooth and creamy mousse is blended with Curaçao (we are in a tiki bar after all), and the pie is finished with a torched Italian meringue. “There are so many more possibilities,” says Kimoto, who has also used ‘ulu flour to make gnocchi for a star-anise and orangepeel-scented osso buco stew. “It’s so diverse, and it tastes so good— my God!”
BY ANNABELLE INK
AT FREE STORES, nothing is for sale. The public is invited to drop off plants, toys, books and other items for others to take at no cost. With 22 locations primarily on O‘ahu, the community-centric “stores” might be a cabinet propped on a residential wall, a “free fridge” for food exchanges, or even a blanket on someone’s lawn. University professors Gaye Chan and Nandita Sharma—part of the anti-capitalist, anarchist group Eating in Public—opened the first Free Store in the early 2000s, and over the years, other like-minded, sustainability-driven individuals joined the movement and added similar shops.
HAWAI‘I-MADE LIGHTING IS A RARITY. So, you can imagine our thrill at stumbling upon local potter Kaimana Banes’ minimalist stoneware sculptures that double as beautiful lights. A longtime surfer, Waialua-based Banes often draws inspiration for his work, which also includes vases, drinkware and dishware, from his time among the swells. “Sitting in the water—looking at the reflections, the colors of the ocean, the clouds and the layout of the reef—inspires a lot of my pieces,” he says. For his lights, Banes aimed to emulate the angular sandstones that dot shorelines. “The sand is so compacted that it creates these cool geometric rock formations,” he says. His wabi-sabi aesthetic is reflected in understated finishes—simple glazes that show off the clay’s natural color and create craterlike textures. The soft, warm light emanating from within has a peaceful, calming effect. “Growing up by the beach, I watched sunsets every day,” Banes says. “I wanted to encapsulate that last orange glow of light before the sun dips below the horizon.”
Designed by a local optometrist, new indie label Hawai‘i Eyewear Co. is making quite the spectacles.
PERHAPS THE MOST BESPOKE EYEWEAR line we’ve encountered in the Islands, newly launched indie label Hawai‘i Eyewear Co. is the brainchild of Dane Sultzer, a Honolulu optometrist with an eye for beautiful materials and modern silhouettes. The label’s debut collection, available at Sultzer’s office, Kāhala Eye Clinic, boasts 100plus eyeglass and sunglass styles that can be custom tailored. We’re talking everything from size and color to arm profile, pattern scale and trims. Sultzer can even help you to design a pair from scratch, sketching a frame out on paper before carving it himself from a single block of acetate. The pieces are then sent away to be finished, though Sultzer hopes to eventually shift full production to Hawai‘i.
While the line features many great details, such as high-quality lenses, top-grade German steel hinges and hand-edged nodes, we’re particularly taken with its gorgeous array of acetate frames. Sultzer opted for Mazzucchelli acetate, a biodegradable pressed-cotton acetate produced by a 175-year-old workshop in Italy. The range includes bold marbled and tortoise patterns, and milky, opalescent and gradating hues. Sultzer often takes design cues from the beauty of the Islands. ‘Ōhi‘a flowers inspired several red styles, while a fractal blue pattern represents his hometown of Kailua. Here eyewear is designed to last a lifetime, while also garnering admiring looks. —BT
4211 Wai‘alae Ave., Suite 202, Kāhala, hawaiieyewearcompany.com, @hawaiieyewearco
STYLE
Home Style: Cindy Yokoyama
The Ginger13 jewelry designer gives us a peek inside her cozy, eclectically appointed abode.
IF YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED CINDY YOKOYAMA’S jewelry or been to her Downtown boutique, you know she brings together earthy hues, organic textures and global influences in ways that really sing. That same aesthetic carries over to her home, a 1970s patio-style house in Mililani, which she’s transformed into a modern retreat with dreamy arches, expertly layered vintage décor and her own abstract artwork.
1. CREATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
“Just like how I merch the store, I merch my house up, too. When decorating a wall, I start with a painting or photo, then layer in ceramics, baskets or a tapestry to add richness and visual interest.”
2. SETTING THE TONE
“The palette right now is a lot of natural hues, mauves and taupes. You come in and it feels warm. I really like earthy, muted colors with a more tonal look. They give off a soothing, cozy vibe. And I love texture and colorblocking.”
3. ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
“I have a BFA in painting from UH and I’ve always loved abstraction. The triptych in the dining room, Anthurium Song, is acrylic on canvas. There’s something timeless about anthuriums and they’re known for their sculptural curves and quiet elegance. I wanted to explore that beauty on a larger scale using the clay tones that have been inspiring me lately.”
4. WORLDLY TOUCHES
“My design influences include Mexico City homes, Spanishstyle architecture, refined Los Angeles homes, coastal Bali touches, and Japandi’s clean simplicity and palette. I try not to stick to one style—it keeps it more interesting and not cookie cutter.”
5. COLLECTOR’S ADDITIONS
“My favorite pieces in the home are my dad’s old red vintage surfboard, a Frida Kahlo print from my sister and a ceramic sculpture from vintage boutique Single Double. I also love my dining table and rattan nightstand, which are both from WildChild Hawai‘i. I even carry some of their bowls in the shop.” —BT
Yokoyama’s pug, Bindy
Super Foster
Darlene Ogoshi has taken in nearly 100 animals since 2020, helping them develop so they can find forever homes.
BY DIANE SEO
Darlene Ogoshi with Enzo, a cuddly kitten she fostered
EVERY MORNING, MASON, GORDON AND ENZO, the three cuddly kittens Darlene Ogoshi was fostering at the time, meow and call for her. She hardly minds. “As soon as I come to them, they immediately give love and I always appreciate that,” she says about the tabbies.
Ogoshi spent 31 years working as a nurse, and now, after retiring in 2020, she’s still caring for others—they just now have fur and four paws. In the past four and a half years, she’s fostered nearly 100 animals, mostly kittens, from the Hawaiian Humane Society. She’s what the nonprofit considers a “super foster,” a special human with a huge heart for animals. “Usually, I take care of the babies—sometimes they’re a little sick, like they may have a kitty cold or some sort of skin infection, so I medicate them and watch them,” she says.
As a lifelong animal lover, Ogoshi after retirement reached out to the Humane Society to help out in whatever way was needed. She started doing laundry there, but then learned about the organization’s other volunteer opportunities, including its foster program. After taking in her first fur babies, she by her own admission became a “serial foster.”
It fit. She’s aligned to the Humane Society’s mission and knows there are countless animals in need of homes. Plus, what she gives she more than receives in the form of unconditional love. “I don’t quantify the energy I spend on them. It’s not work,” she says.
But is it difficult giving back her fosters so they can be adopted into forever homes?
“They’re adorable, but I see it as a temporary thing,” she says. “I know I’m just part of a continuum, and I’m helping them to be more adoptable. They learn to trust people because some of them have never had human interaction before. Having this ongoing interaction with them helps them get adopted quickly, and that’s what’s so fulfilling.”
WAVE WATCH SPORTS
WINTER IS BIG WAVE
SEASON on O‘ahu’s North Shore, drawing top surfers from around the world who compete in a bevy of exciting competitions. If you’re looking to take in some epic sessions, add these meets to your calendar. —Brie Thalmann
WAIMEA BAY CHAMPIONSHIP/ QUEEN OF THE BAY
Dec. 1–Feb. 28
Waimea Bay
EDDIE AIKAU BIG WAVE INVITATIONAL
Dec. 7–March 6, conditions permitting (waves must be 20 feet high)
Waimea Bay
VANS PIPE MASTERS
Dec. 8–20
Banzai Pipeline, ‘Ehukai Beach Park
HALE‘IWA INTERNATIONAL OPEN
Dec. 22–Jan. 3
Hale‘iwa Beach Park
DA HUI BACKDOOR SHOOTOUT
Jan. 4–16
Banzai Pipeline, ‘Ehukai Beach Park
SUNSET PRO-AM
Jan. 18–28
Sunset Beach Park
PIPE CHALLENGER
Jan. 29–Feb. 9 Banzai Pipeline, ‘Ehukai Beach Park
FHAPPENINGS
GREET THE SUN
Welcome 2026 with a First Day Hike.
IRST DAY HIKES STARTED IN 2012 across the nation to encourage people to celebrate state parks on Jan. 1. Hawai‘i’s only official one takes place at Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail, with a hālau performing an oli to greet the sunrise, followed by taiko drumming and bagpipes.
—Katrina Valcourt
GATES OPEN : 5:30 a.m.
TIME OF SUNRISE : 7:10 a.m.
NUMBER OF HIKERS EXPECTED : 800
ELEVATION GAIN : 500 feet
LENGTH OF HIK E: 2 miles roundtrip dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp
of our
How we can realize more purposeful, peaceful and happy lives.
BY ANDREA LEE, DIANE SEO, MARI TAKETA, BRIE THALMANN AND KATRINA VALCOURT
PHOTOS BY AARON K. YOSHINO
It’s commonly said: As you get older, you get wiser. Those who have lived through many life chapters understand this. While your body may become more fragile, all of your joyful, trying and humbling life experiences transform into vital lessons on how to go forward. Such is the irony and beauty of aging: Just as you reach a point where insight flourishes, society casts you as past your prime.
Rather than supporting this narrative, we are turning to Hawai‘i’s kūpuna to share their perspectives about how we all can realize more purposeful, peaceful and happy lives. Those we spoke with, all 70 years or older, are diverse in many ways, yet all offer straightforward, deep lessons learned over a lifetime. —Diane Seo
Visit honolulumagazine.com or our HONOLULU Magazine YouTube channel to view extended videos of the six kūpuna we profiled for this issue. The segments were produced in partnership with our aio sister company, Eleven 17. For our print stories, the excerpted conversations with kūpuna were lightly edited.
RIGHT:
Stella Shimabukuro swims at Mānana Neighborhood Park’s pool three times a week.
Stella Shimabukuro
100 years old
“I’m Just a Happy Person, That’s All”
This superager is a living example of the happiness of being.
She swims, throws dinner parties and can parallel park. At 100, Stella Shimabukuro lives how we want to live—at any age. What is it about her? What lessons does she have for people who want to be like Stella?
It turns out that Shimabukuro’s is a wisdom of being. It’s a lesson you learn by watching. At Mānana Neighborhood Park’s swimming pool in Pearl City, where she exercises three times a week, life blooms around her. She talks to newcomers to put them at ease. She jokes with regulars and keeps a busy schedule of lunches. In July, instructors threw her a 100th birthday party. Something about Shimabukuro makes people want to be in her orbit.
Today, after her swim, she unbuttons her Dodgers jersey to show me her T-shirt. “This Girl Loves Shohei Ohtani,” it reads. It takes a lot to get Shimabukuro to reflect on her life. She doesn’t dwell on the past; she doesn’t fear the future. No fewer than three pool-goers stop by to tell me about her parallel parking. Always her question is, “And how are you?” Here’s her story.
As told to Mari Taketa
Ohtani is my secret boyfriend. We approve of his wife. That keeps me busy, watching every game the Dodgers play. Today the baseball starts at 4 o’clock. Yesterday it was 7:30 a.m. I made sure I got up early. Saturday it was 1 o’clock. I arrange my schedule and get everything done, and once it’s game time, it’s all Ohtani.
If not baseball, Korean dramas—I watch every night and the repeat in the daytime. And I love to read books, but no time! I have to make time—maybe halfhour at 11 p.m., read a little chapter, then go to sleep.
I never feel that I’m old. I don’t have pains, nothing. Maybe I should use a cane. But I don’t feel that I’m old and cannot do things. I do all my housework, I vacuum, I do a little yardwork and a little shopping. My niece, Sylvia, buys things for me. Every Saturday we have lunch together.
I go to the pool three times a week. When I go in the water, they’re all 30
years younger, but I forget that I’m old. We talk to each other the same way. The only thing is I don’t have my hearing aid in the water. But the ladies, they keep me very young.
They always said because of me, they all open up and they’re all friendly. Even with our different ages, we have fun. We have get-togethers and potlucks. If it’s someone’s birthday, Christmas, holidays, we go out.
I have no medicine in my medicine cabinet. My husband and I never had any headaches or problems. Never. Maybe because my husband was strict. No bacon, no french fries, no hot dogs. He was health-conscious, so that’s how we lived.
When he was alive, we had friends that came for wine dinners. We still get together now and then. I open my house and get everything ready for my party. The other couples will bring appetizers, salad, dessert. Always my chicken wings is my main dish. I just put salt and pepper and garlic and then I broil them.
And I love to go to Vegas. It’s relaxing. They know me there and everybody is so good, you know? Gale [Ogawa, a pool regular and friend of 30 years] wanted to take me to the Dodgers game, but it’s too much. Too many people. Climbing up all the stairs. TV is better. When I go to Vegas and Dodgers are playing, I go to the sport room and watch. I can see him better, clearer.
I’m always relaxed and never worry about things. I do whatever I have to do today. I do everything I have to do and never worry about other people. I’m just a happy person, that’s all. Keep yourself happy.
81 years old
Edward Kuba
Take Care of Your Community And don’t forget to laugh.
Every day, 81-year-old Edward Kuba makes his rounds around his Kapahulu neighborhood with a trash-grabber, getting his daily exercise while cleaning up the sidewalks. For 45 years, the retired lawyer has volunteered in the Okinawan community, helping to establish both the Center for Okinawan Studies at UH Mānoa—the first of its kind in the country—and the Hawai‘i Okinawa Center in Waipi‘o. Though he attended cultural functions as a child, it wasn’t until he saw the way Irish and Italian people embraced their heritage in Boston and New York City that his pride in being Okinawan ignited. He now considers himself a “born-again Uchinanchu.”
Kuba lives by the Uchināguchi phrase “chibariyo,” which means “go for it.” Through all his life challenges while balancing a family and law career, he has remained positive and committed.
As told to Katrina Valcourt
My parents emigrated from Okinawa, and their 10 children were all born here. They stopped at 10 because they only had 10 rice bowls for the kids. I’m the youngest. All nine before me have passed away. I’m the last one surviving. No. 9 was my sister Jeannette, and she fell ill. Being the younger one, I was there to take care of her five years—cooking, cleaning, changing diapers. She never once complained about my cooking. But she passed away eight years ago, peacefully. I took care of her in her home in Wahiawā, moved back to Kapahulu, and I’ve been walking, picking up trash here ever since.
I returned to Hawai‘i maybe 45 years ago, and living here in lower Kapahulu, my front yard is the zoo, the Waikīkī Shell, the aquarium, Waikīkī Beach. If all the tourists coming through Hawai‘i see how pilau the city is, that’s their impression; 45 years from now, they might still think Honolulu is a dirty city. I don’t get angry at seeing the trash. I get dismayed that humankind has devolved into leaving trash all over the place, and it’s a testament to the older generations, like my generation—we didn’t do a good job teaching the younger generations not to litter, and as a result, the younger generations are littering without thinking about it.
There are 14 different ethnic groups in Hawai‘i, and we’re all minorities, so we all tend to get along with each other. There isn’t one major group holding the other groups down. We’re all minorities, and we all get along with each other in the Okinawan community. In a project like building the Hawai‘i Okinawa Center, 99% embraced it. There was maybe 1% that didn’t think much of it. Stay away from those negative people, because they’ll just hold you back, and just concentrate on the positive people.
I try to be positive with other people and the old golden rule, treat others like you would want them to treat you.
I’ve got five older brothers, and I used to wonder, “How long am I going to live?” Looking at my five brothers who have since passed, I calculated the average of their passing age, and it was 80 years old. So being 81 now, on that comparison level, I’m living on borrowed time. So I’m trying to make the most of what I can do now, and trying to have as much fun as possible.
There’s a connection between your mind and your body. If your mind thinks that you’re young, then it’ll prolong your life. If, for example, you laugh and you’re active and you exercise and you act young, your mind thinks that you’re young and will continue to prolong your life. If, on the other hand, you sit around, watch TV and you don’t do anything—no exercise, no mental stimulation—your mind thinks you’re old. When you laugh, when you make people laugh, for that one or two seconds that that person is laughing, that person’s body is feeling young, so the message is getting to that person’s mind that “I’m having fun, and I’m young.”
BELOW: Edward Kuba picks up trash on his daily walks around Kapahulu.
Gov. John Waihe‘e III
79 years old
Hawai‘i Is Your Place, So Fight for It
The former twoterm governor calls for young people to rise up. Now.
John Waihe‘e III was Hawai‘i’s fourth governor (from 1986 to 1994) and the first Native Hawaiian to hold the office. But he was an activist long before that, pushing among many things for the adoption of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i as the state’s official language. Even at age 79, Waihe‘e hasn’t lost his fighting spirit and remains a vital voice in the Islands as a key leader of the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative’s Rediscovering Hawai‘i’s Soul movement.
As told to Diane Seo
I’ve been an activist for as long as I can remember, way before I was in politics. What keeps me doing whatever I’m doing is the belief that Hawai‘i is a special place and that we have an obligation to take care of it. It’s our inheritance, and not in terms of property. What we’re really inheriting is a special attachment and a relationship, and this relationship works if you appreciate it. It’s called aloha ‘āina. When you love the land, you take care of it. And when you take care of it, the land responds back to you.
When we were growing up in Honaka‘a, we had this phrase, “us guys.” Saying “us guys” from Honaka‘a is saying we have a relationship that goes beyond friendship. We have an obligation to keep it special. That’s the beautiful thing about Hawai‘i, it’s the foundation for everybody to discover who they are. All of us guys, with all of our contributions, with all of our specialness tied to the place. It’s that relationship that I think is your inheritance. Hawai‘i is yours. What are you going to do with it? You’re gonna let it just slide away into oblivion? Or are you gonna cultivate it?
I think Hawai‘i’s soul is both eroding and growing at the same time. All of a sudden, the Bishop Street and Moloka‘i activists are on the same page. It happens because they both worried about the same thing, whether this Hawai‘i is going to even exist. Today we have the diaspora. People are disappearing every day. It’s become too common to say I got priced out of paradise. It’s become a Hawaiian concern, a local concern, the concern of everybody. So what are you going to do? You’re going to run away from it? Or are you going to change the trajectory?
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN STANDING UP FOR HAWAI‘I
Just do it. This is your home. Don’t be afraid to do it. There’s a value to speaking out and calling people on things that you don’t consider right or if there’s an injustice. I was fortunate enough to live through Hawai‘i’s renaissance, the rediscovering of itself. We had a revolution to turn things around, do something different. I think we’re in the same place now. We all know that what we’re doing is not working. You’ve got to change the trajectory.
TO YOUNG PEOPLE FROM HAWAI‘I LIVING AWAY
BELOW: Gov. John Waihe‘e III served as lieutenant governor before becoming governor in 1986.
Come home. What can we do differently that would make it attractive to come home? Help build the society for us. How do you create a revolution? First, you get people to understand their relationship with place, so that it’s worthwhile to do. Back when I was young and raising my fist, I went to a seminar on how to organize, and I remember the one thing said, which has stuck with me my whole life, is that people don’t fight for half a loaf of bread. You’ve got to take the whole challenge on. You gotta have people here saying they’re gonna change the system. We need a revolution, otherwise, all we have is rhetoric. If you can do something anywhere in the world, why not come here? Well, people say, “we’ve got this barrier, that barrier.” Tear it down. Us guys from Hawai‘i got to stick together.
One of the joys of being old is you don’t care. Who do you care to impress? And that’s one of the natural discoveries that people learn as they just get along in life. Who cares? I’ll say what I believe. I’ve decided that my role in life is to grow old, loving Hawai‘i. That’s what I’m doing now, and that’s what I intend to do for the rest of my days.
Elizabeth Thu Hai Pham
ABOVE: Elizabeth Pham rings her bell when customers of Anh Chi Em order certain pastries.
71 years old
When You Have a Little, Share a Little
As a Vietnam War refugee, she’s learned the power of giving and receiving a helping hand.
In 1975, with the Vietnam War in its final days, Elizabeth Thu Hai Pham and her family fled their homeland for New Jersey, leaving everything behind. After moving to California, she married and raised five children with her husband. Now, 50 years later, “Mama Pham,” as she is endearingly called, lives in Honolulu with her daughter, Diana, and is the unofficial marketing manager for Diana’s pop-up Vietnamese bakery, Anh Chi Em. She also teaches tai chi at the YMCA of Honolulu.
As told to Andrea Lee
When I came to America, I cry every night. I say, “Why me? Why I come here? Why you bring me here?” I’m talking about God. And one night, I heard, “Why not?” The next day, my dad was brought home from YMCA because he passed out without food. That day, my dad didn’t have any lunch with him. That’s why his body so weak.
But anything that happens to us, I think that makes us stronger, makes us reach out more. The people said, “In America, you cannot have breakfast and no lunch and work.” So, they reach out. They rent a place for us. That’s our first home in America, a little apartment in New Jersey.
When we came to this country, we have very little, but every Saturday, people line up at our apartment to get one bowl of soup from my grandma. And I feel so good that I share with them. Even though it may be my bowl of soup, I give to them. When you have little, share a little with someone who has nothing.
Sometimes, I cannot express in English the whole thing that I feel. We come from another country, we’re very smart, but we cannot express ourselves. Be patient, be kind. The first generation comes to America like that. We have hard time, so treat us nice.
Every morning when I wake up, I do deep breathing and look in myself, how I feel today. Appreciate your body. Say thanks to the body because the body is working the whole night to get all the toxins out. You have to appreciate yourself, and the body will take care you. That’s how I’m so cheerful.
HER MESSAGE TO YOUNG PEOPLE
You’re young. You have a lot of talent. Look in yourself. Like my daughter, Diana. One day, she called and said, “I quit.” I said, “You quit?” She was in New York, at the top of her life. She had to deal with people when they complain. And she quit. I said, “Look in yourself. What do you like to do?” Diana said, “I like to bake. That’s all I like.” I said, “Go to school.” “Go to school, Mom? You know how much it costs?” I said, “You have money.”
And I couldn’t believe it, Diana took my advice. She worked five days a week. Saturday and Sunday, she went to school for baking. She changed her life. She’s cheerful again. When you feel down, think about it. What is your passion? Go back to school to challenge yourself. Don’t forget about your passion. If you think it’s what your heart wants, do it. And you will see, you will be cheerful again.
ZAK NOYLE
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
“I had a friend, and her father had suffered a work injury when she was young and became a quadriplegic. I asked her, ‘How did your mother do it?’ And she said it was because he always said ‘thank you’ every day. When we were children, we were asked, ‘What’s the magic word?’ And it was ‘thank you’ and ‘please.’ Saying that puts you in a state of gratefulness, and that’s everything.”
—Cathy Song, 70, Kaimukī q
“When you’re young and starting out, you think you know a lot, and as you get older, you realize you don’t know everything but have less doubt.”
—Andy Scontras, 73, Hawai‘i Kai
“Take time and just do what makes your heart feel good, to feel joy, rather than get so focused on the day-today things.”
—Karen Murashige, 80, Kaimukī
“Slow down, don’t work so hard. I had a job that was allencompassing, and I missed out on things I find such great pleasure and joy doing now. I wish I found work-life balance when my two children were growing up.”
—Betsy Lum, 73, Hawai‘i Kai q
“You feel invincible when you’re younger, but I wish I would have taken better care of my health. I had so many operations and injuries from football and everything else.”
—Bobby Smith, 79, Mililani q
“Life is what you make of it. Your attitude will set your course.”
—Lynn Tamashiro-Ching, 72, Kalihi
“Don’t try to be perfect. Do your best but accept that sometimes you’ll fall short. Laugh more often because being too serious is such a waste of precious moments that you could be sharing.”
—Jill Thalmann, 74, Mō‘ili‘ili
“I had to leave China when I was a small child, then grow up in Korea, and later make my way to Hawai‘i. I gave up a thriving restaurant business in Korea in search of more. When we first came to Hawai‘i, I didn’t know the language, we didn’t have any money—just my wife, four kids, and a dream to make something better for them. It wasn’t easy, but I kept going. Every day, one small step. The lesson is, be strong, be grateful and never give up.”
—Chi Hsing Lee, 95, Mō‘ili‘ili
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST LIFE LESSON?
“Don’t give up hope. I had been married to someone who was very narcissistic; then, I finally got the courage to stand up for myself.”
—Margaret Okimoto, 74, Wai‘anae q
“Make
the
decision to be happy. I was 14 when my mom died. Everyone around me was so upset, and one day I thought, I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to be a happy person. I remember the exact moment it happened.”
—Barbara Tannehill, 83, Kaimukī q
“Learning to stay in the moment. I learned that when my husband was in hospice and I was his primary caregiver. I had to take it one day at a time and stay focused on what I could control.”
—Betsy Lum, 73, Hawai‘i Kai q
“Peace in the world and in ourselves will come when we stop fighting nature and ourselves.”
—Kenny Endo, 72, Kaimukī q
“We want an easy life, but challenges provide growth.”
—Karen Murashige, 80, Kaimukī q
“I was at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, and there was a cistern with a saying from one of the monks. ‘All I know is that I have enough.’ And that was so profound.”
—Cathy Song, 70, Kaimukī q
“Don’t judge others. Just judge yourself. I see people arguing, fighting. Why? It’s because of judgment, look at yourself.”
—Heilala Niu, 81, Pearl City
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned about life is forgiveness—forgiveness of self and forgiveness of others. Sometimes we don’t have all the answers.”
—Iwalani Wahinekapu Walsh Tseu, 75, Mililani q
“When I was a 20-year-old infantry platoon leader in Vietnam I quickly learned the importance of listening to the advice of the men under my responsibility. For the rest of my life I made sure the people involved with any job or project I was working were active participants in the decisionmaking process.”
—Kent Youel, 77, Kailua q
“I used to chase money, always thinking I needed more. But as I got older, I realized money doesn’t buy peace of mind or love. ... Living long enough to see my great-grandkids … that’s something no one before me could even imagine. That makes my heart full.”
—Chi Hsing Lee, 95, Mō‘ili‘ili
Mark Cunningham
Appreciate the Ride
70 years old
All his life, the waterman has answered the call of the ocean. Amid the waves, he’s learned the importance of humility, gratitude and caring for the earth.
Lifelong waterman Mark Cunningham has spent decades getting to know the ocean. First, as an athlete: As a boy, he got his gills wet catching waves at his local break off Niu Beach, which eventually led to a legendary bodysurfing career that saw him conquering swells and clinching titles on the North Shore and around the world. Then, as a guardian: The 70-year-old spent 30 years protecting people as a lifeguard on Hawai‘i’s beaches, and founded the O‘ahu Junior Lifeguard Program. Now, as an advocate: After hanging up his whistle, Cunningham dove into a new career, transforming found objects culled from shorelines and the ocean floor into art pieces that call for mindful consumption and better care of the earth.
Along the way, he learned the rhythms of the ocean, he listened to its tales, he unfurled its secrets like whitewash spilling onto the sand. These are some of the life tenets gleaned from his time in the water.
As told to Brie Thalmann
Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my life in the ocean— patience is certainly one of them. And not to take yourself too seriously or think too highly of yourself, because in the whole scheme of things, we’re all pretty manini. It overwhelms me sometimes, the enormity of our world and all that’s going on in it in this time.
Going to the beach and seeing every size, shape and age imaginable, and we’re all stripped down to our bathing suits and we’re all sort of the same, regardless of where we’re from—our ethnicity, our religion, where we live, where we grew up. We’re all just people trying to do the best we can.
I beat myself up an awful lot with selfdoubt and would haves, could haves and should haves. Getting into the ocean helps me wash those things away. That serenity, happiness and physical well-being that the ocean—swimming, surfing, bodysurfing, snorkeling—provides for me is very rewarding, and I’m very thankful for it. We’re so lucky here in Hawai‘i that we have so many opportunities to get into the ocean.
So many people think of surfing as being in tune with nature and one with Mother Nature, but there’s so much of the foam and fiberglass and the plastic fins and plastic leashes. There’s a carbon footprint involved in everything. I try to keep my life as simple as possible, not to accumulate too many things. Some of my art pieces incorporate the marine debris and the plastic pollution to remind people and make them aware of where’d this stuff come from.
I was very nervous the first time I showed my artwork. But it gives me joy to repurpose all these man-made objects that have passed their use-by date. You only live once. No shame. People will like it or they won’t like it. It doesn’t matter, so long as it gives you personal satisfaction. The possibilities are endless on what you could do to fill your time, to keep you on your toes, to keep you socially engaged, mentally engaged.
ABOVE:
An early morning beachcombing session for Mark Cunningham at Makapu‘u Beach Park
Blanche McMillan
72 years old
Take Care of Other People
And be bold about showing your aloha.
Blanche McMillan, 72, is the founder of Hui Mahi‘ai ‘Āina, which provides village-style housing to the houseless in Waimānalo. Currently 96 people live there, in 59 temporary homes and 14 tents, including 26 children, 20 kūpuna and four cancer patients. Having grown up in a family of 17, McMillan credits her parents for instilling her with the kuleana to care for others.
Without governmental permission, McMillan started sheltering homeless people during the pandemic, after public facilities at Waimānalo Beach Park shut down. But after officials visited and saw residents growing food and taking care of the property, grants and funding followed, allowing McMillan to expand both the village and her vision.
As told to Diane Seo
When the pandemic came, they shut down showers, toilets, water, everything, and I said, “My people not gonna survive. They’re gonna die out there.” My heart was saying, “Help my people.” So, I went to the beach and brought them home. I told them, with God’s help, nobody’s gonna bother me because God wants his people home. I said, “We’re gonna work hard. We’re going to work this land, and the land is going to take care of us the old Hawaiian way.”
When they told me I could only put seven homes, I went up to 14 homes. After the 14 homes, I went to 27 homes. They say, “You need to stop.” I said, “No, I’m not stopping. I’m bringing home more people.” When I brought people home, my heart became bigger. My answer is never “no.” Even if we’re full here, I always find a way to bring them home and put up another tent.
I believe that being Hawaiian, we always had the aloha in our hearts, so that’s what we’re doing today. I wasn’t scared at all, because I did my environmental assessment, brought in archaeologists, did the soil conservation, and I took it up to the DLNR, but there was no word from them. So, I said to myself, “I’m not going to listen. If I did something wrong, forgive me, but I did it for my people.”
I always tell my people here, “Love one another, be one family, and always pick each other up and never let go.” Today’s young generation does not know how to give back, how to take care of each other. Bringing kids here, some of them don’t even know the Hawaiian culture, how special it is.
Never lose hope. If people have no hope, they aren’t going to be free. They need to find hope, faith and love. I always tell people the only way that you can do the correct thing is to put the Lord before you. Because when you do that, everything will open for you. If you’re gonna wait to do something, it’s not gonna work. But if you follow your heart, you will get where you want to go. And you will believe in yourself that things can work. And that’s why I tell people: “Believe in the things that you care about and love.”
ABOVE: “Auntie” Blanche McMillan makes sure all residents contribute to the upkeep up the property.
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
“Helping others accomplish things. Make other people successful, or happy, or accomplish their objectives—that makes me happy.”
—Derek Kurisu, 74, Hilo
“Being a good husband, father, friend and citizen. Being a former Marine, I believe in that very strongly.”
—Bobby Smith, 79, Mililani
“One, to be in good health. Two, to share great stories as a kupuna to my grandchildren and to students that are willing to listen.”
—Iwalani Wahinekapu Walsh Tseu, 75, Mililani
“Sitting on the grass under the tangerine tree and watching the birds, the butterflies, the insects running around. I’m not really thinking about anything.”
—Jade Chang, 94, Kāhala
“Hearing kids at a pool or hearing children. It reminds me of my own children and my grandkids. To see or hear a happy child is a treasure.”
—Barbara Tannehill, 83, Kaimukī
“There are so many things that make me happy—time with family and friends, creative projects, gardening under the moon and stars, reading and learning new things, a glass of wine, a good meal, a toast to life, too many to name! A big driver of my happiness is knowing that I make others happy by being nonjudgmental, looking for the best in them and treating them as how I would like to be treated.”
—Willene Wainani Bell, 84, Waimānalo
Kupuna Resource Guide
With more than 200 organizations to help seniors learn, live and thrive in Hawai‘i.
Smile Through Retirement
Your smile doesn’t have to retire when you do. It’s important to keep yours healthy as you enter the next chapter of your life. In fact, a healthy smile is linked to better overall health and well-being.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE DENTAL INSURANCE WHEN YOU RETIRE?
Gum disease (68%) and dry mouth (30%) are widespread among Americans 65 and older. In addition, people over 65 are more susceptible to oral cancer. Access quality dentists in your area:
More than 1 in every 4 seniors have not visited their dentist in the last five years. A dental plan from HDS makes it simple to choose a local dentist from the largest network in Hawai‘i, Guam and Saipan.
Studies show a strong correlation between dental health and overall health.
Dental insurance typically covers services from routine cleanings and checkups to major procedures – so you can take control of your health and be prepared for unforeseen expenses.
CHOOSE A DENTAL PLAN THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
Research Dental Insurance Companies
There are many factors to consider when choosing a dental insurance company. Choose a company with a good reputation, a ordable dental plans, and coverage for a range of treatment options.
Access To Quality Dentists
There are a lot of benefits to being a part of a larger dental network, such as the ability to choose from a large pool of dentists and the increased likelihood of being able to stay in-network should you need to find a new dentist. With an HDS dental plan, you have access to the largest network of dentists in Hawai‘i, Guam and Saipan, as well as the U.S. Mainland.
Ensure Coverage Meets Your Oral Health Needs Year-Round
Your oral health directly a ects your overall health and quality of life. Regular visits to the dentist help you stay healthy year-round. HDS plans provide 100% coverage for routine visits. Dental plans cover services like basic and major procedures. Take control of expenses with an HDS dental plan that covers what you need so you pay less out-of-pocket.
For more information on dental plans:
Visit: HawaiiDentalService.com Or Call: (808) 529-9248
DENTAL CARE THROUGH MEDICAID OR MEDICARE
Adults with Medicaid are eligible to receive dental benefits. HDS Medicaid can help you find a dentist and schedule an appointment. Call our HDS Medicaid partner, Community Case Management Corp. (CCMC) at (808) 792-1070 or toll-free at 1-888-792-1070, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
HDS also partners with WellCare by ‘Ohana Health Plan, AlohaCare, and Kaiser Permanente to provide dental benefits for their Medicare Advantage plans.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
48 General Resources
Don’t know where to start? These organizations can advise and connect you with a wide variety of services and resources in many categories.
48 Care for Caregivers
Education and support for caregivers.
48 Community Services
Information and referral services, senior clubs and organizations, and volunteer opportunities.
50 Enrichment
Education, exercise and senior centers.
52 Financial
Help understanding public benefits, money management, fraud, social security and financial assistance.
52 Food Food banks and meal services.
53 Home and Community Long-Term Care Services
Adult day care and day health, case management, companionship, home care services, home health agencies and personal care.
54 Housing Information on affordable senior housing, homelessness, housing searches, assisted living and nursing homes.
56 Identification
Where to get ID cards and more.
56 Legal
Advance directives and legal services.
57 Specific Audiences
Alzheimer’s, dementia and diabetes assistance; assistive technology; services for the blind, deaf and visually/ hearing impaired; and veterans.
57 Transportation
Driver and pedestrian information, and local transportation.
When it comes to your family, only the best will do. arcadia.org
Thank you to the readers of HONOLULU Magazine and to our supporters for your votes! You helped us win the 2025 “Best of HONOLULU” awards. For 58 years, we’ve been your trusted resource for senior living options. We will continue to serve and protect the lives of Hawaii’s kupuna.
Arcadia
Adult Day Care & Day Health Center at Central Union Church
Resource Centers
There are hundreds of organizations in Hawai‘i that offer education, assistance, care or support for kūpuna and their families. The following resource centers cover a wide range of services and are also invaluable for their work connecting those in need of programs with those who can serve them best. If you are not sure what you are looking for, turn to these experts for guidance.
AARP Hawai‘i
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to empowering adults 50 years and older and their ‘ohana. With 150,000 members in the Islands, AARP provides opportunities for seniors to choose how they live as they age by holding activities and events, as well as sharing practical resources, such as the Kūpuna Digital Resource Directory to help older adults access the internet. Membership includes access to community referrals, support and practical resources on caregiving, financial security, fighting fraud and much more.
Aloha United Way 211
Aloha United Way is a nonprofit organization that brings together resources, organizations and people within the community to advance health, education and financial stability initiatives. One of its most useful resources is its 211 telephone help line, which works as a statewide comprehensive community information and referral service. Callers can speak with local experts who are trained to connect people to more than 1,300 agencies and 4,000 programs for food, shelter, financial assistance, elder care, disability service and much more. The help line is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Catholic Charities Hawai‘i
Catholic Charities Hawai‘i has been serving the Islands since 1947 and is part of the largest private network of social service organizations in America. It provides help for a variety of needs, including emergency financial assistance grants and housing. In 2024, it provided information and referrals to more than 44,000 people through its help line. CCH networks with other agencies to provide material assistance such as clothing, utilities and food, and provides seniors with in-home and community services along with assistance filling out applications for public benefits and finding transportation.
City and County of Honolulu, Elderly Affairs Division
The Elderly Affairs Division was created to plan, support and advocate for programs that promote the well-being of older adults and caregivers in our community. It partners with other organizations to provide care services, including educational presentations, community referrals and training opportunities for informal family caregivers, with the goal of addressing and responding to the priority needs of all seniors.
Executive Office on Aging
This state-run agency coordinates aging and caregiver support services across the Islands, including Senior Medicare Patrol Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i State Health Insurance Assistance Program, Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, Healthy Aging Partnership, and In-Home and Community-Based Services.
Hawai‘i Aging and Disability Resource Center
The Hawai‘i ADRC is a one-stop organization that helps older adults, individuals with disabilities and family caregivers find long-term support and services. The state- and county-funded ADRC also has county offices and directories of services to assist people of all incomes and ages for free. Staff can help determine if you are eligible for public benefits and programs. They may also assist you in finding providers and developing a plan for your future long-term care.
HMSA
Since 1938, the Hawai‘i Medical Service Association has worked to improve the lives of its members and advance the health of families and communities statewide. HMSA Medicare Advantage plans offer kūpuna access to quality health plans at low costs. In addition, HMSA provides free Medicare workshops, in-person customer service at HMSA Centers, and well-
being and preventive care programs. Visit hmsa. com/well-being for health, lifestyle and medical resources or hmsa.com/medicare for information about HMSA Medicare Advantage.
Kūpuna Care Pair
Kūpuna Care Pair helps families compare and connect with more than 14,000 care services and facilities in Hawai‘i. Sign up for a free account to view the listings in a comprehensive map. The site also offers blogs about what you should know about elder care and recordings of past seminars.
KūpunaWiki
Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m., tune in to AM690 or FM 94.3 for the KūpunaWiki Radio Show, answering your questions about real estate, finance, estate planning, senior housing, and health and wellness for older adults. You can listen to past shows, watch seminars or read blogs on these topics on its website.
Our Kūpuna
More than 70,000 volunteer hours have gone into helping more than 600 kūpuna since 2020, with more than 50,000 bags of groceries, medication and other necessities going to those in need. Our Kūpuna has grown to include socializing and wellness opportunities, such as virtual yoga or ‘ukulele, pen pal letters and weekly phone calls with volunteers.
GENERAL RESOURCES
AARP Hawai‘i
1001 Bishop St., Suite 625 1-866-295-7282 hiaarp@aarp.org states.aarp.org/hawaii
The Caregiver Foundation 926 Third St., Pearl City (808) 625-3782 info@thecaregiverfoundation. org thecaregiverfoundation.org
HMSA’s Caregiver Resources Guide hmsa.com/content/assets/ hmsa-information-caregivers. pdf
Kōkua Kalihi Valley Elder Care Services 1846 Gulick Ave. (808) 848-0977 info@kkv.net kkv.net/elder
Native Hawaiian Caregiver Support Program 550 Pai‘ea St., Suite 226 (808) 535-6700 info@alulike.org alulike.org/services/kumu-kahi/ caregiver-support
Caregiver Support Groups
The Caregiver Foundation Support Group
Virtual: third Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. (register online) (808) 625-3782 info@thecaregiverfoundation. org thecaregiverfoundation.org/csg
Hale Hau‘oli Hawai‘i –Caregiver Support Group Virtual: first Monday of every month (email to register) (808) 292-4665 kwyatt01@aol.com halehauolihawaii.org
Project Dana 902 University Ave. (808) 945-3736 info@projectdana.org projectdana.org
Windward Senior Day Care Center – CG Support Group 77 N. Kainalu Drive, Kailua (808) 261-4947 wsdcckailua@gmail.com, address to Torri Kon windwardseniordaycarecenter. org
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Information and Referral
Aloha United Way 200 N. Vineyard Blvd., Suite 700 (808) 536-1951 info@auw.org auw.org
Better Business Bureau of Hawai‘i Inc. (808) 628-3939 bbb.org/us/hi/honolulu
City & County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services 925 Dillingham Blvd., Suite 257 (808) 768-4385 csd@honolulu.gov honolulu.gov/csd
KHON2 Action Line 88 Pi‘ikoi St. (808) 591-0222 actionline@khon2.com khon2.com/action-line
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48
National Eldercare Locator 1-800-677-1116 eldercarelocator@n4a.org eldercare.acl.gov
Senior Helpline, Elderly Affairs Division
925 Dillingham Blvd., Suite 200 (808) 768-7700 elderlyaffairs.com
Senior Clubs & Organizations
AARP Hawai‘i
1001 Bishop St., Suite 625 1-866-295-7282 hiaarp@aarp.org states.aarp.org/hawaii
Department of Parks & Recreation – Makua Ali‘i 1000 Ulu‘ōhi‘a St., Suite 300, Kapolei (808) 768-3045 dprseniorcitizens@honolulu. gov honolulu.gov/dpr/ seniors-kupuna
Hawai‘i State Teachers Association – Retired 1200 Ala Kapuna St. (808) 840-2258 hstaretired12@gmail.com hstaretired.org
HGEA – Retirees Unit 888 Mililani St., Suite 401 (808) 543-0054 retirees@hgea.org hgea.org/our-union/retirees
NARFE – National Active & Retired Federal Employees Hawai‘i Chapters sites.google.com/site/narfehi/ home
Volunteer Opportunities
Catholic Charities Hawai‘i 1822 Ke‘eaumoku St. Main line: (808) 524-4673, help line: (808) 521-4357 info@catholiccharitieshawaii. org
catholiccharitieshawaii.org
Hawai‘i Island Community Office 62 Kino‘ole St., Hilo Kona 73-5618 Maiau St., Suite B201, Kailua-Kona
Maui Community Office 65 S. Kane St., Kahului
Kaua‘i Community Office 4373 Rice St., Suite 1, Līhu‘e
Hawai‘i Long-Term Care Ombudsman 250 S. Hotel St., Suite 406 (808) 586-7268 info@hi-ltc-ombudsman.org hi-ltc-ombudsman.org
Project Dana 902 University Ave. (808) 945-3736 info@projectdana.org projectdana.org
Kapi‘olani Community College – Continuing Education & Training 4303 Diamond Head Road, Manono Building, Room 111A (808) 734-9211 kccocet@hawaii.edu continuinged.kapiolani.hawaii. edu
Mailing address
4303 Diamond Head Road, ‘Ilima Building, Room 203 Honolulu, HI 96816
Leeward Community College –Office of Continuing Education & Workforce Development 96-045 Ala ‘Ike St., CE-101, Pearl City (808) 455-0477 workdev@hawaii.edu leeward.hawaii.edu/ workforceocewd.org
Dept. of Parks & Recreation –Therapeutic Recreation Unit 1000 Ulu‘ōhi‘a St., Suite 309, Kapolei (808) 768-3027 parks-tru@honolulu.gov honolulu.gov/dpr/therapeuticrecreation-beach-wheelchairs
From hospice services that bring comfort at life’s most precious moments, to adult day care that keeps kūpuna active and engaged, we’re here every step of the way. We support caregivers—because caring for loved ones takes a village.
Choose St. Francis, where kūpuna and their families are uplifted with excellent, ‘ohanacentered care.
Mō‘ili‘ili Community CenterKūpuna Support 2535 S. King St. (808) 955-1555 deliab@moiliilicc.org, office@moiliilicc.org moiliilicc.org/kupuna-support. html
Waikīkī Community Center 310 Paoakalani Ave. (808) 923-1802 info@waikikicommunitycenter. org
Ke Ola Pono No Nā Kūpuna Program — Alu Like Inc. 550 Pai‘ea St., Suite 226 (808) 535-6700 info@alulike.org alulike.org/services/kumu-kahi/ ke-ola-pono-no-na-kupuna
Lanakila Pacific — Meals on Wheels 1809 Bachelot St. (808) 356-8519 mow@lanakilapacific.org lanakilapacific.org
1002 N. School St. (808) 204-9042 hpha@hawaii.gov hpha.hawaii.gov
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development –Honolulu Field Office 1003 Bishop St., Suite 2100 (808) 457-4662 HI_Webmanager@hud.gov hud.gov/states/hawaii
IDENTIFICATION
Alzheimer’s Association –Hawai‘i Chapter 677 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 301 (808) 242-8636, (808) 591-2771 alohainfo@alz.org alz.org/hawaii
MedicAlert Foundation 1-800-432-5378 medicalert.org
Satellite City Halls
Ala Moana Center 1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 1255 honolulu.gov/csd/ services-and-locations/#satellite
Downtown 1041 Nu‘uanu Ave., Suite A (808) 768-4103 honolulu.gov/csd/ services-and-locations/#satellite
Hawai‘i Kai
6600 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, Suite 101 honolulu.gov/csd/ services-and-locations/#satellite
Kalihi-Kapālama Hale
925 Dillingham Blvd., Suite 102 honolulu.gov/csd/ services-and-locations/#satellite Kāne‘ohe
45-480 Kāne‘ohe Bay Drive, Suite C06, Kāne‘ohe honolulu.gov/csd/ services-and-locations/#satellite
Aloha State Association of the Deaf asad808secretary@gmail.com facebook.com/asad.hawaii
American Foundation for the Blind 1-800-232-5463, (212) 502-7600 afb.org
Deaf Center at Kapi‘olani Community College 4303 Diamond Head Road, Mokihana 103 (808) 734-9891 kapdss@hawaii.edu kapiolani.hawaii.edu/ support-and-campus-life/dsso
TheBus – O‘ahu Transit Services Inc. 811 Middle St. (808) 848-5555 ext. 5 thebusstop@honolulu.gov thebus.org
TheHandi-Van – O‘ahu Transit Services Inc. 811 Middle St. (808) 456-5555 handivan@honolulu.gov honolulu.gov/dts/thehandivan
TheHandi-Van Eligibility Center
1100 Ward Ave., Suite 835 (808) 538-0033 handivan@honolulu.gov honolulu.gov/dts/thehandivan/ thehandivan-eligibility-info
I N T R O D U C I N G
We’re excited to offer our readers expanded coverage of home design. Look for our new HONOLULU Home sections in 2026.
IN HAWAI‘I 2026
THE NUMBER OF LEGAL PRACTICE AREAS HERE— 104—ATTESTS THAT LIFE IS COMPLICATED. BUT THERE’S NO NEED TO FACE THOSE COMPLICATIONS WITHOUT AN ADVOCATE.
THERE ARE 4,944 ACTIVE ATTORNEYS IN HAWAI‘I, according to the Hawai‘i State Bar Association. This means that the 478 attorneys listed here are the top 9.6%.
We turned to Best Lawyers®, publisher of The Best Lawyers in America®, for this list. The research method is purely peer review—no attorneys can buy their way onto the list, nor is any purchase necessary. To determine the list, Best Lawyers takes nominations (and no,
lawyers may not nominate themselves, either) in each practice area. Lawyers who appeared in previous lists also make this first cut. Best Lawyers then polls lawyers, asking, “If you were unable to take a case yourself, how likely would you be to refer it to this nominee?”
There are even more layers of research than this, and a detailed explanation of the methodology can be found on the next page and at bestlawyers.com/methodology.
See page 66 for the Best Lawyers in Hawai‘i
See page 92 for Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Scan to see each attorney’s full listing, including address and website
METHODOLOGY FOR THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA® AND BEST LAWYERS: ONES TO WATCH® IN AMERICA
This list is excerpted from the 2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, the pre-eminent referral guides to the legal profession in the United States. Published since 1983, Best Lawyers® lists attorneys in 150 specialties, representing all 50 states, who have been chosen through an exhaustive survey in which thousands of the nation’s top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America is based on more than 14.7 million evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.
The method used to compile Best Lawyers remains unchanged since the first edition was compiled more than 40 years ago. Lawyers are chosen for inclusion based solely on the vote of their peers. Listings cannot be bought, and no purchase is required to be included. In this regard, Best Lawyers remains the gold standard of reliability and integrity in lawyer ratings.
The nomination pool for the 2026 edition consisted of all lawyers whose names appeared in the previous edition of Best Lawyers, lawyers who were nominated since the previous survey and new nominees solicited from listed attorneys. In general, lawyers were asked to vote only on nominees in their own specialty in their own jurisdiction. Lawyers in closely related specialties were asked to vote across specialties, as were lawyers in smaller jurisdictions. Where specialties are national or international in nature, lawyers were asked to vote nationally as well as locally. Voting lawyers were also given an opportunity to offer more detailed comments on nominees. Each year, half of the voting pool receives fax or email ballots; the other half is polled by phone.
Voting lawyers were provided this general guideline for determining if a nominee should be listed among “the best”: “If you had a close friend or relative who needed a real estate lawyer (for example), and you could not handle the case yourself, to whom would you refer them?” All votes and comments were solicited with a guarantee of confidentiality—a critical factor in the viability and validity of Best Lawyers’ surveys. To ensure the rigor of the selection process, lawyers were urged to use only their highest standards when voting and to evaluate each nominee based only on his or her individual merits. The additional comments were used to make more accurate comparisons between voting patterns and weight votes accordingly. Best Lawyers uses various methodological tools to identify and correct for anomalies in both the nomination and voting process.
Recognition in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America is based entirely on peer review and employs the same methodology that has made Best Lawyers the gold standard for legal rankings worldwide. These awards are recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Our “Ones to Watch” recipients typically have been in practice for 5-9 years.
Ultimately, of course, a lawyer’s inclusion is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow attorneys. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, the breadth of the survey, the candor of the respondents and the sophistication of the polling methodology largely correct for any biases.
For all these reasons, Best Lawyers lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate and useful guide to the best lawyers in the United States available anywhere.
CREDIT
The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America are published by BL Rankings, LLC, Augusta, GA. and can be ordered directly from the publisher. For information call 803-648-0300; write 801 Broad Street Suite 950, Augusta GA 30901; email info@bestlawyers.com ; or visit bestlawyers.com . An online subscription to Best Lawyers® is available at bestlawyers.com.
DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT
BL Rankings, LLC has used its best efforts in assembling material for this list but does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause. All listed attorneys have been verified as being members in good standing with their respective state bar associations as of July 1, 2025, where that information is publicly available. Consumers should contact their state bar association for verification and additional information prior to securing legal services of any attorney.
Copyright 2025 by BL Rankings, LLC, Augusta, GA. All rights reserved. This list, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission. No commercial use of this list may be made without permission of BL Rankings, LLC. No fees may be charged, directly or indirectly, for the use of this list without permission.
“The Best Lawyers in America,” “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch,” “Purely Peer Review” and “Best Lawyers” are registered trademarks of BL Rankings, LLC.
2026 “LAWYER OF THE YEAR” HONOREES
Who is the best of the best? According to Best Lawyers, these awards are given to “individual lawyers with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for each specialty and location.”
Congratulations to all. You can also find the honorees identified in the full listings with a * .
Administrative/ Regulatory Law
Jennifer A. Lim
Appellate Practice
Trevor A. Brown
Arbitration
Patrick H. Jones
Banking and Finance Law
Lisa A. Young
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Theodore D.C. Young
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Joachim P. Cox
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Nathan T. Okubo
Civil Rights Law
Douglas S. Chin
Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
Stewart Pressman
Construction Law
Keith Y. Yamada
Corporate Governance Law
Jeffrey S. Piper
Corporate Law
Tom Van Winkle
Criminal Defense: General Practice
Thomas M. Otake
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Richard H. S. Sing
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
C. Michael Heihre
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
John C. Khil
Employment Law – Individuals
Leighton M. Hara
Employment Law
– Management
Sarah O. Wang
Energy Law
Kent D. Morihara
Energy
Regulatory Law
Craig I. Nakanishi
Environmental Law
Ian L. Sandison
Family Law
Naoko C. Miyamoto
Government Contracts
William M. Kaneko
Government Relations Practice
William M. Kaneko
Immigration Law
Maile M. Hirota
Insurance Law
Geoffrey K. S. Komeya
Labor Law –Management
Darin R. Leong
Land Use and Zoning Law
Craig G. Nakamura
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
April A. Luria
Litigation –Bankruptcy
Ted N. Pettit
Litigation –Construction
Adrian L. Lavarias
Litigation –Environmental
Arsima A. Muller
Litigation –Insurance
Tred R. Eyerly
Litigation – Labor and Employment
Sarah O. Wang
Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
Mauna Kea Trask
Litigation – Real Estate
Calvert G. Chipchase IV
Litigation –Securities
Joachim P. Cox
Litigation – Trusts and Estates
Douglas C. Smith
Litigation and Controversy – Tax
Chris S. Mashiba
Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions –Defendants
Duane R. Miyashiro
Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions –Plaintiffs
Bruce H. Wakuzawa
Mediation
Christopher S. Yeh
Medical Malpractice Law –Defendants
Trisha L. Nishimoto
Medical Malpractice Law –Plaintiffs
James J. Bickerton
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Michael J. O’Malley
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Sharon V. Lovejoy
Nonprofit/ Charities Law
Hugh R. Jones
Personal Injury Litigation –Defendants
John-Anderson L. Meyer
Personal Injury Litigation –Plaintiffs
Michael R. Cruise
Product Liability Litigation –Defendants
Thomas Benedict
Product Liability Litigation –Plaintiffs
Jon S. Jacobs
Real Estate Law
Janel M. Yoshimoto
Tax Law
Trever Asam
Trusts and Estates
Curtis B. K. Yuen
Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
Jacqueline W.S. Amai
TERENCE J. O’TOOLE
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Appellate Practice | Arbitration
Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law
Litigation: Banking & Finance
Bet-The-Company | Commercial
Construction | Land Use & Zoning
Mergers & Acquisitions
Real Estate | Mass Tort/Class
Actions-Plaintiffs
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu
Bet-The-Company Litigation (2011, 2019, 2023)
Appellate Practice (2014, 2018, 2022, 2024)
Litigation: Banking & Finance (2012, 2015, 2024)
Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Plaintiffs (2020)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25” Business Litigation
Chambers USA, Star
Litigation/General Commercial
Benchmark Litigation | Appellate
Plaintiff-Litigation Star
KENNETH B. MARCUS
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Commercial Finance Law
Leisure & Hospitality Law
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Real Estate Law
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu
Mergers & Acquisitions (2017, 2025)
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) (2016)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25”
Real Estate Law
Chambers USA
Real Estate Law
Corporate/Commercial
DUANE R. FISHER
President/Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Construction Law
Corporate Law
Land Use & Zoning Law
Leisure & Hospitality Law
Real Estate Law
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) (2020, 2023)
Corporate Law (2015)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25”
Real Estate Law
Chambers USA
Real Estate Law
Corporate/Commercial
NORMAN H. Y. CHENG
Managing Director The Best Lawyers in America®
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Corporate Law
Leisure & Hospitality Law
Real Estate Law
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25”
Real Estate Law
Chambers USA
Real Estate Law | Corporate Law
Forbes Best-in-State
MAILE S. MILLER
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Litigation: Commercial | Real Estate Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Land Use & Zoning Law
Litigation: Environmental
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Rising Star-Business Litigation Benchmark Litigation | Future Star
JOHN W. K ELLY
Senior Litigation Counsel
The Best Lawyers in America®
Litigation: Commercial | Real Estate Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Litigation: Intellectual Property
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Rising Star-IP Litigation (2020)
ANDREW J. LAUTENBACH
Director The Best Lawyers in America® Appellate Practice Litigation: Commercial Construction
Litigation
A.BERNARD BAYS
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Land Use & Zoning Law
Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants
Litigation: Commercial | Real Estate
Trusts & Estates | Land Use & Zoning
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu
Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants (2015)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25” Business Litigation
LAUREN K. O. KAGAWA
DOUG CHIN
Director The Best Lawyers in America®
Administrative/Regulatory Law
Appellate Practice
Civil Rights Law
Government Relations Practice
Litigation: Commercial “Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu Administrative/Regulatory Law (2025)
Civil Rights Law (2023, 2026)
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Business Litigation
Chambers USA Litigation/General Commercial
Litigation | Litigation Star
SARA S. T. STRONA
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Real Estate Law
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Corporate Law
Hawaii
A L AW C ORPORATION
SHARON V. LOVEJOY
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Appellate Practice | Arbitration
Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Qui Tam Law
Litigation: Banking & Finance
Bet-The-Company | Commercial
Construction | Environmental
Land Use & Zoning | Real Estate
Mass Tort Litigation/Class
Actions-Defendants
Mass Tort Litigation/Class
Actions-Plaintiffs
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu
Appellate Practice (2020)
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law (2015, 2019, 2024, 2026)
Litigation: Banking & Finance (2014, 2022, 2025)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25”
Business Litigation
Chambers USA
Litigation/General Commercial
Benchmark Litigation (2012-2014)
Top 250 Women in Litigation
Benchmark Litigation
Appellate-Litigation Star
CHRISTINA N. OHIRA
TREVOR
A.
BROWN
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Appellate Practice | Arbitration
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses | Corporate Law
Commercial Transactions/UCC Law
Ethics & Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Real Estate Law | Litigation: Commercial
Real Estate | Securities | Trusts & Estates
Product Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu Appellate Practice (2026)
Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants (2022, 2024)
Litigation: Securities(2020, 2023, 2025)
Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses (2019)
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law (2017)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25”
Business Litigation
Chambers USA
Litigation/General Commercial
Real Estate Law
Chambers Private Wealth Law
Benchmark Litigation | Litigation Star
STEPHANIE E. W. THOMPSON
KUKUI CLAYDON
Director
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
Litigation: Commercial Construction
Real Estate
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Rising Star-Business Litigation
CORI J. TERAYAMA
Transactional Associate
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Rising Star-Real Estate Law
JUDITH A. PAVEY
Of Counsel
The Best Lawyers in America®
Appellate Practice | Arbitration
Medical Malpractice Law-Plaintiffs
Personal Injury-Plaintiffs
Product Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs
Litigation: Banking & Finance
Commercial | Construction
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu
Medical Malpractice Law-Plaintifs (2020, 2023)
Product Liability Law-Plaintiffs (2014, 2019)
Litigation: Banking & Finance (2013, 2018, 2023)
Hawaii Super Lawyers “Top 25”
Business Litigation
Chambers USA
Litigation/General Commercial
Benchmark Litigation
Plaintiff-Litigation Star
IVAN M. LUI–KWAN
Director
The Best Lawyers in America®
Administrative/Regulatory Law
Government Relations Practice
Land Use & Zoning Law
Leisure & Hospitality Law
Real Estate Law
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu Administrative/Regulatory Law (2022, 2024)
Government Relations Practice (2015, 2018, 2023)
Hawaii Super Lawyers® List
Real Estate Law (2017, 2018)
Chambers USA Land Use & Zoning Law
LINDSAY
Practice
Corporate Law
Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law
Government Relations Practice
Land Use & Zoning
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Real Estate Law
Chambers USA Real Estate Law
PAUL SATO
Counsel
The Best Lawyers in America®
Real Estate Law
Litigation: Commercial Real Estate
NICOLE H. K IM
Transactional Associate
Hawaii Super Lawyers
Rising Star-Real Estate Law
Our Firm Proudly Congratulates Our Best Lawyers®
SHARON V. LOVEJOY
Director
“…a top level litigator. Very diligent and persistent, strategic and sharp.”
Chambers and Partners USA, Market Comment
Best Lawyers® Recognized Practice Areas
Appellate Practice
Arbitration
Bet-The-Company Litigation
Eminent Domain & Condemnation Law
Litigation: Banking & Finance
Commercial
Construction
Environmental
Land Use & Zoning
Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Defendants
Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions-Plaintiffs
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Qui Tam Law
Real Estate Litigation
“Women Who Mean Business” Paci c Business News
Also Recognized
“Top 25”
Hawaii Super Lawyers® List
Business Litigation
Chambers and Partners USA
Commercial Litigation
“Top 250”
Women in Litigation USA
Benchmark Litigation
“Litigation Star”
Benchmark Litigation
Martindale-Hubbell®
AV “Preeminent” Rating
TREVOR A. BROWN
Director
“Most talented strategic thinker... stands out in a room of the local elite.”
Chambers and Partners USA, Market Comment
Best Lawyers® Recognized Practice Areas
Appellate Practice
Arbitration
Business Organizations
(including LLCs and Partnerships)
Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses
Corporate Law
Commercial Transactions/UCC Law
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
Legal Malpractice Law-Defendants
Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law
Real Estate Law
Litigation: Commercial Real Estate
Securities
Trusts & Estates
Product Liability-Plaintiffs
Also Recognized
“Top 25”
Hawaii Super Lawyers® List Business Litigation
Chambers and Partners USA
Commercial Litigation
Real Estate Law
Chambers High Net Worth Guide
Private Wealth Law
“Litigation Star”
Benchmark Litigation
Martindale-Hubbell®
AV “Preeminent” Rating
“Lawyer of the Year” Honolulu Recipients
DOUGLAS S. CHIN Director
“Doug is a smart and savvy litigator with an understated but rm presence in court...” Chambers and Partners USA, Market Comment
Best Lawyers® Recognized Practice Areas
Administrative/Regulatory Law
Appellate Practice Civil Rights Law
Government Relations Practice
Litigation: Commercial
Honolulu Police Commission (2020-Current)
Attorney General, State of Hawaii (2015-2018)
Hawaii Lt. Governor (2018)
Champion for Social Justice
Hawaii State Bar Association (2017)
Managing Director City & County of Honolulu (2010-2013)
Also Recognized
Hawaii Super Lawyers® List
Business Litigation
Chambers and Partners USA
Commercial Litigation
“Litigation Star”
Benchmark Litigation
Martindale-Hubbell®
AV “Preeminent” Rating
Our Power is Our People, Our Clients Are Our Purpose
Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher is a leader among Hawaii law rms, recognized for its expertise in real estate law, commercial transactions and complex commercial litigation in Hawaii, the US mainland and internationally. The rm’s intellectual power and mental strength and toughness generate winning strategies, strong negotiations and innovative settlements for clients. Firm attorneys have a passion for excellence and responsive client service, earning the rm a reputation for extraordinary client results.
Accolades
AV Preeminent ® Rated Firm – Martindale-Hubbell®
“Tier 1” – Best Law Firms® – 26 Practice Areas
9 Named “Lawyer of the Year” – The Best Lawyers in America® (2011-2026)
48 Recognitions – 15 Practice Areas
18 Best Lawyers® – The Best Lawyers in America®
2 Selected to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, 115 Recognitions – 37 Practice Areas
9 Lawyers Selected to the “Top 25” Hawaii Super Lawyers® List
15 Selected to the Hawaii Super Lawyers® List
9 Selected to the Rising Star List Business Litigation – Real Estate Law – IP Litigation
Lawyer Named “Star” by Chambers USA Commercial Litigation – Since 2012
Firm and 12 Lawyers Ranked by Chambers USA Business Litigation – Real Estate Law – Corporate/ Commercial Law – Land Use & Zoning Law
Firm and 2 Lawyers Ranked by Chambers High Net Worth Guide – Private Wealth Law
“Litigation Law Firm of the Year-Hawaii” Benchmark Litigation (2020-2022 & 2024, 2025)
6 Lawyers Named “Litigation Stars” by Benchmark Litigation, Two “Future Stars”
Lawyer Named “President’s Award Recipient”– NBTA
Lawyer Selected to Forbes America’s Best-in-State Top Lawyers List
Administrative/ Regulatory Law
Douglas S. Chin
Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Katherine Garson Carlsmith Ball (808) 935-6644
Joanne Lo Grimes Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
James Douglas Ing Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
Lyle M. Ishida Tom Petrus & Miller (808) 792-5800
Donna H. Kalama Kalama & Farm (808) 475-2940
Karl K. Kobayashi Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Jennifer A. Lim* Law Office of Jennifer A. Lim (808) 542-8516
Steven S. C. Lim Carlsmith Ball (808) 935-6644
Dennis M. Lombardi Case Lombardi (808) 547-5400
Ivan M. Lui-Kwan Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
William C. McCorriston McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (808) 529-7300
Arsima A. Muller Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Craig I. Nakanishi Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Lawrence S. Okinaga Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Jeffrey T. Ono Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
Ian L. Sandison Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
Robert E. Strand Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Gerald A. Sumida Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Puananionaona P. Thoene Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Patrick K. Wong Carlsmith Ball (808) 329-6464
Dean T. Yamamoto Yamamoto Hetherington (808) 540-4500
Jodi S. Yamamoto Yamamoto Hetherington (808) 540-4500
Wil Yamamoto Yamamoto Hetherington (808) 540-4500
Admiralty and Maritime Law
Arsima A. Muller Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
David W. Proudfoot Belles Graham LLP (808) 245-4705
Dean H. Robb Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Advertising Law
Martin E. Hsia Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Elijah Yip Luminate Law (808) 892-3370
Antitrust Law
Paul D. Alston Dentons US LLP (808) 524-1800
Steven M. Egesdal Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Gary G. Grimmer Gary G. Grimmer & Associates (808) 457-1330
Bert T. Kobayashi Jr. Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (808) 535-5700
William C. McCorriston McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (808) 529-7300
Jeffrey H. K. Sia Chong, Nishimoto, Sia, Nakamura & Goya LLLP (808) 537-6119
George W. Van Buren Van Buren & Shimizu (808) 599-3800
Alan Van Etten Deeley King Pang & Van Etten (808) 533-1751
Wayne R. Wagner Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Bruce H. Wakuzawa The Law Offices Of Bruce H. Wakuzawa (808) 523-1007
Labor Law –Management
David F. E. Banks Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Christopher J. Cole Marr Jones & Wang (808) 536-4900
Anna Elento-Sneed ES&A Inc. (808) 729-9400
Joseph A. Ernst Torkildson Katz (808) 523-6000
Wesley M. Fujimoto Ashford & Wriston LLLP (808) 539-0400
Leighton M. Hara Ota & Hara (808) 532-1728
Jeffrey S. Harris Torkildson Katz (808) 523-6000
Patrick H. Jones Marr Jones & Wang (808) 536-4900
Robert S. Katz Torkildson Katz (808) 523-6000
John L. Knorek Torkildson Katz (808) 523-6000
Darin R. Leong* Law Office of Darin R. Leong (808) 312-1055
Ronald Y. K. Leong Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
William N. Ota Ota & Hara (808) 532-1728
Richard M. Rand Marr Jones & Wang (808) 536-4900
Paul M. Saito Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Gregory M. Sato Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (808) 535-5700
Sarah O. Wang Marr Jones & Wang (808) 536-4900
Christopher S. Yeh Marr Jones & Wang (808) 536-4900
Labor Law –Union
Keani Alapa Alapa & Otake (808) 528-5003
Leading the way since 1922
Congratulations to our 2026 Best Lawyers® Honorees
Trever K. Asam: Tax Law
Calvert G. Chipchase: Litigation - Real Estate
C. Michael Heihre: Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Chris S. Mashiba: Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Craig I. Nakanishi: Energy Regulatory Law
Administrative / Regulatory Law: Craig I. Nakanishi
Advertising Law: Martin E. Hsia
Appellate Practice: Calvert G. Chipchase, Michi Momose
Arbitration: C. Michael Heihre, Amanda M. Jones, Keith Y. Yamada
Banking and Finance Law: Lisa D. Ayabe, Christopher T. Harrison, Rick Kiefer, Michele S. Loudermilk, John R. Love, Nathan T. Okubo, Reyn S. P. Ono*, Justin M. Sugiyama, Andrea K. Ushijima
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law: Theodore D. C. Young
Bet-the-Company Litigation: C. Michael Heihre, Jeffrey S. Portnoy, David Schulmeister
Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships): Geoffrey T. Mukae, Nathan T. Okubo
Commercial Finance Law: Craig I. Nakanishi
Commercial Litigation: Trisha H. S. T. Akagi, Dennis W. Chong Kee, Christopher T. Goodin, C. Michael Heihre, Lindsay N. McAneeley, Allison Mizuo Lee, Michi Momose, Bryce M. Nakamura*, Jeffrey S. Portnoy, David Schulmeister, Michael Soon Fah*, Roy A. Vitousek III
Construction Law: C. Michael Heihre, Kelly G. LaPorte, Bryce M. Nakamura*, Jeffrey M. Osterkamp, David Schulmeister, Michael Soon Fah*, Keith Y. Yamada
Corporate Governance Law: Craig I. Nakanishi
Corporate Law: David F. E. Banks, Ryan M. Hamaguchi, Geoffrey T. Mukae, Craig I. Nakanishi, Nathan T. Okubo
Education Law: Amanda M. Jones, Kelly G. LaPorte
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law: Calvert G. Chipchase, C. Michael Heihre, Philip J. Leas
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law: Roger W. Fonseca, Cheryl L. M. T. Itagaki
Employment Law - Management: David F. E. Banks, Amanda M. Jones, Jeffrey S. Portnoy, Paul M. Saito, Kristin S. Shigemura
Energy Law: Craig I. Nakanishi
Energy Regulatory Law: Craig I. Nakanishi
Environmental Law: Lindsay N. McAneeley, Patricia J. McHenry, Mark K. Murakami
Government Contracts: Calvert G. Chipchase
Insurance Law: Trisha H.S.T. Akagi, Peter W. Olson, Jeffrey S. Portnoy
Labor Law - Management: David F. E. Banks, Paul M. Saito
Land Use and Zoning Law: Calvert G. Chipchase, Darene K. Matsuoka*, Nathan T. Okubo, Mauna Kea Trask, Roy A. Vitousek III , Keola R. Whittaker
Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants: Jeffrey S. Portnoy
Leisure and Hospitality Law: Lisa D. Ayabe, John R. Love
Trisha L. Nishimoto: Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Nathan T. Okubo: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Mauna Kea Trask: Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
Keith Y. Yamada: Construction Law
Theodore D. C. Young: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Litigation - Bankruptcy: Theodore D. C. Young
Litigation - Construction: C. Michael Heihre, Kelly G. LaPorte, Bryce M. Nakamura*, Kirk M. Neste, David Schulmeister, Michael Soon Fah*, Keith Y. Yamada
Litigation - Environmental: Lindsay N. McAneeley
Litigation - First Amendment: Jeffrey S. Portnoy Litigation - Health Care: Trisha L. Nishimoto
Litigation - Insurance: Trisha L. Nishimoto, Peter W. Olson, Jeffrey S. Portnoy Litigation - Labor and Employment: Amanda M. Jones, Jeffrey S. Portnoy, Paul M. Saito, Kristin S. Shigemura
Litigation - Land Use and Zoning: Calvert G. Chipchase, Mauna Kea Trask, Roy A. Vitousek III
Litigation - Patent: Martin E. Hsia, Litigation - Real Estate: Trisha H. S. T. Akagi, Calvert G. Chipchase, Dennis W. Chong Kee, John P. Duchemin, Christopher T. Goodin, Christopher T. Harrison, C. Michael Heihre, Rick Kiefer, Kelly G. LaPorte, Lindsay N. McAneeley, Allison Mizuo Lee, Michi Momose, Bryce M. Nakamura*, Nathan T. Okubo, W. Keoni Shultz, Michael Soon Fah*, Lisa K. Swartzfager, Mauna Kea Trask, Roy A. Vitousek III
Litigation - Trusts and Estates: Pōhai Nu’uhiwa Campbell, Rhonda L. Griswold, Caitlin M. Moon*, Summer G. Shelverton, Daniel C. Vermillion
Litigation and Controversy - Tax: Trever K. Asam, Vito Galati, Chris S. Mashiba
Media Law: Peter W. Olson
Mediation: Keith Y. Yamada
Medical Malpractice Law: Trisha L. Nishimoto, Jeffrey S. Portnoy, Kristin S. Shigemura
Mergers and Acquisitions Law: David F. E. Banks
Patent Law: Martin E. Hsia
Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants: Jeffrey S. Portnoy
Real Estate Law: Lisa D. Ayabe, Calvert G. Chipchase, Christopher T. Goodin, Christopher T. Harrison, C. Michael Heihre, Sachi E. Hiatt, Rick Kiefer, Kelly G. LaPorte, Philip J. Leas, Michele S. Loudermilk, John R. Love, Darene K. Matsuoka*, Mark K. Murakami, Nathan T. Okubo, Reyn S. P. Ono*, W. Keoni Shultz, Justin M. Sugiyama, Mauna Kea Trask, Andrea K. Ushijima, Roy A. Vitousek III, Lori K. Wilke, Nathan C. Yang
Securities Regulation: David F. E. Banks
Tax Law: Trever K. Asam, Vito Galati, Chris S. Mashiba, Ryan M. Wilson
Trade Secrets Law: Martin E. Hsia
Trademark Law: Martin E. Hsia
Trusts and Estates: Pōhai Nu’uhiwa Campbell, Rhonda L. Griswold, Caitlin M. Moon*, Summer G. Shelverton, Daniel C. Vermillion
Water Law: Lindsay N. McAneeley
Lowell K. Y. ChunHoon
King Nakamura & Chun-Hoon (808) 521-8042
Sean Kim Law Office of Sean Kim (808) 383-2350
Land Use and Zoning Law
A. Bernard Bays
Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Michael J. Belles Belles Graham LLP (808) 245-4705
Calvert G. Chipchase IV Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Douglas A. Codiga Schlack Ito (808) 523-6040
Duane R. Fisher Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Katherine Garson Carlsmith Ball (808) 935-6644
Owen T. Iida Imanaka Asato (808) 521-9500
Brian A. Kang Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
Karl K. Kobayashi Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Benjamin A. Kudo Ashford & Wriston LLLP (808) 539-0400
Gregory W. Kugle Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Terrence M. Lee Lee & Martin (808) 628-7531
Jennifer A. Lim Law Office of Jennifer A. Lim (808) 542-8516
Steven S. C. Lim Carlsmith Ball (808) 935-6644
Ivan M. Lui-Kwan Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Kenneth B. Marcus Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
William Meheula Meheula Law (808) 599-9554
Mark M. Murakami Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Craig G. Nakamura* Carlsmith Ball (808) 242-4535
Anders G. O. Nervell Pulice Nervell, ALC (808) 535-8400
Christina N. Ohira Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Nathan T. Okubo Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Scott D. Radovich Schneider Tanaka Radovich Andrew & Tanaka (808) 792-4200
Joseph A. Stewart Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (808) 535-5700
Lorrie Stone Stone Law Firm (808) 342-2211
Robert E. Strand Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Barry A. Sullivan Sullivan Law Group (808) 628-7511
Puananionaona P. Thoene Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Mauna Kea Trask Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Roy A. Vitousek III Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Keola Whittaker Cades Schutte LLP (808) 871-6016
Rodd H. Yano JMY Law Group LLLC, A Limited Liability Law Company (808) 529-1000
Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
A. Bernard Bays Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
William A. Bordner Ashford & Wriston LLLP (808) 539-0400
Trevor A. Brown Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Joachim P. Cox Cox Fricke (808) 585-9440
April A. Luria* Roeca Luria Shin (808) 538-7500
William C. McCorriston McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (808) 529-7300
Jeffrey S. Portnoy Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Legal Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
James J. Bickerton Bickerton Law Group (808) 599-3811
William Meheula Meheula Law (808) 599-9554
Leisure and Hospitality Law
Lisa D. Ayabe Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Norman H.Y. Cheng Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Duane R. Fisher Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Alexander R. Jampel Jampel Law Firm (808) 226-7950
John R. Love Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Ivan M. Lui-Kwan Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Kenneth B. Marcus Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Litigation –Antitrust
Paul D. Alston Dentons US LLP (808) 524-1800
William C. McCorriston McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (808) 529-7300
David A. Nakashima Nakashima Ching (808) 784-2090
Litigation –Banking and Finance
Gary G. Grimmer Gary G. Grimmer & Associates (808) 457-1330
Sharon V. Lovejoy Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Terence J. O’Toole Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Lawrence S. Okinaga Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Judith Ann Pavey Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Tom E. Roesser Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Litigation –Bankruptcy
James N. Duca Lyons, Brandt, Cook & Hiramatsu (808) 524-7030
Ka‘ala Duffy Ka‘ala Duffy, Attorney at Law (808) 533-8811
Louise K. Y. Ing Dentons US LLP (808) 524-1800
Simon Klevansky Chun Kerr LLP (808) 528-8200
Christopher J. Muzzi Tsugawa Lau & Muzzi (808) 531-0490
Ted N. Pettit* Pettit Law Hawai‘i (808) 237-2477
Susan Tius Rush Moore (808) 521-0400
Theodore D.C. Young Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Litigation –Construction
Scott I. Batterman Pulice Nervell, ALC (808) 535-8400
Blake W. Bushnell Bushnell Law Group (808) 585-6050
Christian D. Chambers Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
Bennett J. Chin Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani (808) 441-1830
Matthew T. Evans Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Byron C. Feldman II Kale Feldman, Esq. (808) 256-5796
Charles W. Gall Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (808) 535-5700
Gary G. Grimmer Gary G. Grimmer & Associates (808) 457-1330
Leighton M. Hara Ota & Hara (808) 532-1728
William M. Harstad Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
C. Michael Heihre Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Nathaniel A. Higa Chun Kerr LLP (808) 528-8200
Jordan Inafuku McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (808) 529-7300
Cid H. Inouye Pulice Nervell, ALC (808) 535-8400
Gregory W. Kugle
Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Kenneth R. Kupchak Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Michael L. Lam Case Lombardi (808) 547-5400
Adam G. Lang Durrett Lang Morse (808) 526-0892
Kelly G. LaPorte Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Andrew J. Lautenbach Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Adrian L. Lavarias* Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
Sunny S. Lee Bronster Fujichaku Robbins (808) 524-5644
David M. Louie Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (808) 535-5700
Sarah M. Love
Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
Sharon V. Lovejoy Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Harvey J. Lung Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
John P. Manaut Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Michael R. Marsh Case Lombardi (808) 547-5400
William M. McKeon Berding & Weil (808) 242-6644
Craig G. Nakamura Carlsmith Ball (808) 242-4535
David A. Nakashima Nakashima Ching (808) 784-2090
Kirk M. Neste Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Terence J. O’Toole Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Anna H. Oshiro Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Judith Ann Pavey Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
Brad S. Petrus Tom Petrus & Miller (808) 792-5800
Crystal K. Rose Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
Edmund K. Saffery Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
David Schulmeister Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Matthew C. Shannon Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
Randall C. Whattoff Cox Fricke (808) 585-9440
Richard E. Wilson Law Office of Richard E. Wilson (808) 545-1311
Keith Y. Yamada Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Litigation –Environmental
Lisa A. Bail Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Sharon V. Lovejoy Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher (808) 537-6100
John P. Manaut Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Lindsay N. McAneeley Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Arsima A. Muller* Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Ian L. Sandison Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
Joyce W. Y. TamSugiyama Watanabe Ing (808) 544-8300
Elijah Yip Luminate Law (808) 892-3370
Litigation – First Amendment
Paul D. Alston Dentons US LLP (808) 524-1800
James J. Bickerton Bickerton Law Group (808) 599-3811
Mark S. Davis Davis Levin Livingston (808) 524-7500
Jeffrey S. Portnoy Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
LitigationHealth Care
William C. McCorriston McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon (808) 529-7300
John-Anderson L. Meyer Dentons US LLP (808) 524-1800
Trisha L. Nishimoto Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Litigation –Insurance
Christian K. Adams Adams Krek (808) 777-2900
Tristan S.D. Andres Deeley King Pang & Van Etten (808) 533-1751
Thomas Benedict Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons (808) 451-3180
Margery S. Bronster Bronster Fujichaku Robbins (808) 524-5644
Corlis J. Chang Law Offices of Corlis J. Chang (808) 208-8840
Kevin S.W. Chee Chee Markham & Kato (808) 892-2913
Matthew T. Evans Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Tred R. Eyerly* Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Linda Lee K. Farm Kalama & Farm (808) 475-2940
Lyle S. Hosoda Hosoda Law Group (808) 524-3700
Daniel P. Kirley Mattoch & Kirley (808) 523-2451
Geoffrey K. S. Komeya Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina & Fairbanks (808) 774-3497
Nenad Krek Adams Krek (808) 777-2900
Sunny S. Lee Bronster Fujichaku Robbins (808) 524-5644
Ashley R. Shibuya Tom Petrus & Miller (808) 792-5800
Alan Van Etten Deeley King Pang & Van Etten (808) 533-1751
Wayne R. Wagner Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Cynthia K. Wong Cynthia K. Wong (808) 727-2921
Litigation –Labor and Employment
Lowell K. Y. ChunHoon King Nakamura & Chun-Hoon (808) 521-8042
Christopher J. Cole Marr Jones & Wang (808) 536-4900
Anna Elento-Sneed ES&A Inc. (808) 729-9400
Wesley M. Fujimoto Ashford & Wriston LLLP (808) 539-0400
Leighton M. Hara Ota & Hara (808) 532-1728
Jerry M. Hiatt Hiatt & Hiatt (808) 523-1234
Duane Miyashiro Partner
Chun Kerr LLP is an award-winning law firm specializing in large, multifaceted real estate and business transactions, complex commercial litigation and tax controversies, and complicated bankruptcy and collections cases. Through cross-practice collaboration, artful dealmaking, results-oriented advocacy, and government affairs activities, we consistently deliver creative, viable solutions and strategic counsel to deliver winning results for our clients.
Scott A. Makuakane Est8Planning Counsel (808) 587-8227
Joy M. Miyasaki Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Duane R. Miyashiro Chun Kerr LLP (808) 528-8200
Kimberly A. Murakami Matsumoto Law Group (808) 548-5700
Mark M. Murakami Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Harry Y. Oda Kobayashi Sugita & Goda (808) 535-5700
Raymond K. Okada Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Crystal K. Rose Lung Rose Voss & Wagnild (808) 523-9000
Michael D. Rudy MacDonald Rudy O’Neill & Yamauchi (808) 523-3080
Edmund K. Saffery Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Rosemarie S. J. Sam Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Summer G. Shelverton Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Douglas C. Smith* Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Carroll S. Taylor Taylor, Leong & Chee (808) 913-0355
Daniel C. Vermillion Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Eric S.T. Young Law Offices of Eric S.T. Young (808) 427-1406
Madeleine M. V. Young Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert (808) 531-8031
Litigation and Controversy –Tax
Trever Asam Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Thomas R. Daniel Lee & Martin (808) 628-7531
Vito Galati Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Ronald I. Heller Torkildson Katz (808) 523-6000
Nathaniel A. Higa Chun Kerr LLP (808) 528-8200
Hugh R. Jones Ashford & Wriston LLLP (808) 539-0400
Chris S. Mashiba* Cades Schutte LLP (808) 521-9200
Joy M. Miyasaki Carlsmith Ball (808) 523-2500
Michael J. O’Malley Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (808) 547-5600
Steven L. Rinesmith Rinesmith & Sekiguchi (808) 534-4951
Congratulates its Partners CHARLES T. KLEINTOP and TIMOTHY LURIA for Being Honored in the latest edition of e Best Lawyers in America®. Mr. Kleintop has been so honored for 40 consecutive years and Mr. Luria has been so honored for 20 consecutive years.
LYNN K. KASHIWABARA is the rm’s senior Of Counsel attorney and has been with the rm since March of 2021. She came to the rm a er serving as the Supervising Deputy Attorney General for the Oahu Family Support Branch of the Child Support Enforcement Agency. Prior to her 13 years of service with the Attorney General’s O ce, Ms. Kashiwabara was in private practice and a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. She is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law where she was a recipient of the William S. Richardson School of Law Alumni Scholarship. She also holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
KATYA KATANO is the rm’s senior associate attorney and has been with the rm since September of 2021. She came to the rm a er serving a two-year clerkship with the Honorable Sabrina S. McKenna, Associate Justice of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court. Ms. Katano is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law where she ranked 1st in her class of 84 graduates. She was also a sta writer and technical editor for the University of Hawai‘i Law Review. Ms. Katano also holds a B.A. degree in English from the University of Redlands, where she graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Kleintop & Luria, LLP also recognizes its Of Counsel and Associates:
MARIA Y. WANG is the rm’s newest Of Counsel attorney and has been with the rm since August of 2023. She came to the rm from Kobayashi, Sugita & Goda, where she was an associate, partner, and Of Counsel from 2009 to 2021. Prior to her work with the Kobayashi, Sugita & Goda rm, Ms. Wang was a sta attorney for the State of Hawai‘i Senate Majority Research O ce. Ms. Wang is a graduate of Tulane University Law School where she was a recipient of the Certi cate in Admiralty Law. She also holds a B.A. degree in Sociology from Yale University.
NAKOA S. GABRIEL is the rm’s newest associate attorney and has been with the rm since September of 2025. He came to the rm a er serving a one-year clerkship with the Honorable Matthew J. Viola and the Honorable Dyan M. Medeiros, Senior Judges of the Family Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawai‘i. Mr. Gabriel is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law where he was a senior editor for the Asian Paci c Law and Policy Journal. Mr. Gabriel also holds a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice from Hawai‘i Paci c University.
Kleintop & Luria, LLP concentrates its practice in family law. Its attorneys have more than 100 combined years of experience in family law matters, including divorces with complex nancial issues and child custody disputes. Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism, the rm is known throughout Hawai’i for providing high quality, e ective representation for its clients. e rm also continues to receive a Tier 1 rating in the Best Law Firms® rankings while its partners continue to be honored annually by their peers in Best Lawyers in America®.
Front, le to right: Charles T. Kleintop, Timothy Luria. Back, le to right: Lynn K. Kashiwabara, Katya Katano, Nakoa S. Gabriel, Maria Y. Wang
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For 40 years, our law rm has been providing expert legal solutions in Hawaiʻi. Recently recognized in various practice areas for 2026 as a Tier 1 rm by Best Law Firms® , our team continues to excel in providing tailored and strategic solutions for our clients. Partner with us and experience the power of our expertise in action.
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Eight spots outside Honolulu that townies should visit—for reasons they may not realize.
BY MARI TAKETA
On page 109, the story of how old-school local food came back to Waialua town
PHOTOS BY AARON K. YOSHINO
WE KNOW THE LEGENDS— the Shige’s Saimin Stands, Waiāhole Poi Factories and other must-stops for anyone traversing the island. These picks aren’t about them.
In search of food fi nds far from the city, we crisscrossed O‘ahu in every direction. But it wasn’t only pockets of deliciousness that we found. Along the way we discovered things we didn’t know we were looking for. Or realized we missed. Townies, urbanites, city folk: Whatever we call ourselves, we think we have it all. We don’t. Here are eight reasons to head out of town.
Eighty Chicken Sandwiches
Kahuku
“HEY, CHARLESTON! YELLOW TANK TOP!” Adam Wade is yelling out the window of his food trailer at two stragglers who’ve joined the line. “Do me a favor and come in a little closer. Our neighbors don’t like it when we block tra c.”
The man in the South Carolina T-shirt and his friend look startled but comply. In the blazing sun o Kamehameha Highway, 10 of us wait in front of Eighty Chicken Sandwiches. Wade’s sandwiches are famous—triumphant photos of whoever scored the 80 th and last one fi ll his Instagram every Saturday and Sunday. The couple in front of us has driven from Kailua; the father and son behind are from Japan.
A former Georgia Tech fraternity chef, Wade is a man of big fl avors and precision. It doesn’t matter that he always sells out—one reason he never makes more than 80 sandwiches is because together, his and his son Dresden’s initials spell out AD. Since his fryer holds 10 pieces at a time, his queue almost always numbers 10 people. The overflow he herds into the shade of a nearby tent with the manner of a gregarious sheep dog. That’s where our wait begins, eyeing the lucky 10 lined up at the trailer. The update Wade yells from his window—“You guys in the tent! Not to worry, there are 20 sandwiches left. You will get one”—sends a wave of relief through our group. Some even high-five each other.
Now 10 sandwiches are ready and the line moves quickly. We pick up ours and head back to the tent. “You excited?” Wade is walking beside me, grinning. He’s on his way to collect his next group of 10.
Of course I’m excited. The sandwich is huge, the chicken twice the size of the bun and stretching to the corners of the box. It’s brined to succulence inside a crunchy, well-seasoned crust dunked in spicy, tangy sauce. On top and fi lling every crevice are triple-cooked fries Wade throws in by the handful. We eat with sauce dotting our cheeks and hands. Bring wipes. Bring sunscreen. Eighty Chicken Sandwiches is worth the drive.
“MAX COMES HERE ALL THE TIME,” the man behind the counter says.
Max? Then I remember we’re in Mā‘ili. The MMA fi ghter and two-time UFC BMF champion is a West Side legend. “Holloway?”
“Yeah, Max,” he says. “He always gets the poke bowls, and a sushi roll for his wife.”
T8ste Buds isn’t the only poke on the Leeward coast, but it’s the most playful. The poke-stu ed sushi tacos drew me here two years ago, when the takeout shop opened across Farrington Highway from Mā‘ili Beach Park. Now the memory of crunchy, saucy bites of poke and rice tucked in freshly fried nori shells has brought me back.
Hawaiian-Style ‘Ahi is here, as is Spicy ‘Ahi. When you get to the Salmon Tacos, ricochets begin that leave conventional poke behind—like fresh salmon, salmon skin and ikura amid eruptions of garlic aioli, sesame oil and ponzu caramel. The Westside Sushi Taco is my new favorite: spicy ‘ahi, masago and cucumber under crisscrossing drizzles of aioli and unagi sauce, with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a raft of Spam underneath.
There are wilder sushi rolls—the Shenron is a kitchen sink of shrimp tempura, spicy ‘ahi, imitation crab, avocado and Hot Cheetos—and sushi sandwiches, which are exactly as they sound. But I’m a sucker for the fried crunch.
The man behind the counter says some customers come from Waimānalo and Kāne‘ohe. “Where you from?” he asks.
“I’m from town.”
“Oh! You need water?” There are bottles for sale, but he motions for my Hydro Flask. “I can fi ll up your thermos. We have really good fi ltered water here.”
T8ste Buds’ founders worked at high-end Ko Olina restaurants. When they combined their kitchen skills and local boy tastes, sushi tacos happened.
Waikele Country Club Restaurant
Waikele
DISHES YOU’LL FIND AT WAIKELE’S country club restaurant: kālua pork nachos, Reuben sandwiches, butterfish teishoku, crispy pata, sizzling kalbi with kim chee, nabeyaki udon.
There is zero pretension at this golf course eatery that’s open to the public, where the dress code ranges from aloha shirts and cocktail dresses to T-shirts and slippers. Family parties fill the open dining room, a big-screen TV shows a game no one is watching, and the lānai overlooking the golf course is empty.
The restaurant is a throwback to the era of local diners, where portions were massive and the food simple and comforting.
For meaty, get the gravy-drenched hamburger steaks. For zesty, spring for the house-made kim chee. For a serene view of sunset over the Wai‘anae Range, ask for a table and tablecloth on the lānai. And dig in.
Clockwise from top: sizzling kalbi, kim chee, molten chocolate cake, butterfish teishoku, hamburger steak, crème brûlée
Aloha Alfajores
Wai‘anae
ANDREA SMITH’S COOKIES ARE ETHEREAL. They’re alfajores, caramelly dulce de leche nestled between heartshaped cookies so delicate that on the palate, they crumble like buttery clouds. They’re popular in her native Colombia and throughout South and Central America.
On O‘ahu, where you’ll fi nd them at Mercado de la Raza, Mari’s Gardens and online at Farm Link and her own website, Smith’s Aloha Alfajores have a following. But she’s never had a place of her own. In the four years since she started as an Instagram pop-up in ‘Ewa Beach, Smith has made her cookies in rented commercial kitchens. Today she’s readying a 500-square-foot space that in the fall would become her very own production kitchen.
“The alfajores are gonna be here, and the dulce de leche brownies,” she says, waving her hands toward a corner she’s setting aside for walk-in customers. “I’m also gonna have obleas (thin wa e cookies with fresh cream, strawberries and dulce de leche sandwiched between) and arroz con leche and dulce de leche ice cream with alfajor cookies inside. It’s super creamy.”
She’ll make obleas when customers come in and order them. She’s thinking of adding co ee, since it goes perfectly with her sweets.
“I’m gonna put my menu in the window and the logo here,” she says. “I’m gonna have probably one chair so people can wait in case they want an oblea.”
If you go, know that Aloha Alfajores is on Mango Place, not Mango Street, next to a tattoo parlor. Check Instagram for the latest hours. And get the alfajores.
THE WILLY WONKA WONDERLAND APPEAL of Frost, one of O‘ahu’s last remaining self-serve frozen yogurt bars, envelops you at night, when psychedelic lights twine over toppings bars and icicles twinkle from the ceiling. The setup is immediately familiar: a wall of froyo taps; all the fruits, cookies, sprinkles, candies, cereals, nuts and gummies you could want; an M&M dispenser; and a row of syrups you never knew you needed (peanut butter and marshmallow and chocolate, oh my!). Before you know it, you’re reaching for a cup.
Not so long ago, self-serve froyo bars were in every urban and suburban neighborhood. Most are gone now, the way favorite songs disappear from radio playlists. At Frost, where a corner of plushies and pillows invites kids, and hightop counters draw high schoolers to seniors, it all comes rushing back in a heaping bowl of nostalgia and impulse.
F&M SNACK SHOP is in an unlikely spot for an after-school store. It’s where times have brought us—far from the dusty storefronts where kids used to stop for ice cakes on the walk home—to a corner of a mall between Longs Drugs and Planet Fitness. It’s where kids come with grownups who pick them up from school. And who can blame them? Rows of crack seed jars fill half the store, Labubus sit on shelves and there’s a claw machine by the door.
And Snow Ice. At F&M, Snow Ice is milk ice. Frozen with syrups in flavors like mango, honeydew and matcha, it’s shaved into fine, creamy mountains rimmed with fruit and capped with whipped cream. Chocolate Snow Ice comes with sprinkles and Oreos. Liliko‘i Snow Ice wears a crown of Fruity Pebbles.
From the trickle of grownups waiting for seedless rock salt plum and honey wet lemon to those sitting down with Snow Ices, adults can outnumber kids, even after school. And who can blame them?
DOSAS STAR ON THE MENU AT GANESH. They’ve traveled far—not just from Ward Avenue, where Ganesh started in a 10-by-10foot slot at ‘Ohana Hale Marketplace fi ve years ago, but from upstate New York, where co-owner Pablo Muller discovered the stu ed fl atbreads while studying yoga at an ashram, and centuries before that, from South India. Much of this history is rolled inside these dosas: a thin batter of lightly fermented basmati rice and black gram beans smoothed across a hot griddle; rows of fi llings added swiftly down the middle; the sides folded up and then the whole thing, golden-brown and bready and crisp, sliced in half with an audible crackle.
Traditional masala spiced potatoes are classic; variations with goat cheese, avocado and kalamata olives less so. If in doubt, get the dosa with everything. Tear o bite-size pieces, dunk in gingery coconut or tomato chutney, eat with your hands. It goes without saying they are worth a drive over the Pali.
Ganesh’s dosas are made from a thin batter of fermented basmati rice and black gram beans.
Nani’s Café
Waialua
SHOYU HOT DOGS SELL OUT FIRST. Then there’s namasu, kalbi tofu, miso chicken, somen salad, fried pork chops—a lineup standard for any okazuya, until you get to the kale salad and ube ‘ulu hash. Nani’s Café ticks all the boxes, and a lot more.
O‘ahu’s newest okazuya opened in July in the heart of this quiet North Shore town. It shares a parking lot with a post o ce, feed store, pizza restaurant and yoga studio. Much of the food is discreetly vegetarian, including the Okinawan potato salad and nishime. Plus there’s co ee, pastries and Green River slushies. The totality is a subliminal invitation to slow down and stay. Which you should.
Kanani Oury owns Nani’s Café with her auntie Kanani Oliveiria. Here’s her story, edited for brevity:
“Anyone from Waialua or Hale‘iwa that’s over the age of 30 knows about Sagara’s. It’s from when my mom was a little kid to when I was an adult. It was $1 for a shoyu hot dog and rice wrapped up in paper. We would get that before school or cut school and jump the fence and get a feast for lunch.
“Now Waialua has three or four burger joints and a bunch of taco trucks. The only place you can get local food is L&L. I wanted something that was more for us. I wanted to give my kids something that I felt was missing, and was a little bit healthier.
“When we opened, people were bringing us old cookbooks from the ’70s and ’80s and telling me, ‘Kanani, use this.’ Those books had recipes from everyone in the di erent camps. The old-timers from my grandma’s generation were like, ‘Eh Kanani, you know, you need a little more vinegar in your namasu.’ And we adjusted. Kathy from across the harbor, she’s like 85 years old and she used to chase me because I always picked her roses. She was bringing me stu she cooked and saying, try this.
“The other day a lady in her 70s came in and I said, ‘I’m so sorry, we’re sold out.’ She said, ‘I know.’ A man was going down her street honking and yelling that we sold out. She came to congratulate us.
“It’s been unexpected. It’s not about business, but the way it makes you feel.”
Shoyu hot dogs have returned to modern-day Waialua.
Not a Foodie
Despite our similarities, my dad and I had very different tastes.
IDIDN’T EAT CURRY until I was in college. I blame my dad for this.
The man was not an adventurous eater. On a family trip to Japan, he searched the Family Marts and 7-Elevens for blueberry mu ns and hot dogs, overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of o erings. He’d try new things occasionally, but he liked what he liked—things like steak, pasta and good ol’ American standbys—and if that isn’t one of the dad-iest stereotypes, God help me.
My parents came from a Canadian town that today only has about 2,000 residents—hardly a cultural center the way Honolulu is. But I grew up here, with a world of culinary possibilities. I didn’t really go out to eat much until college, when I started spending more time with friends than with family. And they wanted to go to places like Curry House and Pho 777.
I started eating so many new things, from squab to al jjigae to lamb biryani. Soon enough, I began cooking new things too, excited to explore a wide range of cuisines. It made me feel more integrated, an active participant of life here.
Almost anytime I made lunch in the past few years, my dad would wander into the kitchen with his nose turned up. I’m making kim chee grilled cheese, I’d tell him.
“Why would you do that to a perfectly good grilled cheese?” he would sneer.
“This is what happens when you raise your children in a place like this!”
recent trip back to Canada, my heart swelled to see the way he interacted with old friends and family. They laughed about adventures of their youth as he proudly pointed out all the places he got into trouble. Though he lived in Hawai‘i for 30 years, he didn’t have that same circle of others around him here—certainly not a circle as diverse as mine. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t have always given me such a hard time about my food preferences.
He was giving me a hard time as dads often do. But I felt the di erence between our upbringings as I pickled daikon, heated up a jar of Kashmiri curry and added fish sauce to my soup. There are innumerable ways I was like my father, but this was, perhaps, the biggest divergence.
The way I experience other cultures is how I find my place among them, and food is a big part of that. Not for Dad. On a
When my dad died unexpectedly in August, my family used DoorDash to bring us things like tofu and pho from Chopstick and Rice. We started cooking Thai food multiple times a week—things Dad wouldn’t even want us to have in the house if he were there. We mumbled apologies as we ate his least favorite foods while sitting in his chair, almost as if we were gloating. But I also ate his English mu ns to clear out the fridge, drank his Heinekens, telling myself I’d much rather have something from Beer Lab HI, but relishing the small connection I could still make with him. There’s a calamansi tree he planted in our yard (and loved); for good measure, I grabbed one of the fruits and squeezed its juice into the bottle.
Now that he’s gone, I attempt to use the smell of kim chee to lure his spirit from beyond, to come into the kitchen and deride my lunch, just one more time. The quiet sizzle of the cabbage in the pan whispers nothing. I still like kim chee, of course, but eating it isn’t as fun as when I would use it to brag to my dad about how much more local it made me.
But it’s thanks to him. Maybe he didn’t agree with my tastes, but they exist because he and my mom chose to raise me here, where my options for pretty much everything are vastly wider than in my hometown. Behind his taunts, I like to think there was a hint of pride that I became part of this community. So thanks, Dad, for everything.
