ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"text":"Itʻs so hard to stay on top of things!","type":"text"}]

I Stock 1445555124

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Curses, foiled again!</title>

Todayʻs social media find comes from jasonpolakaw, a collection of foil board fails.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Curses, foiled again!

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Arts & Entertainment

Liu Taufa, a musician and entertainment lead at Paradise Cove Lū‘au, has spent more than three decades entertaining guests at the West O‘ahu attraction.

But Paradise Cove Lū‘au will close next month after 47 years in Ko Olina. Its final curtain call is Dec. 31.

The closure allows the landowner, James Campbell Co., to proceed with a 

 of the 10.9-acre oceanfront property next year.

For Taufa, who is Tongan, the closure is seemingly bittersweet. It’s the end of an “awesome era,” but she’s looking forward to what the future will bring.

“I’ve been here for almost 35 years,” she recently told Aloha State Daily. “This place has given me such fond memories. I was able to raise my children from kid time all the way up to high school [and beyond]. … Paradise Cove was really good to me because it’s more of a friendly oriented place.”

She says that previous stage director O’Brian Eselu, a 

, wanted lū‘au employees to make guests feel like ‘ohana when they leave, “to make them feel like that they are part of Paradise Cove. That makes them want to come back and bring their family. That’s been going on for all these years.”

Taufa auditioned in November 1990, when she says the directors wanted to bring more Polynesian music to the show.

When asked about her favorite part of working at the lū‘au over the years, Taufa says she loves entertaining — and making the days better for the guests who attend.

“To me, this is like my happy place because my favorite part of it is when I come to work, it doesn’t feel like work, and I’m making somebody else happy or making somebody that maybe wasn’t feeling well and now they’re feeling OK. … It just kind of gives you that satisfaction that what I’m doing, it mattered and it made a difference for that individual — and that’s what I love the most.”

She won’t miss the drive, she says with a laugh. She will, however, miss “this beautiful place,” and the people she works with who are like family, her work ‘ohana.

Her children, as well as family from Australia, will come to see her perform one last time before the show closes.

The lū‘au, she says, was like a home for her now-grown children, whom she would sometimes bring with her to work. She’s excited for them to come for one “last hurrah” at Paradise Cove.

At the same time, Taufa says it’s hard to move on to somewhere new. Later in the conversation, though, when asked how she feels to see things wrap up after so long, she says she feels good about the transition.

“I feel good because before I came here, I did 10 years in Waikīkī, playing music. Actually, when I came here, I didn’t think … I would be here for this long. But, you know, the years just went by real fast and [the] next minute, I’m 60 years old — and I’m still here and I’ve enjoyed it. For me, it’s time for something new.”

As for what’s next, Taufa says she’ll probably still play music somewhere in Waikīkī.

, the lū‘au property — acquired by James Campbell in 1877 — has been used commercially since the 1970s and was last redeveloped in the early 1990s.

 says that the project aims to "update the commercial lū‘au show and create an authentic Hawaiian outdoor recreation facility and community gathering place for kama‘āina and visitors that honors and reflects history, culture and connection to place."

According to the EIS, plans call for demolishing several existing dated structures at the site and existing concrete walls within the shoreline setback area, after which the site will be restored to pre-existing conditions before being redeveloped.

In addition to a new amphitheater and performing arts venue, other planned updates noted in the EIS include an improved main arrival area, retail shops hosting Hawai‘i-made goods, restaurants and a marketplace, and common areas.

All 167 employees of PC Services, Inc., doing business as Paradise Cove Lū‘au, will be terminated when it closes, according to an 

 (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice, citing its permanent closure due to the loss of its lease.

An announcement about the closure in late October noted that the company had been helping its employees prepare for the closure and, in partnership with the city, state and James Campbell Co., offered several job and resource fairs.

"We are so grateful to the people of Hawai‘i for allowing us to be part of their lives in so many ways over so many generations,”  Keith Horita, president of Paradise Cove Lū‘au, said in the announcement, which noted that in addition to its nightly shows, the lū‘au’s grounds have hosted weddings, baby lū‘au, birthday parties, graduation celebrations and corporate events. “We have loved helping people celebrate the milestones of life, and we invite our kamaʻāina ʻohana to join us in creating lasting memories as we enter the final chapter of our journey."

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Liu taufa paradise cove

<title>Paradise Cove Lū‘au to close</title>

After 47 years in Ko Olina, the West O‘ahu attraction will close next month, allowing a planned redevelopment of the 10.9-acre oceanfront property to proceed next year. Aloha State Daily recently spoke with Liu Taufa, an entertainer who has worked at the lū‘au for 35 years about its closure and what working there has meant to her.

Paradise Cove Lū‘au to close

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

s looking to save money and get the most bang for their buck. This series will show you where you can save while still savoring a good meal.

 is offering an all-you-can-eat lunch special for $19.99.

The lunch special includes a choice of wagyu beef bone broth, 90 minutes of unlimited wagyu eye-round and pork belly, and a side of veggies (won bok and bok choy).

Broths include spicy, sukiyaki, miso and more. The beefy marina and beefy wild are the most popular broths. Beefy marina is like a light shoyu beef broth; beefy wild features a creamy bone broth and is a local favorite.

[{"type":"text","text":"No starch is included in the lunch special, but you can always add it on."}]

The eatery will eventually be changing its lunch special to include more veggies and a starch, but we’re told the price will remain similar.

Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot also has a newer Japanese-style hamburger steak lunch special for $8.08 (regular price is $12).

The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Open for lunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays

Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot cooking meat 112125

<title>Budget Bites: Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot’s $19.99 AYCE lunch deal</title>

This all-you-can-eat lunch special includes a choice of wagyu beef bone broth, a side of veggies, and 90 minutes of unlimited wagyu eye-round and pork belly.

Budget Bites: Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot’s $19.99 AYCE lunch deal

Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton

Viewpoints

Keolu Fox, 38, is one of the faces behind biotechnology research company Variant Bio and, notably, the only Kanaka Maoli among its top advisors.

A human geneticist, Fox helped build the startup, which has been developing genomic drugs in Seattle since 2018. As in other areas of his life, he’s driven in this work to further the lāhui in a field that lacks Pasifika representation.

“We don’t need people to keep their heads down,” said Fox, who lives in San Diego, California. “We need leadership. We need resources. We need aloha.”

It’s crucial to Fox to know history: the world’s, his people’s, his own.

The ʻohana of his mother, Laurie Makanani Fox, hails from Pololū Valley in Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island. Descendants of Kānaka Maoli and Portuguese immigrants, they moved from Kapaʻau to Hilo and then to Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. Laurie and her sisters grew up dancing hula under Kumu Kauʻi Zuttermeister.

On Fox’s paternal side, his grandfather was a Belgian Sephardic Jew, and his grandmother was Prussian from Berlin, Germany. They met in a concentration camp in Mechelen, Belgium. Fox’s father, Uziel Awret, grew up in an artists’ colony in Safed, Israel.

Awret, a quantum physicist, met Laurie, a language student, at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Fox, an only child, was born in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. He recalls moving around the U.S. throughout his adolescence when money was tight.

As part of the diaspora, “you become comfortable on the move,” Fox said. “You kind of become addicted – just like our ancestors – to voyaging, moving, trading spaces.”

He spent first grade in Alaska, the expansive state where his aunty and role model, Leslie Kaulehua Fox-Leyva, had resettled. Fox remembers seeing snow for the first time there.

Then, they moved to Hawaiʻi. Young Fox stayed active playing sports: basketball, surfing, martial arts, soccer. As a child, he wanted to grow up and become a postman so he could be outside and kōkua people.

While in Hawaiʻi he also learned about his culture and history – formally in Kamehameha Schools’ Explorations program and informally from the ʻāina and moana. “We are scientists, Hawaiian people,” Fox said.

The family moved back to California before making the jump from West Coast to East Coast. Fox doesn’t feel that he fit the mold of a budding academic, though he excelled at science, history and math. He graduated in 2004 from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Fox intended to play college soccer at the University of Maryland, but as a freshman, his lack of focus meant that Plan A didn’t work out. Instead, Plan B developed: Fox found himself in a biological anthropology class led by Dr. Fatimah Jackson, the biologist and anthropologist who taught him about human genetic variation.

As a Black woman, she empowered Fox to believe he could build a career in the field. She invited him to her lab. When Fox walked in and heard the smooth sounds of The Jackson 5 playing, he pictured himself working there.

Soon, he was starting to get research experience under his belt. Fox was hit with the realization that the future of preventative medicine wasn’t including marginalized communities, and there was zero research on Oceania. His honors research project focused on triple negative breast cancer and minority health.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I was like a pit bull on a bone at that point,” Fox said."}]

When he graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in biological anthropology and archaeology, Fox already had an opportunity lined up: He would complete a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute from 2008 to 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland. One of those years was spent as a research fellow in The Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health.

Fox was then faced with a choice: medical school or graduate school. He ultimately felt pulled to the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, because of the groundbreaking leaders in the field that were based there.

From 2010 to 2016, he earned a Ph.D. in genome sciences. That span was a whirlwind of publishing scientific papers and code, writing grants and going to conferences. Despite the intensity, “it was easy to work hard there,” Fox said.

He met his partner, Riley Taitingfong, at a grocery store in Seattle. They share Pasifika roots as Riley is CHamoru, with maternal ancestors from the Canary Islands. Their careers also have some overlap: Riley is a scientist and researcher specializing in environmental justice, Indigenous self-determination and emerging technologies.

After Fox completed his Ph.D., Riley was heading to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to complete her doctorate. Fox landed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSD from 2016 to 2019. He was extended after two years as an assistant professor and is now an associate professor. His work there includes involvement in various programs such as the Department of Anthropology, the Global Health Program, the Climate Action Lab and the Indigenous Futures Lab.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fox and Riley welcomed their daughter, Hōkūpaʻa, in 2024."}]

Other big changes have been afoot. In addition to his work at Variant Bio, Fox earned tenure at UCSD this summer. He also has projects underway around Moananuiākea. “It’s just like the culmination of so much hard work,” Fox said.

He’d love to build an independent research institute on Hawaiʻi Island that prioritizes the needs and ambitions of the lāhui. With a keiki in his life and his mother back on Hawaiʻi Island, Fox yearns to one day resettle in Hawaiʻi.

“If I do everything right, I’ll be moving back to the Big Island as soon as possible,” he said.

This article is reprinted with permission. Written by 

Faces of the Diaspora: Bringing ‘Ike Kūpuna to Genome Sciences," 

OHA's Ka Wai Ola newspaper, November 2025, Vol. 42 No. 11. Read more at 

960px Dr Keolu Fox

<title>Community Voices: Bringing ‘ike kūpuna to genome sciences</title>

Follow the path of human geneticist, Keolu Fox, a Native Hawaiian who aims to advance the lāhui in his field while on the Mainland, with hopes of returning home in the near future.

Community Voices: Bringing ‘ike kūpuna to genome sciences

This new Japanese-style hamburger steak spot is opening on Monday, Nov. 24 in Kaimukī.

Located in the former Chubbies Burgers space in Kaimukī, 

 — owned by restaurant group Funergy Group Inc., which operates Tori Ton, Izakaya Tenkichi and Totoya — specializes in Japanese-style hamburger steaks.

The restaurant interior was modeled, and now boasts a vibrant yellow hue and anime on the walls. The design was inspired by Akihabara, a neighborhood in Tokyo, according to Funergy Group Inc. owner Takuya Tsutsumi.

Originally, Tsutsumi was thinking to open another izakaya, but decided to go with the “hamburger steak” concept instead.

“It’s very popular in Japan now, since maybe three or four years ago,” he says.

He explains that the eatery’s name refers to the hamburger steak’s shape (“maru”) and the sizzling sound made when it’s cooked (“ju”).

Tsutsumi explains that the hamburger steaks are first cooked on the grill, then in the oven, and are served on a sizzling platter; its sauce is poured tableside.

“There’s a combination of a little bit of pork, beef, the beef fat and a secret recipe,” Tsutsumi says.

He explains that the eatery’s sauces are homemade, making each dish unique.

[{"type":"text","text":"“The original sauce takes more than seven hours to make,” he says."}]

Hamburger steak sets come in two sizes — regular ($23.50) or large ($28.50) — and include vegetables, pasta, miso soup and rice.

Choose from sauces like signature onion, sweet garlic soy glaze, grated daikon ponzu, green onion salt marinade, and Gorgonzola cheese. While the signature onion — boasting a nice balance of sweet and savory — is projected to be the most popular option, I’m partial to the rich, creamy Gorgonzola.

The hamburger steaks are thick, juicy, tender and ultra flavorful — even before the sauce is added. Customers can add extra toppings like grilled onions ($2), garlic chips ($1.90), grilled bacon ($3.90) and more.

Tsutsumi also recommends trying the eatery’s braised hamburg in mushroom demi-glace sauce. This option comes with the same side dishes as the original hamburger steak; choose from regular ($24.50) or large ($29.50) sizes. There’s also a keiki size ($12.50) that is served with potatoes, carrots, broccoli and pasta.

Marujuu also offers chicken steak ($17.90) — choose from yuzu pepper sauce, signature onion sauce or sweet garlic soy glaze — and rib-eye steak ($29.50 regular, $38.50 large).

“We marinate the chicken overnight so it’s very tender,” Tsutsumi says. “We use chicken thighs.”

The eatery will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. and from 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner (last call 9:15 p.m.) Wednesdays to Mondays (it’s closed on Tuesdays). Right now, it’s first come, first served; a reservation system may be set up in the future.

Open 11 a.m.-2:15 p.m., 5-10 p.m. (last call 9:15 p.m.) Wednesdays to Mondays

Marujuu Hawaii hamburger steak cross section 112225

<title>Japanese-style hamburger steak spot is opening in Kaimukī</title>

Marujuu Hawaiʻi — sister restaurant of Totoya, Tori Ton and Izakaya Tenkichi — is opening on Monday, Nov. 24 in the former Chubbies Hawaiʻi space in Kaimukī. The biz specializes in Japanese-style hamburger steaks that are delivered on sizzling platters to your table.

Japanese-style hamburger steak spot is opening in Kaimukī

It's the end of an era for Hawaiian Airlines.

 that Alaska Airlines would acquire Hawaiian Airlines — and just over a year after 

 — the last Hawaiian Airlines flight to the use the HA call signal arrived in Honolulu early this morning from American Samoa.

The move comes after Alaska Airlines on Wednesday received a single operating certificate, or SOC, from the Federal Aviation Administration. It’s a major milestone in the continued efforts to integrate the operations of the two airlines.

The distinct Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines brands remain, but this means the airlines are now operating under a single call sign, AS, which pilots and dispatchers use to communicate with air traffic control, Alaska Airlines explained in an 

According to that announcement, this is an FAA regulatory requirement that “marks the successful integration of training, policies, procedures and manuals across both airlines.”

Alex Da Silva, regional communications director — Hawai‘i for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines

, told Aloha State Daily it was a smooth transition, and that there are no material changes for guests.

“The most notable change is that we are assigning new HA flight numbers to avoid duplication with AS flight numbers, but the HA code preceding the flight numbers will remain in place until we reach a single passenger service system in late April.”

Once the airlines transition to a single passenger service system — the main technology guests use to plan trips, book tickets and on the day of travel — all flights will use an AS code, the announcement notes, but adds that travelers can still view and book Hawaiian Airline flights, which will be branded across its digital channels with an image of the Pualani aircraft tails.

The adoption of a single passenger service system next spring is the next big milestone in the merger and integration process, Da Silva says, noting that’ll be followed by the combination of collective bargaining agreements with the airlines’ unionized teams in about 12 to 18 months.

Another key milestone, however, was marked at the start of the month with the transition from HawaiianMiles to a joint loyalty program offered by both Hawaiian and Alaska airlines, 

“We're very pleased with the transition of HawaiianMiles to Atmos Rewards and excited for our members to experience the full benefits of the program,” Da Silva told ASD. “At the same time, we recognize there is a learning curve as our members familiarize themselves with the features of the new program. We remain engaged with our members and always appreciate their feedback, and we are honoring several legacy HawaiianMiles benefits through the end of the year.”

Additionally, with the single operating certificate secured, Wednesday also marked the changing of the guards, so to speak, at Hawaiian Airlines, with several Honolulu-based leadership roles formally taking effect.

Diana Birkett Rakow, formerly the executive vice president of public affairs and sustainability at Alaska Airlines, became CEO of Hawaiian Airlines Wednesday. The first woman to hold that position, she succeeds 

, who has held the position since the acquisition was completed in 

Jim Landers, Hawaiian Airlines senior vice president for technical operations, is now head of Hawai‘i operations and Shelly Parker, Horizon Air’s vice president of station operations and inflight is now head of Hawai‘i guest operations, Wednesday's announcement noted. Read more about the 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "}]

Alaska Hawaiian Airlines 1920

<title>Alaska, Hawaiian airlines reach merger milestone</title>

Alaska Airlines on Wednesday received a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, allowing it to operate alongside Hawaiian Airlines as two separate brands.

Alaska, Hawaiian airlines reach merger milestone

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Hawai‘i County residents believe a new county law regulating cell phone towers doesn’t go far enough.

Last week, the Hawai‘i County Council passed a bill that has been in development since February, which sets certain standards for how telecommunications antennas are installed throughout the island.

Among other things, Bill 24 removes the requirement for cell towers to receive a use permit from the county Planning Department, allowing them to be built at the Planning Director’s approval without going through a lengthy public hearing process. It also allows towers to be built in all zoning districts on the island.

In exchange, the bill establishes a series of requirements determining where and how cell towers can be sited within each zoning district. For example, it requires minimum setbacks from all property lines equal to at least 120% of the tower’s height, and at least 600 feet from any residence or school.

These requirements are more stringent than those on O‘ahu, where freestanding antenna towers only have a required setback of at least one-fifth the tower’s height, or, in the case of towers supported by guy wires, equal to its height.

Nonetheless, many Big Islanders felt the new restrictions don’t go far enough. Throughout the bill’s development, testifiers urged the council to approve a version that mandated a 1,200-foot minimum setback.

“Why bring cell towers closer and closer?” said Hāmākua resident Kevin Hill at the council’s June 18 meeting. “Why do we need more and more wireless internet? We don’t need it, not for the benefit of our kids practically, and we don’t need it because of proximity and damage to their bodies. Get it farther away, farther than 600 [feet], farther than 1,200 [feet], put it farther away.”

Cell towers on Hawai‘i Island have been a notoriously prickly subject for years, with new planned constructions almost always generating hours of negative testimony from residents concerned about potential health impacts associated with electromagnetic radiation emitted by the towers.

Currently, no reputable health organization has identified any positive correlation between radiofrequency waves emitted by cell towers and higher cancer risks.

In any case, federal law makes moot such concerns: the Telecommunications Act of 1996 doesn’t allow municipalities to reject applications for cellular infrastructure over radiofrequency health concerns, so long as the infrastructure meets Federal Communications Commission guidelines.

Representatives of multiple telecommunications companies reminded the Hawai‘i County Council of that fact. Both Verizon and AT&T submitted letters to the council expressing concerns about the 600-foot setback requirement, with the Verizon letter arguing that the restrictions are excessive, unnecessary, and limit the ability to develop wireless facilities near where people work and live, “where the demand for reliable wireless service is the greatest.”

The Verizon letter suggested that the 600-foot setback be waived “where no other viable solution is feasible” so that it doesn’t become a de facto prohibition, which would be a violation of federal law.

However, the council voted unanimously to pass on final reading a version of the bill that does not include that waiver.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Curses, foiled again!

ASD Staff

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Gotta catch ‘em all — at Ala Moana Center: voices from Pokémon GO’s “Wild Area: Global” event

Starbucks holiday launch draws crowds for limited-edition cups

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Most read

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Curses, foiled again!

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Gotta catch ‘em all — at Ala Moana Center: voices from Pokémon GO’s “Wild Area: Global” event

Starbucks holiday launch draws crowds for limited-edition cups

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Dreams do come true

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Going big

Most read