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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"No fries for birdy!"}]

My Kailua Windowshopping 16x9

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @MyKailua, that view is window-ful!

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping

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Christian Shimabuku Headshot

Christian Shimabuku

Sports

Widely regarded as the best shooter in the history of the sport, Golden State Warriors star guard Steph Curry has drained an NBA record 4,248 career 3-pointers, making his shots behind the arc at an efficient 42.2% clip. His career free throw percentage of 91.2 is also the highest in league history. 

Curry, 38, took home NBA MVP honors in 2015 and 2016. He has spent his entire career with the Warriors, winning four rings with the franchise that took him seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. A two-year, $116 million extension he agreed to on Sept. 25 will take him through the 2028-2029 season, which will be his 20th season. 

Ahead of Year 18, Curry and the Warriors are stationed at BYU-Hawai‘i's Cannon Activities Center for training camp ahead of the upcoming 2026-2027 season. After a full week of practice, the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will meet for an exhibition game at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. 

During Golden State's first practice in the Islands on Tuesday, hundreds of fans lined up outside the team bus at BYU-Hawai‘i, many in Curry jerseys, hopeful to get a glimpse at the global hoops icon. 

Curry is certainly aware of the influence he has on fans worldwide, and he doesn't want to disappoint them. Two years ago, the Warriors held camp on the North Shore and also played an exhibition game at the Stan Sheriff Center. Curry mentioned wanting to hit a 3-pointer in front of Hawai‘i fans to show his appreciation. 

In the exhibition on Oct. 5, 2024, the most prolific shooter the game has ever seen went 0-for-4 in 14 minutes played. It's a fact he was reminded of after Tuesday's practice. Come Sunday, Curry hopes to make amends by doing what he does best. 

"I only played the first half, and I was out there chucking," Curry said. "I'll try to make up for it on Sunday. It's a cool vibe. We're here for a week, we get to play in front of a different fanbase, different arena and we appreciate the love we get out here for sure."

After Sunday's exhibition, the Warriors will return to the Bay Area and play an additional five preseason games. The 82-game regular season begins with a contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 21. 

The trip to the North Shore for a handful of days is a welcome reprieve for a team that won't have much downtime once the grind of the regular season gets underway in a few weeks. 

"We're locked in on basketball all day, and practice is pretty much over. I want all the guys to do whatever they want. Have fun, go to the beach, play some golf. I believe that finding that balance is just fine. This is not the 1950s," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says. "The North Shore is beautiful. It's kind of, for me, like old school Hawai‘i. I've got a bunch of incredible surfing photos in my hotel room, and I'm a bad surfer myself, but I do like to surf. It's wonderful. Hospitality everywhere we go. People are treating us so well. It's a wonderful place for us to visit."

Across town, the Clippers are holding training camp at UH-Mānoa's Gym II, the upstairs gym frequented by both University of Hawai‘i basketball teams in their own practices. In September, the Clippers were fined $30 million by the NBA and stripped of five first-round draft picks after an investigation found that the team circumvented salary cap rules by paying additional money to star forward Kawhi Leonard through falsified endorsement deals organized by the franchise. Team owner Steve Ballmer was also suspended for one year. 

Days after the NBA revealed their findings and handed down its ruling on the Clippers, Leonard was officially traded to the Toronto Raptors, marking a new era for the franchise as it headed to the Islands for camp. 

"I think our season is going to be surprising to a lot of people," Clippers guard Darius Garland said following the team's first practice in Mānoa. "I think we have a good chemistry so far. We haven't even hit the season yet, so I think that's going to take a little bit since everybody's been in the gym for at least two, three months now. We've been around each other, got the camaraderie going. ... We got a lot of competitors. We got a lot of dogs in this team that can really go."

The Clippers, who will be the de facto home team on Sunday, are also involved in a number of community activations in an effort to grow their Hawai‘i fanbase, including a team visit to a 

Kaiser Permanente clinic on the weekend. Throughout the week, members of the team also participated in a 

"Waking up, seeing the water in the morning, seeing the people here that are excited to have us, it's been a nice change of pace," Clippers guard Max Strus said. "It's beautiful out here, and I'm just excited to get it underway."

Steph Curry 100126

<title>Steph Curry vows to let it fly for Hawai‘i fans in Sunday exhibition</title>

Curry, the NBA's all-time 3-point leader, hopes to make his signature shot in front of the Islandsʻ supporters.

Steph Curry vows to let it fly for Hawai‘i fans in Sunday exhibition

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

From the moment she opened her first cafe in Hilo three and a half years ago, business owner Savanica Johansen of 

“The vision (for my shops) was always just bigger — opening across the Islands, maybe even opening on the Mainland,” she says. “It was always just a big vision. This was always a matter of when (not if) — when we would open in Honolulu.”

Long before Coffee Girl came about, Johansen was a sales manager for Hilton. Part of her job including traveling; the first thing she would do in a different city was to look for cute coffee shops.

“I’ve always been a coffee girl,” Johansen says. “When I would travel (for work), I would just go to a different coffee shop every day. That was what I loved to do.”

At that time, Johansen recalls that coffee shops/cafes were not plentiful in Hilo.

“If I wanted to get coffee before work, the Starbucks line was so long,” she remembers. “It was so hard to get coffee; if I went on my lunch break, everyone was also there at the same time.”

During a trip to Australia, Johansen felt “really inspired” to start her own coffee business one day.

“There are beautiful coffee shops on every corner (there),” she says. “I kept saying, ‘I want to have a coffee shop.’”

Around 2018, Johansen left the hotel industry to pursue real estate, which she says “was her first dream.” She said her goal for the longest time was to be a luxury real estate agent. When the Covid-19 pandemic happened and life slowed down, Johansen remembers coffee was still a highlight in her life — specifically, in the form of white mochas from Starbucks.

“White mocha was my thing,” she laughs. “I asked my husband, ‘Can you please buy me one of those fancy, expensive coffee machines? It’ll save money.’”

For six months after getting a coffee machine, Johansen says she “dumped everything down the drain” and still went to get her fix at Starbucks because her coffee “was terrible.”

“I’m very, very picky with my coffee, so none of them tasted good (to me)," she says. "Finally, one day, I made something really good.

“My sister, who is a nurse at the hospital in Hilo, came over and tried it,” she adds. “She said, ‘Can you bring me a coffee for my night shift?’ I started bringing her coffee at work, and her coworkers wanted coffee, too, so I started delivering.”

Johansen credits her drink recipes to a lot of trial and error. The coffee deliveries were the catalyst to officially starting her business.

“It was still around 2021; they (my sister’s coworkers) said, ‘This is really good, but you should be charging us,’” Johansen says. “I was just making it for free; I started charging $3 for the drinks.

“I wanted something to do; I’m a very social person,” she adds, noting the struggles with social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I just wanted connection. I feel like it’s so fulfilling to give somebody a cup of coffee and for them to be so happy. This (coffee) brought me more fulfillment than real estate ever did.”

At first, Johansen didn’t know what to call her business, but “coffee girl” was a suggestion from her daughter.

“I didn’t like it at first because it was just (geared) to one market,” Johansen says. “But most of my drinks are to this market — the girls who want the fancy coffees, who want the aesthetic.

“At that time, I was working for a lawyer part-time and doing coffee deliveries,” she says. “My lawyer was like, ‘This is a genius idea; a lot of people can resonate with being a coffee girl.’”

With her business name and social media account set, word started to spread about Coffee Girl, and Johansen realized having a physical location for her business was the next step.

“My business got registered; I wanted to do this right — in line with the health department guidelines — and get a shop,” Johansen says. She ended up funding her first store, located at 2100 Kanoelehua Ave., with the money from her biggest real estate sale.

“I put every single penny into my shop and opened my first location in March 2023,” she says. “It did really well; I was so happy with the response that I got.

“It was my first shop, but I wanted more; I just felt like it was made for me,” she adds. “I ended up getting the opportunity for my second shop, which is in downtown Hilo (42 Waianuenue Ave.).”

While opening in Honolulu was always on her heart, everything came together quickly this year. Johansen says she was on O

ahu for vacation in June and didn’t want to leave.

“I went home and was like, ‘I want to be in Honolulu,’” she says. “I flew back the next week, looked at spaces, and put in an offer (for this one). By the time I got the keys, it was August. We started construction at the end of August; we finished in about four weeks.

“I believe in myself so much that sometimes, I’m like, ‘Wow, girl … you need to check yourself,’” she laughs. “But honestly, sometimes I don’t want to think about it (too much) because who opens a coffee shop in 60 days?”

Coffee Girl’s Honolulu location officially opened on Sept. 26. While all of her stores are slightly different, Johansen says there are common elements in each one.

“All of my shops have roses; I love roses, they are my favorite flower,” she says. “They’re (the stores) all different colors — my first shop is pink, my second shop is a lighter shade of green, like a sage green, and this one is white and gold. They’re the same vibe, but different; I want them all to be destination coffee shops. I want people to experience all the Coffee Girls.”

She says that while her Big Island stores are inspired by French cafes, her Honolulu store features a more modern look. She says her cafes usually feature mirrors and heart-shaped straws for the drinks.

The menus across all three stores a mostly the same, according to Johansen. The café

’s signature beverage is its pink macchiato, a layered drink with white chocolate, vanilla, strawberry milk and espresso shots. Other popular options include the banana bread latte and chocolate haupia pie latte.

Johansen says, referring to the menu selection. “A lot of my drinks are inspired by my favorite desserts. I’m a big dessert person; I love sweets. I made the chocolate haupia pie years ago because I love Ted’s Bakery’s chocolate haupia pie.”

She notes that many of the drinks are designed as iced lattes, but hot drinks are available as well. Besides coffee, the menu includes frappes (blended drinks), lemonade, matchas, teas and kid-friendly options like hot cocoa and chocolate milkshakes.

“Our strawberry matcha is made a little differently here,” 

Johansen notes. “There are different products that I can get here (in Honolulu) that aren’t as easily accessible in Hilo.” 

For her Honolulu store, Johansen collabs with local bakers to feature a rotating selection of treats. Coco’s Cravings 808 (cinnamon rolls), Aloha Loaf (brown butter chocolate chip banana bread cookies) and Lyman Lattes (mini croissants) are a few of the featured vendors so far.

“I was not about to put an oven and a whole bakery in here,” Johansen says. “I was like, ‘Let me get some local bakers who want to collab and I can sell their stuff here;' it’s a win. I love what everybody does, and the hard work they put in.”

Coffee Girl Honolulu does offer a café menu, comprising dishes like grilled cheese ($10.95), chicken pesto panini ($16.95) and build-your-own avocado toast (starting at $14.95).

“I never used to do food when I started,” Johansen says. “We started with the build-your-own avocado toast, which is popular on the Big Island.

“People want a one-stop shop — they want to come in and get their coffee, get their breakfast or lunch, and maybe get a sweet treat,” she adds.

ahu store came together quickly partially because she “gets things done quick,” but also because materials were more accessible.

“When I do things, I fully commit,” she says. “All of my orders came in faster (here) than they did in Hilo. Sometimes, that’s the biggest thing; just waiting on stuff to come in. When I finally opened last Saturday, it was surreal.

“I couldn’t do any of this without God, every space, every opportunity was because of Him. He’s opened every door at the right time,” she says. “It’s definitely a lot of hard work and sacrifice, too; my kids back home sacrifice a lot. But let this inspire people who have kids; they can definitely accomplish their dreams.”

Coffee Girl Honolulu’s grand opening is this Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8 a.m. The first 100 customers will get a free goodie bag; after grand opening, the biz will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“This location is just special because I always wanted to be on O

ahu,” Johansen says. “I love the city. Every time it’s Merrie Monarch (in Hilo), I get a lot of O

ahu customers. They’re like, ‘When are you going to open on O

“It’s finally here; it’s been talked about for years now, and it’s really been on my heart,” she adds. “I really felt like this is where I wanted to be. I made this for you guys; I made this for the O

Customer parking available at Azure Ala Moana (retail stalls available)

Open daily, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (open from 6 a.m. after Oct. 3)

Coffee Girl owner 092826

<title>Oʻahu has a new ‘Coffee Girl’</title>

The cafe with roots in Hilo — known for its coffee, matcha and aesthetic decor — just opened its first Honolulu location on Keʻeaumoku Street at Azure Ala Moana. Its grand opening is this Saturday at 8 a.m.; customers can look forward to specialty lattes like chocolate haupia pie, banana bread and white chocolate strawberry.

Oʻahu has a new ‘Coffee Girl’

Everyone’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.

 launched a $9.99 plate lunch special every Wednesday. While August’s special was Bikkuri tonkatsu, the September special will be a hamburger steak plate.

You can get this plate for $9.99 every Wednesday in September starting at 3 p.m. Limited quantities will be available, according to delicatessen department manager Kota Kawahara.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We’ll make 300 (plates) every Wednesday,” he says."}]

The plate features hamburger steak with rice and veggies. The 10-ounce beef patty is made with mayo, panko and onions, according to Kawahara. It features local beef, but is prepared Japanese-style.

“The sauce is a hybrid of a brown gravy and a Japanese demi-glace,” Kawahara says. “It’s like a fusion, so both, Japanese customers and local customers will like it.”

Patties are pan-fried, then wrapped with foil and finished in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. They are wrapped so the patties stay moist and juicy and retain their flavor, Kawahara explains.

Marukai will always have a discounted plate on Wednesdays; the entrée will change each month.

Marukai Hawaii manager 082726

<title>Budget Bites: $9.99 plates at Marukai</title>

This plate lunch special is available every Wednesday in September, starting from 3 p.m. Hamburger steak is the featured plate for September; each plate includes a 10-ounce hamburger patty, rice, veggies and a brown gravy/Japanese demi-glace sauce.

Budget Bites: $9.99 plates at Marukai

WAIPAHU — Come to Waipi‘o Soccer Complex on a Sunday morning, and games are in progress in all directions. The bustling facility has over 20 fields, and nearly all are occupied on the weekends. 

Matches involving teams of nearly all ages and experience levels are being played simultaneously. In one of the back fields, a match involving elementary-aged boys is concluding. Coaches, seated parents and players alike can be heard yelling directions at each other. About 20 yards to the left of the young boys is a separate contest — it is there that the Women’s Island Soccer Association's over-50 division is holding its weekly set of matches. 

Competition in the women's over-50 division, as evidenced by the day's first match between a team named Riggers and another named Leahi Moms, is intense. In staying true to the active nature of soccer, no player on the pitch is idling. One defender made a clean sliding tackle against an attacker, bringing her opponent to the ground and drawing a grunt. The banter between players is equally competitive and friendly. 

In a season that lasts from January to May, there are five teams in the over-50 division. Two matches take place each week, with the fifth team taking a bye. Despite the battles that take place on the field, the league prides itself in fellowship among its players. After each match, members of both teams will have a potluck. Players from the first match will usually stick around and watch the second match, finding a place in the shade to sit while talking story.

The natural sense of community and pride in the league comes from its players understanding what they're doing is uncommon. 

"I'm just happy I can do it. I'm happy to be able to spend time with friends outdoors and be active and really show future generations this is what people at this age do," Kathy Carey, 69, told Aloha State Daily. "It is a commitment. It's not like playing tennis or golf, where you can show up or not show up. You're committing to the team. You need to be here. And we all miss games for various reasons, but if you can, you come and you give it your best and try to be supportive of your teammates."

While some players in the league are in their mid-70s, Alison Okumura is one of the youngest and newest members of the league at 52. As she's observed others playing regularly, she's gained inspiration from those around her. 

"Sundays were always quiet days for me. So, being here with the ladies, it's been really good," Okumura told ASD. "I'm inspired when you see them and you hear all the activities. You guys are, like, top tier. When I retire, I want to be just as active. You guys are so inspiring. You hear them talk about what they do — pickleball, they do swimming in the pool, they do water aerobics. They do line dancing and stuff like that with each other. It's inspiring for me to see what's in my future."

When it's time for Okumura's team, the Hale‘iwa Tsunami, to take the field against Holomua, both teams have gone through a brief warmup ahead of a match that features 40-minute halves with a water break midway through each half. Substitutions are unlimited and used liberally on sunny days such as this one. 

Okumura, a striker for Hale‘iwa, scores within the first five minutes of the game. Hale‘iwa's goalkeeper, Manu, made a diving save on a penalty kick to preserve the team's lead. 

Maintaining the decorum is the lone referee, Mike Fricano, a mustachioed man originally from New York, who blows his whistle and makes each call with conviction, even if players may not agree. "I was in the best position possible to see that," he sternly tells one after one of his determinations. 

In multiple instances, Fricano didn't grant the teams their substitutions unless they were ready near the halfway line before the ball went out of play. "Where are the subs? OK, no subs."

But make no mistake. Fricano, who has officiated since 1984, including the last 23 years in Hawai‘i, loves being out there. 

"This is why I'm here, because it's fun," Fricano, who referees matches of multiple age groups and genders across Hawai‘i, tells ASD at halftime. "These guys are great." 

Holomua scored the equalizer approximately 10 minutes into the second half, and neither team would score again despite fierce efforts from both teams. One player was down with an apparent contact injury for about 30 seconds, only to be told "it's just soccer, baby," by a teammate. She got back up. "That was f****** beautiful," the same teammate says to another player after a well-placed through ball. 

After the match, both teams sit in the shade to cool down. Okumura baked scones, just one of the appetizing options among the other baked goods. Her teammate, May Lapa, 66, points out that some members of the team have known each other long enough that they've seen each other become grandmothers. Okumura says teammates such as Lapa have encouraged her to keep moving and be social in order to keep her brain active.

"It's great. It's all in good fun," Okumura said. "It's worth the blisters on my feet to get to kick the ball and all that kind of stuff. I think a lot of people are used to saying 'I'm old' (as an excuse) but in reality, you won't move as good as you did when you were, say, 30 years old, but at least you're moving, right? That's what I get from the ladies, for sure. Once I stepped on the field with them, I told my husband there is no way I'm going to complain because they are suiting up and they come out and play."

Carey played for the men's team at both Punahou and Stanford since neither had a women's team when she first enrolled at each school. She helped the launch of Stanford's women's soccer program, then did the same for the University of Hawai‘i when it transitioned from a club sport to an NCAA Division I team in 1994. The soccer lifer has deep gratitude in having a place to play with her peers.

"To be able to do all I can do, play soccer and everything else at this age, I really feel blessed," she said. "We're all friends and teammates. Sometimes we play with each other, sometimes we play against each other. I think most of us try to keep in mind that we're just out here having fun. Win or lose, it's about having the opportunity to be here together."

Another player on Hale‘iwa, Cheryl Gamiao-Herrod, 62, is said to often lead the team in prayer during postgame potlucks. She says the team and the league has been like family for her ever since she lost her husband in 2023. 

"These guys are my family. It's an extension of my family," Gamiao-Herrod said. "I look forward to games. I try to go to church, too. Just the camaraderie. Meeting people from the other team, just encouraging one another, saying 'good game' or 'nice goal,' just being positive. You can uplift somebody's day. You know, somebody might not be having a nice day. Just give them a touch on the shoulder and ask how they're doing.

"Just to encourage other women that are over 50 that life doesn't end there. They can come out and play sports just like us and exercise and stay healthy and meet friends. At the end of the day, we're all friends."

Womens Island Soccer Association 1 041626

<title>Over-50 soccer league aims to inspire women</title>

The Women's Island Soccer Association has leagues for a bevy of age groups. Players in the over-50 division want to "encourage other women that are over 50 that life doesn't end there."

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Window shopping

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

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