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Kady Pascual

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"You gotta get every moment!"}]

Hezekiah Kapuaala

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot</title>

Today’s social media find comes from @Hezekiah_Kapuaala, who runs for the shot like he’s playing the game.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot

You gotta get every moment!  Make sure you follow @Hezekiah_Kapuaala on Instagram!

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Some people believe that in the heart of Waikīkī, the lingering presence of Hawai‘i’s last royal princess has never quite faded.

Her name was Victoria Kawekiu I Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kaʻiulani Cleghorn, also known affectionately as Princess Kaʻiulani.

Born on October 16, 1875, in Honolulu, Kaʻiulani was the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike (sister to both King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani) and Scottish businessman Archibald Cleghorn. In 1891, Queen Liliʻuokalani named Kaʻiulani her successor to the throne, making Kaʻiulani the last officially designated heir of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Her childhood home was a lush 10-acre estate in Waikīkī called ʻĀinahau, gifted to her by her godmother, Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani. Located in the area of Waikīkī known as ‘Au‘aukai, the estate was where Kaʻiulani spent much of her life with close family, friends, and her beloved peacocks. Her father was a serious horticulturist who introduced plants from around the world, so the ‘Āinahau estate was always lush and green. Archibald Cleghorn is also widely credited with planting Hawaii’s first banyan at ʻĀinahau, sometime around 1870.

In 1899, after a brief illness, Princess Kaʻiulani died at the age of 23. That night, her peacocks reportedly screamed loud enough for people to hear them miles away. Many believed the birds were mourning their mistress. Her mother, Princess Likelike, had also died at ʻĀinahau years earlier. Her father, Cleghorn, passed away there in 1910.

After the royal family was gone, the estate changed hands. From 1913 to 1917, ʻĀinahau was leased and operated as a hotel. Then came the transformation of Waikīkī itself.

Along Kalākaua Avenue, just in front of the driveway to ʻĀinahau, stood Waikīkī’s first grammar school, a humble graveyard, and a small church affiliated with Kawaiahaʻo Church. Nestled among coconut trees, the small chapel served a congregation of working-class residents of the neighborhood.

Time continued to march on, and in 1916, Kawaiahaʻo Church sold the Waikīkī church and graveyard property to the Territorial Hotel Company, which planned to expand the Moana Hotel. The remains of dozens of people were exhumed and quietly reinterred at the main cemetery on Queen Street. The land was cleared to make way for progress.

Just a short time afterward, in the late 1920s, the dredging of the Ala Wai Canal drained the waterways that once nourished ʻĀinahau. Nature dried up, and so did some of the memories of old Waikīkī.

Today, the Sheraton Princess Kaʻiulani Waikīkī Beach Hotel sits on what was once the long driveway to the ʻĀinahau estate. Beneath the hotel’s swimming pool area and souvenir shops lies the site of the old church and graveyard. And perhaps something else is there, too.

Guests who’ve stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaʻiulani Hotel have reported unexplainable chicken skin (goosebumps), the feeling of being watched, and glimpses of shadows in empty hallways. Others have mentioned cold spots that never warm and a heaviness in certain rooms.

Some say they’ve encountered the gentle presence of the Princess herself as an apparition wearing an old-style Victorian gown, quietly observing and sometimes even offering comfort to the weary.

For several years, the hotel workers were kind enough to let me bring my ghost tour through their lobby while I shared stories of the area with my guests. Some might remember how the lobby was once filled with paintings and photos of the late princess. One particular portrait stood out to me, and I always made a point of showing it to my guests.

A life-sized picture of Princess Ka‘iulani hung on a wall near the porte cochère. The young woman wore a black Victorian-style dress and a large black hat, but it was her lifelike appearance that caught my attention. Her eyes seemed to follow you as you moved. She seemed almost present, as though at any moment she might step out of the portrait and into the hall with us.

One day, as I stood in front of the picture contemplating what life might have been like in her day, I swear I saw her blink. Perhaps it was my fervent imagination or wishful thinking, but I went on with my day, walking through Waikīkī. Later, I ran into a gentleman who used to work as a concierge at the Ka‘iulani Hotel. I shared my story with him, and he smiled and nodded.

“I know which one you’re talking about,” he said. “You’re not the only one.”

He didn’t say anything more on the subject, and I was left to wonder how many people had the same experience I did. Was it a glitch in the lights above the painting? Were we all subject to the same hallucination?

Months later, I brought my tour group through the hotel lobby like I did every week. We stopped in front of the portrait, and I began to share the story about the young princess attending school at Great Harrowden Hall in England when a woman in my group let out a yelp.

“She blinked!” the woman shouted. “The woman in the picture just blinked!”

Although the woman was the only person who saw it, the entire group suddenly huddled closer together, training their cell phone cameras on the portrait. I don’t think anyone got a video of the portrait actually blinking, but it was certainly an interesting night.

A few months after that, the hotel began a series of renovations and redecorating, and I made sure to stay away from the area to avoid any injuries or complaints. But when the grand lobby reopened, my heart ached a bit when I realized that the portrait was gone. I asked a few employees at the front desk and concierge where it went, but no one was really sure.

I never found out what happened to the portrait. Maybe it ended up in a storage room somewhere, or in someone’s private collection. Perhaps it was given to an employee or simply discarded. Wherever it is, I like to think that the princess is still watching through the eyes of the portrait.

‘Āinahau and the tiny church and graveyard may have disappeared, and much of old Waikīkī may have been buried beneath concrete and asphalt, but if the stories are true, maybe Princess Ka‘iulani never really left.

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel

<title>Through the Eyes of a Princess</title>

Princess Kaʻiulani spent much of her tragically brief life at her beloved Waikīkī estate, ʻĀinahau. Over time, the property changed hands and developed into the hotel we know today. But there are stories the Princess is with us still in spirit at the site.

Through the Eyes of a Princess

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Crime & Courts

The trial of Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and her alleged associates in a criminal conspiracy won’t be happening anytime soon.

, the corruption trial of Luke and four others — lobbyist Tobi Solidum, former state Rep. Ryan Yamane, state Airports Administrator Ford Fuchigami and former Public Utilities Commission chair Leodoloff Asuncion Jr. — was scheduled to begin on Sept. 28, after four of the five defendants, excluding Solidum, pled not guilty.

But on Friday, that trial was pushed back a year, after attorneys for multiple defendants requested additional time to prepare.

Back on Aug. 6, Yamane’s attorney William Harrison filed a motion to continue the trial on a later date, as the discovery phase — in which both sides prepare witnesses and evidence to be presented at trial — had not yet begun and the breadth of the case made it exceedingly unlikely that the process could be completed on schedule.

Other attorneys, including Fuchigami’s lawyer Eric Seitz and Luke’s lawyer Richard Sing, co-signed Harrison’s motion.

At a hearing Friday, attorneys proposed that the trial be delayed by a year or more, suggesting varying dates between June and October of 2027. Prosecutor and Deputy Attorney General David Van Acker did not protest, although Judge Paul B. K. Wong did not land on a specific date Friday; an exact date will be determined at a scheduling conference next Wednesday.

By Wednesday, Fuchigami will also need to decide whether to keep Seitz as his attorney. Van Acker filed a motion in August arguing that Seitz has a conflict of interest in the case, having previously represented state Department of Health Deputy Director Cathy Ross, who will be a witness for the prosecution in the case.

Van Acker said Friday that Ross is not a minor figure in the case, having been the last person to meet with Solidum before his fateful 2022 

 with Luke and former Hawai‘i Rep. Ty Cullen at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Ala Moana. That meeting saw Solidum and his stepdaughter reportedly offer Luke two $5,000 checks.

Van Acker’s motion states that Seitz represented Ross during the Attorney General’s public corruption investigation earlier this year, and that Ross possessed “text communications that were material to [the] investigation.”

On July 24, the day an O‘ahu grand jury indicted Luke, Fuchigami, and the rest, Seitz reportedly went with Ross into the grand jury room. Later that same day, Van Acker’s motion claims, Fuchigami contacted Seitz for assistance with posting bail.

Van Acker told Judge Wong Friday that the appearance of a conflict of interest will severely compromise Seitz’s ability to represent Fuchigami. While Van Acker said he intends to get convictions for the defendants, he added that the appearance of impropriety during such a high-profile case should be avoided at all costs.

Nonetheless, Fuchigami repeatedly told Wong that he wants to retain Seitz as his attorney, even though Wong noted that Seitz will be obligated to keep Ross’ confidentiality, and may not be able to effectively cross-examine her at trial.

Wong said that legal precedent suggests that Fuchigami can waive his right to a conflict-free lawyer if he chooses. But Fuchigami didn’t choose Friday; Wong allowed him to consider his options and to make his decision on Wednesday.

Lukeco

<title>Luke corruption trial pushed to 2027</title>

Trial of Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and her alleged associates blows past previous September date.

Luke corruption trial pushed to 2027

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Business & Tourism

Fun fact: Selling homemade cinnamon rolls was not 

While the business is currently known for its warm, fluffy rolls, Jasmine “Jaz” Milam, who co-owns Hele Rolls with Brittany “Kawai” Lopez, remembers she started out with doughnuts.

“It was doughnuts to begin with; I’m no good at doughnuts and I already knew that, but I think she (Lopez) really likes doughnuts,” Milam says. “After a couple weeks, I was like, doughnuts are not working.”

Milam, who always loved baking, remembers making homemade cinnamon rolls regularly when she was deployed.

“I was making homemade cinnamon rolls every Sunday to share with my fellow service members,” she says. “It became a tradition that brought everyone together, and seeing how something as simple as a warm cinnamon roll could create that sense of comfort and connection has always stayed with me.”

Milam suggested featuring cinnamon rolls for Hele Rolls’ main product and, long story short, they quickly became a hit.

“Cinnamon rolls felt like the perfect fit,” she says. “They’re nostalgic, comforting, and have a way of bringing people together, which is exactly what we hope every customer experiences when they enjoy one of our rolls.”

Hele Rolls officially launched last June, shortly after Milam’s father died. The business was created as a way to honor his legacy and the values he believed in, especially the idea of food having the power to bring people together.

The business’s name pays tribute to Hele Nui, the food truck Milam’s father previously operated.

“Everyone says it (the business name) should be Jaz’s cinnamon rolls, and I didn’t want my name on it,” Milam says. “All of a sudden, it came to me — his food truck’s name was Hele Nui, so what about Hele Rolls? It’s using his name, but kind of paving my own path, carrying his legacy forward.

“Now, I tell everybody, this started off as a side hustle, but it’s turned into so much more,” she adds. “I have a legacy that I’m trying to continue with my dad. It’s more than just making cinnamon rolls for some extra cash; it’s making him, my family and my community proud.”

The family-operated business accepts pre-orders and pops up at various events across O

ahu, such as the Taste of Aloha Night Market at NEX and What the Truck?! in Waikele. The business’s first What the Truck?! market was recent, and Hele Rolls sold out of its cinnamon rolls in 45 minutes, according to Milam.

“I had about 220 to 240 rolls at What the Truck?!,” she says. “Taste of Aloha was the most I’ve done at a market; it was a little more than 300.”

All cinnamon rolls are handmade in small batches, according to Milam, who says the business focuses on creating that soft, fluffy texture and homemade frostings.

While the business’s original cinnamon roll continues to be a bestseller, it also offers specialty flavors which change every month, according to Milam. Previous specialty flavors include strawberry shortcake, chocolate haupia, ube and Oreo. In July, the business featured Oreo and lemon blueberry cinnamon rolls.

“We love keeping our menu fresh with rotating flavors inspired by Hawai

i, classic desserts and seasonal favorites,” Milam says. “One of our favorite things is challenging people’s expectations of what a cinnamon roll can be. They can be familiar, nostalgic and comforting — or completely unexpected.

“Lemon blueberry had our housemade blueberry compote, our icing, homemade whipped cream, fresh blueberries, lemon zest and blueberry shortcake, which is like cookies with freeze-dried blueberries,” she adds. “The Oreo one was like a cookies and cream. Our menu rotates regularly, so there’s always something new to discover. We put a lot of heart into everything we make.”

At markets, customers can buy individual cinnamon rolls or get sample packs, which include two original rolls and two specialty flavors. If customers pre-order, only packs are available. At markets, original cinnamon rolls cost $6 each; specialty flavors cost $8 each.

When asked about her favorite cinnamon roll flavors, Milam says she likes her kūlolo one — “I still need to perfect it a little bit more” — and also recommends the haupia flavor, which features original icing, toasted macadamia nuts and coconut shavings. 

Besides pop-up events and accepting pre-orders, the biz also offers catering for private parties, corporate events and celebrations. Customers can opt for the full-sized cinnamon rolls or the business’s Cinni-Maninis, or bite-sized cinnamon rolls.

Hele Rolls wasn’t even a year old when the biz was asked to participate in Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.”

“One day, we were making cinnamon rolls; I was in the kitchen, and Kawai yelled my name,” Milam remembers. “It wasn’t a panic yell; it was more of an excited yell. I came to her, and she said, ‘Look at this.’ It was a casting agent who reached out to us through Instagram. Obviously, like everyone else, we thought it was Spam.”

“We thought it was Spam for sure, but we were like, ‘Who knows, let’s just take a chance,’” Lopez says.

Hele Rolls responded to the message, the agent got back to them, and from there, “it just snowballed,” according to Milam.

That was earlier this spring; Hele Rolls left to compete on “The Great Food Truck Race” in April. Hosted by Tyler Florence, this season follows eight food truck teams from across the country, as they travel through the Great Smoky Mountains. The winning team gets a $50,000 grand prize. Previous show episodes can be viewed on HBO Max.

Keeping the competition a secret was a huge challenge, especially since Hele Rolls has regular customers.

“We couldn’t tell anyone,” Milam says. “On Instagram, we said, ‘This is our last pick-up and preorder until further notice;’ we didn’t know how long we were going to be there. Our regular customers were like, ‘What are you doing? Are you done?’ It was crazy to see all of that play out.”

The current season of “The Great Food Truck Race” premiered on July 26. The teams started in Nashville, according to Milam, who still remembers the first day of filming.

“We were so starstruck because we knew what we were doing there; everybody was looking at us,” she says. “It was insane; I will never forget that feeling.”

Hele Rolls usually pops up in tents at events; the business currently doesn’t operate out of a food truck, though that’s a future goal. Creating new friendships with other cast members and competing teams was one of the highlights of being on the show, according to Lopez.

“Though it was a competition, at the end of the day, we respected one another and cherished that experience as a whole,” she says. “We got a lot of different advice from everybody, their companies and their brands. A lot of them were more experienced in business; we’re freshly new in business. It was a lot to soak in, and also a chance for us to really be OK with being ourselves.”

[{"type":"text","text":"For Milam, being on the show instilled a newfound sense of confidence."}]

“This show has given me the ability to see the worth in ourselves,” she says. “All these people believed in me and believed in us. Being selected to compete on Season 19 of Food Network’s 

has been an unforgettable experience and an incredible opportunity to represent Hawai

“We continue to stay humble, but we’re so proud at the same time,” Lopez adds. “I think the best thing to do is to take a chance on yourself. You never know what can come out of any experience.”

As the business heads into its second year of operation, Milam and Lopez are focused on new goals for Hele Rolls. Milam — now running Hele Rolls full-time — says they would eventually love to own their own food truck and have a storefront.

“We’ve done so much in year one that we never thought was even possible,” Milam says. “We’ve been so blessed in one year — all these things that happened to us.”

She remembers when one of her first goals — in the business’s early days — was just to “have a line.”

“That’s all we wanted — two to three people,” she laughs. “A line means people are willing to sacrifice their time to stand in line for us and for our product. Having a storefront would be (amazing) because I know I can pump out more for them and it would be better quality; that’s always the goal.”

Being involved with the community is also important to the Hele Rolls team, who is always looking for ways they can support Hawai

“We want to be known not just for cinnamon rolls; we want to be known as a business that’s supporting our community,” Milam says. “If somebody needs something, I want Hele Rolls to be in the front of people’s minds. It’s literally about family, food and community.”

No matter what the future holds, staying true to themselves and maintaining the brand’s mission is essential, according to Milam.

“Beyond the cinnamon rolls themselves, I think what truly makes Hele Rolls unique is the experience,” she says. “From the very beginning, we’ve wanted every customer to feel like they’re part of our ‘ohana. That sense of connection is just as important to us as the product we serve.”

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support our community has shown us over the past year,” Milam adds. “As a women-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and family-powered business, it means so much to see people embrace not only our cinnamon rolls, but also the story and values behind Hele Rolls. We wouldn’t be here without our amazing ‘ohana and community, and we can’t wait to share what’s next.”

For updates and information, follow the biz on 

Hele Rolls The Great Food Truck Race credit Food Network 080526

<title>Oʻahu-based family business is 'on a roll'</title>

Hele Rolls, known for its homemade cinnamon rolls, started its business last June. The biz regularly pops up at events across Oʻahu and accepts pre-orders. Hele Rolls is also competing on the new season of Food Network’s "The Great Food Truck Race," which premiered on July 26.

Oʻahu-based family business is 'on a roll'

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Last week, State Sen. Brenton Awa rose on the Senate floor. He clarified that the Senate doesn’t “condone violence.” Then he held up a letter of recognition for “Mister Ambassador of Aloha.” The commendation was intended for a shirtless man recorded beating a tourist on Maui. The tourist had been filmed earlier throwing a rock at a monk seal.

The clip of Awa’s remarks has been viewed 29.3 million times on his 

. In the chamber where laws are made, a sitting senator stood to commend a man for a beating.

The tourist was wrong. That part isn’t in dispute. Throwing a rock at a protected animal earns charges, and ought to. The question is why a senator commended the man who beat him.

Awa represents State Senate District 23, which includes Kāneʻohe and the rural areas of the North Shore, including Kahaluʻu through Lāʻie, Kahuku to Mokulēʻia. It is one of the most conservative and religious districts in the state, with a significant presence of Christians and Mormons. Though they differ on major theological issues, they share most moral commitments. Many of them read Scripture and try to live by it.

Paul tells the Roman church plainly: never avenge yourselves, for vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He will repay. He says this in Romans chapter 12. In the next chapter he describes the magistrate as the servant of God who carries the sword on God’s behalf. The magistrate is the appointed avenger of wrath against the wrongdoer. Awa sits in the office Paul describes. To commend a man for taking justice into his own hands is to undercut the office God established to do that work.

A reader may reply that the justice system fails locals, that private justice is what’s left when the courts won’t act. There are two answers. The first is that the system was working. The whole state was outraged. The tourist was being identified and pursued. The vigilante did not help. He committed a crime of his own, and gave the tourist a grievance to point to.

The second answer is older. Vigilante justice doesn’t end disorder. It feeds it. Shakespeare worked this out in Verona, and the Capulets and Montagues are not a model anyone wants for Hawaiʻi. Due process is the rope that pulls communities out of that pit.

The seal speech was not a stray moment. Awa brought a polygraph to the floor during the $35,000 paper bag scandal. He has made props a feature of his floor speeches. He posted a video walking viewers to Rep. Linda Ichiyama’s office after she killed his bill prohibiting foreign ownership of land, and she received death threats. His congressional campaign website celebrates his record of voting no more than any other legislator. The posture is consistent: media first, lawmaking second.

A rock thrown at a seal and the beating of a tourist got Awa to stand and speak. The everyday violence in Hawaiʻi — robberies, killings, home invasions — has not moved him the same way. Neither has abortion, though his Christian and Mormon constituents care about it as deeply as any voters in the state. Awa casts his no votes and counts them on his campaign website. But a ceremonial no vote does not save a life.

He has a platform few legislators command. He could use it to speak about the issues his district cares about. He has chosen to use it to glorify lawless violence.

Moral leadership in a minority caucus is possible. It starts with respect for the office, since God has established it. The slow work of building coalitions and passing bills must follow, since social media clips don’t affect statutes. Underneath all of this lies the harder discipline of applying Christian conviction even-handedly. It must name the sins of allies as readily as opponents, the populist right as readily as the progressive left. A lawmaker who held those things together would be doing something that all of Hawaiʻi has been waiting for.

On opening day this session, Awa quoted James: “Be quick to listen and slow to speak.” He should have taken his own advice. Later in that 

, he told his colleagues, “We can accomplish impossible feats just by showing aloha. In other words, the next time you’re feeling like throwing blows, throw aloha.”

Awa upscaled

<title>'Mister ambassador of aloha'</title>

It's a bad look for the word "aloha" when it's used to commend a vigilante beat down, as state Sen. Brenton Awa did last week, says ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

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Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Anything for the shot

Authors

Kady Pascual

Social Media & Marketing Manager

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

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