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Daily Smile

This dog is an observational learner. After a few pushes, he got it and judging us for not figuring it out sooner...

Smile 26 2 4

<title>Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

 This dog is an observational learner. After a few pushes, he got it and judging us for not figuring it out sooner...

IMG 1445

Rick Hamada

Aloha Spirit

Columnists

In the over three decades of hosting a radio talk show at KHVH 830, I've trafficked in opinion regarding a wide range of topicality. However I am also committed to sharing the mission and opportunities found with excellent organizations that are equally committed to serving and benefitting our community.

I recently had the pleasure of hosting members of the American Heart Association - Hawai‘i Chapter and the information provided, both medical and personal, highlights such an organization.

February is American Heart Month, a nationwide observance that spotlights cardiovascular disease and the need for more lifesavers. First proclaimed in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, American Heart Month began as a national call to take charge of your heart health. (

I understand there are various months dedicated to various health conditions and challenges. There is no intent to diminish the importance of any of them but the heart is the engine of the human body which deserves our collective attention.

So why is it important to have a healthy heart?

When your heart is healthy, it can pump blood more efficiently, reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, a healthy heart can help you maintain a healthy weight, improve digestion, cognitive development, reduce stress, and improve your overall quality of life.

[{"type":"text","text":"What are some guidelines to achieve heart health? "}]

You can control heart health through seven key areas, often called "Life's Simple 7:"

Eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood pressure, managing cholesterol, and keeping blood sugar levels in check, with additional steps like managing stress, getting enough sleep, and regular checkups enhancing protection.

[{"type":"text","text":"What causes heart failure?"}]

Dr. Debleena Dutt, volunteer board member, American Heart Association, and cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente says, "There are many things that will cause the heart muscle to not perform well. There are two different types of heart failure. One is where the heart muscle fails to pump effectively and that can be due to family history,  you have a gene that pre-disposes you to a weak heart, you've had a heart attack which has damaged some of the heart muscle causing it not to perform well or excessive lifestyle choices such as alcohol use, cocaine, meth; these can also affect your heart function. The second type of heart failure is that over time the heart muscle stiffens. It's amazing because we actually do have treatment for this type of heart failure which affects over 50% diagnosed and we have really good treatments that are good for both types."

Dr. Dutt's involvement with the American Heart Association - Hawai‘i Chapter supports her primary passion which is heart disease in women. "I believe it's often underrecognized how important it is to take control of heart health in women", says Dr. Dutt.

National Wear Red Day is Friday, February 6, 2026.

Men, women and families around the country and here at home will be wearing the color red in support of women’s cardiovascular health, sharing information and resources, and donating to support research and education. You can learn more and wear YOUR red by going to 

Heart disease does pose unique threats to women.

Terrianne Butac is a sudden cardiac arrest survivor.

She's a local girl who grew up to become what her passion has been from an early age - a professional dancer. But there were some health-connected speedbumps along the way, including her high school years where she encountered episodes and shares that her doctors didn't really know what was causing it.

"I would tend to just faint out of nowhere. A few times I would hit my head and once I had a Grand Mal seizure because of the impact when I hit the floor so hard," recounts Terrianne. She explained during these episodes she would, "pass out for a couple minutes (so people would say) and sometimes I was taken to the hospital and other times I would wake up where I fainted and said that's OK, I'm fine, I'm fine."

The assumptions for these episodes included that she must not be hydrating enough, didn't eat enough when she was dancing, it was stress from schoolwork plus dancing and more. However, the cause of her episodes was recently revealed.

Terrianne and her husband learned of the unexpected passing of her beloved grandfather, and they attended his funeral service in downtown Honolulu. She shares, "He was my last grandparent, and he was my favorite." One of her responsibilities with other family members was to deliver a thoughtful and personal message of aloha regarding someone she loved so much. 

As she was preparing to take to the podium, that's when she felt the familiar sensations that something was wrong. The last thing she wanted was to have an episode in front of those attending. Asking her husband for "a great big bear hug" for support, Terrianne proceeded to the podium. A brief rustling of her papers she then slumped to the ground and went into sudden cardiac arrest.

There are so many harrowing details to her story including her heart stopping, resuscitation, coma and hospitalization. 

The question of possible brain damage was raised. Thankfully and perhaps miraculously Terrianne has made a virtually complete recovery and is progressing well. If there is an upside to her story due to this event doctors were finally able to diagnose Terrianne's affliction; Long QT Syndrome.

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm disorder that causes fast, chaotic heartbeats. The irregular heartbeats can be life-threatening.

But Terrianne views this through a positive lens. "The cardiac arrest saved my life instead of taking it."

Terrianne is a dedicated volunteer with the American Heart Association both in Los Angeles and Hawai‘i giving of her time and mentorship in assisting others.

Brandt Farias is the EVP, chief marketing Officer, Central Pacific Bank and the volunteer board chair of the American Heart Association Hawai‘i. He emphasizes the importance of American Heart Month in February. "It means a lot. It keeps people healthy and keeps fundraising dollars coming in so we can fund the research. In general, it's a really important time for us."

A dominant message of American Heart Month is, "You Are A First Responder Until Help Arrives." 

Brandt shares, "If there's an episode somwhere and something happens calling 911 is fine and is the first thing you tend to do but you have to act quicker. Something will happen to the individual and oftentimes it will be fatal. So, we have something called 'Hands Free CPR' where very quickly you can do chest compressions to the individuals chest and oftentimes that can save a life".

The message being given during American Heart Month is for us all to be aware, be informed and be willing to help those in need.

Seems to me this is a timeless message that hopefully we can all support every month.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

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

Terrianne Butac Zonca 16x9

<title>Hamada: Look after your heart for American Heart Month</title>

Three guests on my show recently shared personal and professional stories of how heart disease impacts all of our lives in Hawai‘i.

Hamada: Look after your heart for American Heart Month

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawaii History

Out for an evening drive, a young couple becomes stranded when their car breaks down on a long, isolated road. Enveloped by darkness, the car won’t start, and the man takes on the role of hero, saying he will walk back to the last house they passed to ask for help.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Stay in the car,” he tells his girlfriend, “No matter what.”"}]

The woman waits in the safety of the car, but after a while, she begins to hear a slow tapping on the roof. She waits and waits. Finally, she grows tired and falls asleep, but is startled by a policeman knocking on the window. It’s daybreak, and the officer instructs the woman to get out of the car.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Don’t look back,” he says as he guides her to his patrol car."}]

She looks back anyway and sees her boyfriend hanging upside down from the tree above their car. The tapping sound was his blood, slowly dripping onto the roof. 

This is the urban legend that most of us have heard growing up. No one really knows exactly where the story originated, but no matter where you’re from, you’ve probably heard some version of this story. On O‘ahu, we associate this story with the infamous Morgan’s Corner.

Another urban legend is about a young woman who, distraught over her boyfriend leaving her, chooses a tree at Morgan’s Corner from which to hang herself. She hung so long that her head separated from her body. People say that her headless body roams the area, and if you look up into the tree, she will be there waiting to grab you.

Sometimes legends start with a bit of fact, and over time, the stories morph into something scarier or spookier. While we can say for sure that neither of these actually happened at Morgan’s Corner, there are several events that may be the cause of alleged hauntings in that area.

While the urban legends are just that, there was an actual murder nearby. In 1938, two prisoners escaped from a work line on Smith Street, near Beretania, and caught a city bus to Nu‘uanu Valley. After hiding out overnight, they came upon the Wilder Estate. They broke in through a small dressing room window, gaining access to the Wilder home where 68-year-old widow Therese Wilder was just sitting down to dinner. Mrs. Wilder heard the noise and went to investigate.

When she discovered the men in her home, she tried to escape, calling out in an attempt to frighten the intruders. One man grabbed her, and the other struck her in the eye. Mrs. Wilder was quickly overpowered and was bound and blindfolded. When she began to regain consciousness, she struggled and was beaten until she passed out. She was gagged with the towel that was initially used as her blindfold. The escaped convicts took some food and left. Mrs. Wilder wasn’t found until five days later. Her official cause of death was suffocation. Her jaw was broken, and the gag further impeded her breathing.

But death and destruction in this valley go back even further. In 1795, Kamehameha’s quest to conquer O‘ahu brought the decisive battle between his army of 12,000 warriors against Kalanikupule’s 9,000 O‘ahu and Maui warriors to Nu‘uanu Valley. From Pūowaina to La‘imi, to Pū‘iwa, to the 500-foot cliffs of the Nu‘uanu Pali, the armies clashed, leaving death in their wake. The battle raged right through the area that is now Old Pali Road and Nu‘uanu Pali Drive as the warriors fought for control of the island. Some people think the spirits of warriors continue to linger due to the many deaths that occurred in and around this area.

[{"type":"text","text":"But where exactly is Morgan’s Corner, and how did it get its name?"}]

The actual “corner” on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive was located at the spillway under the bridge at Judd Trail. Before the roadway was adjusted, the turn was nearly 90 degrees.

As early as February 1938, Honolulu newspapers were drawing attention to the dangerous curves on the Nu‘uanu side of Pali Road. Letters to the editor described a narrow, slippery road with almost no straight stretches of visibility, which was considered unsuitable and unsafe.

That same year, the Department of Public Works began promoting plans for a future Nu‘uanu Pali tunnel route that would eliminate some of the most dangerous bends. But public opposition and lack of interest delayed major improvements for years. In the meantime, the winding section of Nu‘uanu Pali Drive, including its almost-ninety-degree turn, continued to earn a deadly reputation.

The press began calling the turn the Morgan S Curve, after Dr. James A. Morgan, whose estate bordered the hazardous roadway. Over the next decade, newspapers used several variations. In 1941, printed articles referred to the stretch of road as the Morgan Estate curve, the Morgan residence curve, and Morgan’s corner. Other journalists called it Nu‘uanu’s death curve, the death trap, and Morgan death curve.

[{"type":"text","text":"By 1953, the name “Morgan’s Corner” stuck."}]

Between 1949 and 1957, nearly 200 crashes occurred along this stretch, including multiple deaths at Morgan’s Corner itself. For decades, officials talked about correcting the dangerous roadway, but there was always another reason to postpone construction. Even after a major legal dispute was settled in 1956, collisions persisted. One official bitterly joked that the place should be called “Morgan’s Coroner.”

Ultimately, reconstruction helped, but the danger was not fully eliminated until the opening of the new Pali Highway in 1958, which finally bypassed Nu‘uanu Pali Drive and Morgan’s Corner altogether.

Many believe that places are haunted by the spirits of people who died there. If this is true, then there are several reasons for this stretch of road to be haunted.

A friend once called me about something strange that happened near the hairpin turn on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive. He parked on the grassy shoulder in front of the gated community because he spotted a thick patch of dark laua‘e ferns, which were perfect for a fragrant lei po‘o. He began properly by offering an ‘oli before he started gathering, as his elders taught him. When he finished, he gave thanks to the forest and started back across the road.

On his way back to his car, neither he nor the approaching vehicle saw each other until the last second. He froze just in time as an old car swept past him. It was an old 1930s Packard sedan, black, new-looking, like something from territorial-era Hawai‘i. The driver, a white man in a coat and tie with horn-rimmed glasses, glared at him with sharp irritation.

The Packard pulled over near the small waterfall. My friend hurried to his own car, dropped the bag of ferns onto the seat, then angrily walked toward the sedan. But with every step closer, the vehicle began to fade until it completely vanished.

Shaken, he returned to his car, and that’s when he noticed the strangest detail. The bag was no longer filled with the thick, fragrant laua‘e leaves that he thought he picked. It was packed with light, lacy pala‘ā ferns instead.

“That corner,” I told him quietly, “is Morgan’s Corner. A residual ghost, maybe?”

[{"type":"text","text":"His face filled with fear, “Should I take the pala‘ā back?”"}]

“Make a lei from it first,” I suggested, “Then go back and make an offering of apologies. I’ll go with you.”

A few days later, we returned to offer apologies. Rain hammered my windshield the entire drive, but the moment we reached the spot where my friend parked earlier, it stopped completely. It seemed everything grew quiet, the rain, the traffic. I’ve never heard my friend chant so beautifully as he did that day.

Note: Many people believe that Morgan’s Corner lay on the Kane‘ohe side of the Nu‘uanu Pali on a narrow lane called Kiona‘ole Road, although the area has nothing to do with Dr. Morgan or anyone else with the name. The misnomer is possibly due to the simple directions given to thrill-seekers and ghost hunters as being “a twisting road with hairpin turns just before the Pali lookout.” These days, it is often referred to as the “Second Morgan’s Corner.”

Morgans Corner Nuuanu

<title>Residual spirits at Morgan’s Corner</title>

Arguably the most famous haunted place on O‘ahu is Morgan's Corner in Nu‘uanu. Do you know the real story behind it? Turns out, there's more than one possible explanation for the things seen and presences felt where life and death intersect on Nu‘uanu Pali Drive.

Residual spirits at Morgan’s Corner

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Government & Politics

House Bill 1636, which wanted businesses to pay $500 fines when their shopping carts are stolen and dumped. On Jan. 31, the House Committee on Economic Development and Technology held a hearing on the bill. 

No one spoke in favor of it. It was opposed by Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, KTA Super Stores, and Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i. 

, with seven ayes from Representatives Ilagan, Hussey, Holt, Tam, Templo, Yamashita and Gedeon. 

Rep. Greggor Ilagan (D) seemed to be one of the bill's biggest champions, so on Feb. 2, I emailed his office to ask:

"If no one testified in favor, and the only people who participated in the democratic process spoke against the bill, what was the point of advancing it?  Seems to me, and probably seems to my readers, like that should have been the end of it. Genuinely interested in hearing more about how this happened."

[{"type":"text","text":"I've received no reply."}]

 before being heard in a floor session of the House on Tuesday. You can 

 in this recording of session (at 23 minutes in) being a bit smug about how the new version doesn't punish businesses at all. We love business!

In fact, he said, the new version forbids the counties from fining businesses when their shopping carts are stolen, forbids counties from charging an impound fee. Instead it requires — not merely authorizes, but requires — the counties to set up lots where they can collect the shopping carts and return them to business ... for a fee. A $500 fee, same amount as the fine that isn't a fine anymore because of legislator word magic.

[{"type":"text","text":"It's not a fine. It's a \"buy-back\" program now."}]

The store didn't buy the carts from the government in the first place, in what sense would they be buying them back?

Well, in this sense. Picture it: Your house gets robbed and miracle of miracles, the cops bust the thief who did it and recover your jewelry. Then HPD calls you up and says, "We have your jewelry. We need you to bring $500 to the station right away and we'll release it back to you. No money, no jewelry." 

You might think that call was a scam, or perhaps placed by some sort of mafia. But no, it's just the county, oh so helpfully offering you a chance to buy back your own stolen property. This is what the new version proposes, holding stolen property for ransom.

Any pretense at business friendliness from Ilagan was thrown right out the window by Rep. Scot Matayoshi (D), one of the representative who introduced the bill.

At 24 minutes in the video linked above, he said "shopping carts are a blight on our community."

"The cost for removal falls upon usually the city and county or private landowners to remove them and deal with these fairly expensive shopping carts," he said. "What this bill does is it gives the counties, like the previous speaker said, an option to remove them and tries to fund it where we're not trying to do an unfunded mandate here. We're trying to hold the people responsible for allowing these shopping carts to leave the premises — even if they were stolen I would argue the fine should be the same. Measures need to be put in place by the businesses to secure their own property."

 still intend to punish businesses. It their fault. They made it too easy.

Yeah, abandoned shopping carts are a blight. They get into the streams, clutter the roadsides. This bill exists, and is being stubbornly defended over public opposition, because lawmakers absolutely will not name the actual culprits who steal and dump the carts and will not do anything about them. Worse still, this bill exists because these same lawmakers, who have failed to maintain any kind of law and order, know full well they will never recover from the homeless the cost of clearing out their stolen carts. The homeless don't have money.

[{"type":"text","text":"But the businesses do. "}]

And the businesses have addresses. The businesses are law-abiding. The businesses follow the rules and pay every tax demanded of them. So the businesses must pay even more.

That's the mindset of Democrats pushing this bill, so it's moving forward to other committees. Track it, and submit testimony on it, 

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team.

Shopping cart 2

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Shopping Carts II — This time, it's buy-back!</title>

The bill to punish businesses when their shopping carts get stolen and abandoned moved forward, and got weirder.

Pipikaula Corner: Shopping Carts II — This time, it's buy-back!

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Lifelong friends Meleana Estes and Noel Shaw never set out to start a business.

Three years ago, though, they launched HIE Heirlooms of Hawai‘i, a “modern fine jewelry collection created to perpetuate the tradition of Hawaiian heirloom jewelry — in particular, the inscribed gold Hawaiian bangle bracelet,” its website notes.

Heirloom bracelets date back to the Hawaiian monarchy. The future Queen Lili‘uokalani was pictured in a solid gold bracelet in the early 1860s, the 

, inspired by England’s Queen Victoria.

[{"type":"text","text":"But the pair’s endeavors were inspired in part by their own heirlooms."}]

HIE got its start “after a decade-long search for bracelets for their children as special as the ones they’d been handed down,” the website states. “In the end, they decided to design their own custom versions, inspired by the bracelets owned by their female mentors and forebears.”

Estes and Shaw grew up together; their parents were old friends and high school classmates at Punahou School.

“I always sort of considered Noel and her siblings my Calabash cousins — like our cousins who were not blood related but really close friends,” Estes told Aloha State Daily. “And we were so lucky to have kids at the same time.”

Estes says that when she and Shaw were born, both of their mothers were gifted bracelets with their names on them.

“We would see our parents wearing these and we couldn’t wait to get them,” she says. “I got mine for my 16th birthday. I think Noel was the same.” It was a milestone and a moment in their childhoods, in becoming teenagers and becoming mothers, really, Estes says.

After they became mothers themselves, Estes said they had wondered about who made these bracelets in the style they wanted. Although there were jewelry companies in existence, they couldn’t find bracelets that looked like the ones their grandmothers had made for their mothers.

“It wasn’t so much of realizing there was a hole in the market, we realized there was a hole in what we wanted for ourselves.”

But a company was never the intention, Shaw says. The old family friends found themselves spending a lot of time together while watching their children, “sitting around and talking about the stories of our own bracelets that were on our arm and what we wanted to create for our children, the different bracelets in our families.”

Shaw says when they first started to make the bracelets, they were bracelets in honor of their kids, which took a while to get right. But after refining the product, it was something they wanted to share with other women “because we cared about it so much.”

“So we never intended to have a business, and then all of a sudden it worked out and it flowed and started to make a lot of sense … ,” she told ASD. “Weaved into our company, of course is growing a business, but is sharing stories, perpetuating, using this as a vehicle to support women in [the] community, so we gather a lot.”

HIE, which launched in February 2023, now offers a collection and variety of gold bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings online at 

[{"type":"text","text":"How does it feel to be three years in?"}]

“I think we’re ... so fortunate to be doing something we love,” Shaw says. “I think when you’re a child, your parents always tell you [to] find something you’re passionate about and it doesn’t feel like work at all. Then, especially when you get to work with people you love or dear friends and sharing stories [with] all the women we’ve connected with, I think it’s just very exciting."

Shaw says, too, that the rising price of gold is an “interesting challenge” for the jewelers, whose pieces are made of solid 14K, 18K or rose gold, but it’s a global issue in the luxury jewelry world.

“We get to bond with all of the other brands out there going through it and get a lot of advice from founders that have come before us. … We’re popped in the middle of a landmark industry change on the gold prices since we’ve launched in the last three years, and that’ll be a story we’ll tell our grandkids — how you pivot and plan.”

Despite the increased gold prices, however, Shaw says HIE won’t change its products, “because we really feel like it needs to be solid and it needs to be thick to last those generations.”

“We follow the guidelines of designing what we love, and we hope other people love it,” she continues. “It’s as simple as that.”

For her part, Estes says she also feels “super grateful,” and that the experience has been both “really, really fun” but also nerve-wracking trying to share heirloom jewelry “in the best way possible.”

An upcoming Kama‘āina Trunk Show will be held form 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Hale Hou room at Kaimana Beach Hotel. RSVP at 

also will host a trunk show Feb. 13 to 16 at Island Copra within Kona Village, and Feb. 17 and 18 at GOOP at Mauna Lani.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Noeland Mele Jenn Ellenburg hie hawaii

<title>HIE Heirlooms of Hawai‘i perpetuates tradition</title>

Founded in 2023 by lifelong friends Meleana Estes and Noel Shaw, the brand offers a modern fine jewelry collection that aims to continue the tradition of Hawaiian heirloom jewelry — in particular, the inscribed gold Hawaiian bangle bracelet.

HIE Heirlooms of Hawai‘i perpetuates tradition

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 but didn’t want to commit to a monthly prix fixe menu — now’s your chance.

The eatery closed briefly in early January to give its staff a break, and recently opened with a new format.

, “Chef Chris (Kajioka) always intended this space to be a restaurant for the neighborhood; the same place where he grew up and spent time as a kid. This space will return to be ‘Café Miro,’ featuring an a la carte menu that will be built around the ethos of just being delicious.”

Once the restaurant reopened later in January, we made reservations to check out the new a la carte dishes. A classic prix fixe menu ($135 per person, optional $65 wine pairing) is still available, and comprises crowd favorites like ‘ahi brioche, miso black cod and filet of beef.

The eatery’s sister restaurant, The Counter Miro — formerly Leila Kaimukī — will be highlighting the prix fixe concept through a multi-course tasting counter, which will be available soon.

Cafe Miro's a la carte menu offers a mix of snacks and appetizers, salads, entrees, sides and desserts.

The eatery’s signature ‘ahi brioche ($14), chive madeleines ($24) and charred cabbage salad ($20) come highly recommended.

The thick, buttery brioche is topped with a generous slab of ‘ahi, along with avocado, tare and chives.

While madeleines — small butter cakes known for their sponge cake-like interior and crispy edges — are often served in dessert form, this savory version is served warm and accompanied with Hudson Valley foie gras mousse.

The dish is like a twist on bread and butter in the best way — the madeleines are light and spongy, complemented by the savory, easily spreadable mousse. The foie gras flavor is subtle — earthy and nutty, without being overwhelming.

The Caesar salad ($22) is one of my new favorites on the menu. It features thick, spongy croutons — made from the same buttery brioche as featured in the ‘ahi brioche — and 2-year-old aged Parmesan. We appreciated the nutty, savory flavor; this is an ideal dish for cheese lovers.

We’re told the roasted garlic bone marrow ($28) was inspired by a popular restaurant in New York called Blue Ribbon Brasserie, which is known for its bone marrow served with oxtail marmalade.

Miro’s version features a beef cheek marmalade made with port wine and sherry vinegar. The topping’s acidity cuts the fat from the bone marrow, and the harmonious medley pairs perfectly with pieces of toasted shokupan bread.

Entrees range from Café burger ($30) — double wagyu patty, caramelized onion jam and green peppercorn aioli — and Ry black cod ($45) to meaty options like Westholme rib-eye ($95) and Westholme striploin ($89).

The cod is sold out during our visit, but its Hokkaido scallop substitute was a mouthwatering replacement. The succulent scallops were served in a rice porridge made with shio koji miso and topped with bubu arare and daikon. 

Meanwhile, the tender Australian wagyu rib-eye is served with garlic confit and shallots. You’re given the option to add sauces — Cognac peppercorn ($18), black truffle butter ($18) or crab Hollandaise ($22) — but the meat is so flavorful that it doesn’t need additional flair.

Sides are served a la carte; options include beef tallow fries ($10), smoked mozzarella smashed potatoes ($14) and baby spinach with garlic confit ($14). The Yukon smashed potatoes are indulgent and buttery, and the cheesy flavor isn’t overwhelming. If you order the burger, though, go for the beef tallow fries.

End with desserts like banana mochi cake ($10) and Strauss soft serve ($12). It’s difficult to choose one — you can always get both — but I’m partial to the soft serve.

Boasting a luscious, velvety texture, the soft serve is reminiscent of the creamy Hokkaido soft serve you’d find in Japan. Take your pick from three toppings — salted miso caramel, Laudemio olive oil or valrhona chocolate and candied peanut. If you want a more “classic” dessert, go for the dark chocolate and candied peanut, which provides a nice crunch. The salted miso caramel is sure to please those who prefer a balance of sweet and savory.

There’s something to be said for the banana mochi cake ($10), though. It’s like a lighter version of banana bread, complete with mochi’s signature, slightly chewy texture.

Cafe Miro entrees 012926

<title>Café Miro Kaimukī has a new a la carte menu</title>

The Kaimukī eatery recently changed its format to offer both, a prix fixe menu and an a la carte dining option. New a la carte dishes include a café burger, wagyu beef tartare, roasted garlic bone marrow and an indulgent soft serve dessert.

Café Miro Kaimukī has a new a la carte menu

The Capitol is quiet Thursday morning as a handful of people wander around the central atrium. A small group, decked out in red, make their way through security.

They’re some of 16 architects representing the AIA Hawai‘i State Council — itself comprised of the AIA Honolulu and AIA Maui chapters of the American Institute of Architects — who were meeting with legislators as part of the organization’s architectural advocacy day.

The aim was to engage with lawmakers to address key priorities and showcase the role architecture plays in shaping Hawai‘i’s communities.

“Most of our priorities have to do with housing,” Julia Fink, executive vice president of AIA Hawai‘i, told Aloha State Daily. “Of course, we’re interested in housing affordability, adaptive reuse. We’re looking at the SMA [special management area] processes, trying to make sure that it’s still fair but maybe a little bit more efficient.”

The group also supports updates to the State Historic Preservation Division processes, she notes.

“There are lots of bills this session about shifting SHPD timelines or their processes, so we want to get a better understanding of how that would play out in practice so that the architects can actually get their projects to go through while still respecting the important historical land that the buildings would be on.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Fink says advocacy is a big part of what the association does."}]

“Advocacy is so important because the rules that are made here at the Capitol affect day-to-day practice,” she says. “When we talk about code advancement, that affects how every building is designed. We talk about resiliency, what kind of building materials are available, what kind of energy sustainability pieces can we push forward to make sure we’re meeting our state goals and that the buildings are working better for us. They should be great places for us to live in and work in and play in, and places that people want to go. Architects are very 

passionate about creating healthy, safe places for people to be.

Upstairs, Krithika Penedo, Julie Lam and Marni Tam, one of four groups meeting with lawmakers Thursday, sit across from Hilo state Rep. Sue Keohokapu-Lee Loy, who said she “kind of fan girls over AIA.”

“I think their grasp of a very complex subject, it’s just wondrous to me,” Keohokapu-Lee Loy told ASD. “… I have a couple of bills around housing, which actually will touch the construction codes, so getting their feedback is just so valuable.”

Legislation introduced by Keohokapu-Lee Loy and other lawmakers includes 

, which calls for the development of a permitting workforce pipeline; 

, which proposes the development of a statewide permitting intake platform; 

,  which would require the State Building Code Council to provide training to state and county permitting agency employees; and 

, which would establish a working group within the State Building Code Council to develop proposals for an off-site construction program. So far, the bills have passed first reading and been referred to various committees, but no public hearings have been scheduled as of Friday.

Penedo, Lam and Tam later met with Mānoa Rep. Andrew Takuya Garrett. During their conversation, Garrett, chair of the House Committee on Higher Education, asked several questions about the architecture workforce, the impact of AI technology on the profession and how to address affordable housing needs.

Much of the time spent at the Capitol was just meeting representatives “and letting them know about the American Institute for Architects,” Penedo told ASD. While some discussion centers around specific bills, “today is for us to introduce ourselves to folks who don’t know us yet, how we can be a resource, what we do and where we can provide expertise in some of these upcoming bills.”

Lam says it’s important for AIA to do this kind of advocacy “because we are the last ones to know about all the changes that come out and it affects us tremendously. We don’t want to be in that position anymore, so we’d like to help because we have the expertise and we really like to just be a resource for everyone.”

“I think one of the main reasons that we want to be here is because right now, we’re dealing with a housing affordability crisis and then just a lack of housing,” David Sellers, principal architect with Maui-based Hawai‘i Off-Grid Architecture and Engineering as well as Surf Block Maui, told ASD. “Obviously as architects, we know a little bit about housing and there’s a lot of things that affect that.”

Building codes, for example, is one area of expertise, and there are a lot of bills introduced by lawmakers that affect change with those, says Sellers, who’s also a board member of the AIA Hawai‘i state chapter.

“When that happens, we love it, one, that there’s action taking place that directly affects us, but we also want to have the opportunity to provide testimony and just talk story.”

Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

ASD Staff

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

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ASD Staff

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