ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"The Three Stooges..."}]

Smile 26 3 5

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026</title>

The Three Stooges...

Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Real Estate

Doug Johnstone has led Ward Village's continued growth as president of developer Howard Hughes' Hawai‘i region, but a new promotion has him taking the national development stage.

While Johnstone will remain rooted in the Islands, continuing in the president role he's held since 2020, he also was recently named head of national development for Howard Hughes Communities.

"I've got the exciting position of taking a lot of what we've learned here, and ability to blend together team members and stakeholders in the different disciplines, and try to move forward projects and business plans that can be successful and complementary to the surrounding community," he told Aloha State Daily during an interview at his Ward Village office. "What I do here, and also in these other markets now, is try to assemble good, collaborative team members that can have the discipline that goes into underwriting, due diligence, creating the investment opportunity; working with leasing, sales, marketing, construction; and really trying to choreograph how to move these efforts forward and provide the financial analysis, the corporate reporting, the coordination that needs to happen to attract investment and ultimately move things forward and execute."

There's still a "tremendous amount of activity" happening in Honolulu with Ward Village, he says: four active projects under construction, a park underway, infrastructure work progressing, "so in Honolulu, a lot of emphasis on the execution of what we've been teeing up in recent years."

"In the post-Covid time period, a lot of what you're seeing underway now is from that continued planning and discipline and moving forward in the wake of volatility," he says. "In the last year or so, we've started to put some building blocks in place of how to move some higher-density for-sale residential projects forward in some of our other markets."

Howard Hughes Communities is the real estate platform of Howard Hughes Holdings Inc.; in addition to Ward Village, Summerlin and The Woodlands, its other assets include Bridgeland and The Woodlands Hills in the Houston area, Teravalis in greater Phoenix, and Merriweather District in Columbia, Maryland.

Johnstone isn't joking; there's plenty happening in Ward Village, which 

sold out its first eight mixed-use residential towers: Waiea, Anaha, Ae‘o, Ke Kilohana, ‘A‘ali‘i, Kō‘ula, Victoria Place and Ulana Ward Village.

New residential buildings in development or under construction include Kalae, The Launiu Ward Village, Melia Ward Village and ‘Ilima Ward Village.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Also in the past 18 months or so:"}]

Meanwhile, Ward Centre, which opened in 1982 and served the community for more than four decades, officially 

The ongoing demolition of the retail center will clear the way for 

Melia Ward Village and ‘Ilima Ward Village, 

[{"type":"text","text":"The developer broke ground on Melia and ‘Ilima late last month."}]

Ward Village marked a record year in 2025, with momentum driven by the launch of Melia Ward Village and ‘Ilima Ward Village earlier in the year.

In Hawai‘i last year, Howard Hughes contracted to sell 287 condos, which accounted for roughly $1.6 billion in future revenue, according to 

 from Howard Hughes Holdings published earlier this year. Of those pre-sales, 220 units were contracted at Melia and ‘Ilima.

What lessons will Johnstone take with him from Ward Village into his new role?

"What we've learned over time is the need to be both pioneering and practical in balancing those two things when it comes to dynamic design, but also having fundamentals that are needed to ultimately have something that is viable and can move forward," he told ASD. "Then also, a lot of what development entails is making thoughtful investments that ultimately have an incredible amount of operational intensity to them. A lot of it is establishing a game plan or a business plan on paper, but then you might spend the next six or seven years bringing that to fruition, and you can encounter both micro and macro volatility in the process, or events that you could never predict in the years prior."

But, Johnstone says, a lot of what really dictates the outcomes is how well you can navigate that as a team.

"One of the benefits of what we do at Howard Hughes is being able to take a bit more of a longer-term approach and be able to weather through some of those ups and downs, but also take the multi-year or multi-decade perspective of how what we're doing today is going to fit into a broader initiative for that overall market or masterplan."

Johnstone says the new role "complements and expands a bit of what my team here has been doing over the last 14 years."

"We've got some great colleagues that have matured over time and are taking on more and more responsibility, and a number of them are working together on some of the efforts in Summerlin and The Woodlands and Bridgeland, as an example," he explains. "It's trying to deploy some of these best practices of how we've been able to put forth a huge amount of progress in Ward Village. It's an exciting place to be to touch different markets and product types, but ultimately it's a lot of the same process and you're trying to scale it and empower team members and provide a level of consistency."

In the near-term, Johnstone says his goal is to get "everybody aligned to have that common north star of where you're going."

Johnstone, who born and raised in Honolulu, attended Punahou School and Stanford University. He joined the Ward Village team in 2012 and was named president of the Hawai‘i Region in 

As for the new position, he says it's inspiring for himself, the team and "hopefully a lot of folks progressing their careers here in Hawai‘i."

"We're really proud of the team and platform we've built here over the last 14, 15 years, both internally and externally, the careers that have grown up along with what we've been doing in Ward Village — from our own colleagues, but also on the contractor side, engineers, architects, attorneys. A lot of us have matured with this overall master plan and to be able to take some of that and try to have an impact with more people, more properties and communities, it's a great case study of what we could do here in Hawai‘i. Even though you're in the middle of the Pacific, a lot of new flexibility and opportunities are created by the world getting flatter, technology improving, a little bit more time on airplanes, but it's hopefully an inspiring thing for a lot of people that are working in the industry."

Being able to build and grow a career in Hawai‘i is "really fulfilling," Johnstone says.

While there are challenges to accomplish that, "I think that's something for a lot of early-stage career folks and a lot of accomplished students that come out of here to see it as a path that is possible with a huge amount of hard work, probably some luck in the process, but I think there's a level of optimism that hopefully we can express to folks that are trying to make it."

Doug Johnstone 2026

<title>Doug Johnstone promoted to national role with Howard Hughes Communities</title>

He'll continue in his role as president of the developer's Hawai‘i region where he's overseen the development of Ward Village since 2020.

Doug Johnstone promoted to national role with Howard Hughes Communities

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"There’s a new Mexican restaurant open in Honolulu."}]

 recently opened in Puck’s Alley, close to the University of Hawai

i at Mānoa. The restaurant’s original location is in ‘Ewa Beach.

The menu is the same as the one at the ‘Ewa Beach location. Customers can choose from tacos, quesadillas, burritos, birria dishes, enchiladas, nachos, chimichangas and more. There’s indoor seating, but the restaurant is popular for takeout.

Customers who dine in will receive complimentary chips and housemade salsa.

Speaking of chips — the eatery’s nachos are a popular appetizer. Choose from options like supreme nachos ($20.95) with carne asada and shrimp or Frida’s nachos ($19.95), which come with carne asada and chorizo.

Nachos usually come with toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, beans and cheese.

i offers a wide variety of burritos to choose from, including California burritos ($19.95), shrimp burritos ($21.95), and chile verde burrito plates ($22.95). The Diego grande ($23.95) is recommended for diners who want a little of everything, as this burrito is stuffed with carne asada, chicken, chorizo, rice, beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. It’s topped with green and red enchilada sauces.

Meat choices for the eatery’s taco plates and burritos include carne asada, chicken, pork, pastor, chorizo, ground beef and more. Corn taco plates ($18.95) comprise three tacos with your choice of meat; tacos are topped with onions and cilantro, and are served with rice and beans.

More traditional dishes range from tamales with red enchilada sauce ($16.95) and chile relleno ($16.95) to Frida’s fajitas ($29.95). The latter features a mix of carne asada, chicken, shrimp and chorizo grilled with onions and bell peppers; fajitas are served with tortillas, lettuce, guacamole and pico de gallo.

The restaurant offers indoor customer seating and is popular for takeout. Customer parking is available in the Puck’s Alley lot.

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays

Customer parking available in the Puck’s Alley lot

Fridas Honolulu staff with taco plate 101326

<title>Frida’s Hawaiʻi is now open in Honolulu</title>

The Mexican restaurant, whose original location is in ‘Ewa Beach, recently opened in Puck’s Alley, close to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The restaurant — open for dine-in and takeout — features an extensive menu; signature dishes include supreme nachos, super burritos and birria tacos.

Frida’s Hawaiʻi is now open in Honolulu

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

Columnists

Do you think about gas stations? Probably not much, until you notice that your vehicle’s fuel level is low, and you then stop at one near your home or your work. You vaguely assume gas stations have always been around and always will be. Of course that’s not true - at least that they’re always existed.

Petroleum is a natural substance produced by nature. It comes from ancient organic matter that’s been buried underground, under pressure, for millions of years. It can be burned, making it a fuel source, something that humanity continues to require increasing amounts of. But it wasn’t until the middle 1800s that anyone finally figured out that this could be done to any significant degree with the black stuff that seeped out of the ground in certain places. Gradually petroleum — oil — would come to replace wood, coal and other oils from natural sources as the go-to source to burn for power.

This development happened to conveniently coincide with the invention of the internal-combustion engines that were utilized for the first automobiles as they evolved in Europe and the USA, beginning in the 1880s. And it was gasoline in particular, which is just one of the liquids that can be refined from crude oil, that was the most useful.

The first two autos to be imported to the Hawaiian Islands arrived in 1899, and you would understandably assume that this meant that the suppliers of petroleum-based fuels like kerosene — the most useful at that time — would need to start supplying gasoline soon after. But you’d be wrong, because (perhaps surprisingly) those very early cars didn’t use it. How could that be? Simple - they were electric! That’s not a new technology, as you might think; it’s one of the first that was used for cars.

Obviously, though, it was gasoline power that would soon take over. In those very early days, though, there were no gas stations nor any gas pumps to fill up the tanks of automobiles. Gas was often delivered to retailers in large cans, from which the liquid was poured into smaller containers to eventually end up in cars. This was clearly a slow, cumbersome and inefficient process.

As automobile manufacturing exploded in the United States in the early 1900s, putting it ahead of every other nation’s per capita car ownership, the delivery of gas to individual vehicles was greatly improved with the system we use today: a large tank is installed underground, and electrically-powered pumps pull it up from below ground and then into the machines that use it. With Hawai‘i’s annexation by the USA being finalized in 1900, we naturally followed what was happening throughout the entire country, including automobile ownership and all its related activities.

It might be surprising that the first gas pumps weren’t placed as they are today. Instead, they were placed on sidewalks next to streets, meaning that cars stopped to get gas might be blocking other traffic. It took awhile for the next step to occur, which was to create a dedicated space off the streets for refueling to take place.

By the 1920s in Hawai‘i, the familiar gas station was in use. This was the same as we have today: a space with a building whose roof protects one or two islands on which several gas pumps are installed. The pump hoses and handles can be used for vehicles stopped on either side, which accommodates more cars at one time, and everything is moved safely off the street and away from traffic and pedestrians.

The oil companies that owned the gas stations often wanted two things for their facilities. First, they preferred to use a standardized architectural style that made their brand’s buildings quickly recognizable to motorists, in hopes of creating customer loyalty. This was particularly because, until the 1980s, there were no credit cards that could be used universally for any kind of purchase. Drivers had to carry a different credit card for each specific gas company, making them more likely to seek out a particular brand where they could charge their purchase. And secondly, oil companies also wanted their stations to be somewhat attractive, particularly in residential areas where neighbors might be critical of an industrial-looking structure.

A feature of gas stations for decades were the small colored triangular flags that fluttered from overhead ropes above the properties. In use since at least 1940 for special events, by the 1960s these flags were strung up continuously and were an easy way to spot a station as you approached. 

Into the early 2000s, motorists expected a number of free services to be provided for their cars each time they got gas. First, and most importantly, only employees actually pumped gas. This was partly because the process could be a little grimy and customers did not want to dirty their hands, but also because gasoline was so flammable — and so many people still smoked at that time — that allowing unsupervised handling of the fuel was potentially dangerous. But in addition, windshields were wiped while oil levels were checked under the hood. Tire pressures were confirmed, with air being added if required. As gas prices began to rise abruptly in the 1970s, though, stations began to cut back on such amenities and to gradually shift to self service exclusively.

Possibly the biggest change in the gas station business, however, was the complete abandonment of selling car parts (including batteries and tires) along with actually repairing vehicles. This had been a long-established part of the industry and customers often dropped off their cars for such work at their favorite station. The loss of this service was partly due to the increasing complexity of car engines, but possibly more important was the decision by oil companies to simplify their work - just stick to selling gas and drop all the other stuff. Today, the older station buildings that are still in use have long since repurposed their former service bays into convenience stores, and now gas customers are entirely on their own to fill their own vehicles.

1 Gas map 76 16x9

<title>How Hawai‘i got its gas stations</title>

Strange but true — at one time, horse-drawn carriages delivered supplies of gasoline around O‘ahu, and fuel pumps were often located by the side of the road for motorists running on empty. As gas-powered cars became more common, a new kind of building emerged in the Islands — the gas station. Guess which famous waterman owned one in Waikīkī!

How Hawai‘i got its gas stations

doing away with its main cabin complimentary meals

 and moving to a pre-order, pre-paid program for in-flight meals on domestic flights between Hawaiʻi and the Mainland (except for those to JFK International Airport in New York City, which will continue to receive a complimentary meal

Guests can pre-order their in-flight meals through the Alaska Hawaiian mobile app or website two weeks in advance and up to 20 hours prior to departure.

The new main cabin menu was developed by Maui-based Sheldon Simeon, the chef/owner behind Tiffany’s Restaurant & Bar and Tin Roof Maui.

One of the most important decisions we made during this process was picking the right partner,” says 

Alisa Onishi, managing director of Hawai‘i marketing for Hawaiian Airlines

. “We were looking for a few things: a local chef that has represented Hawaiʻi well around the world in their career; someone who really aligned with our principles of featuring local products and supporting local businesses; and someone who would something warm, inviting and comforting on the aircraft. Chef Sheldon knows what it takes to make an amazing recipe and amazing dishes, and to bring those to life on an airplane.”

At Monday’s media event at Tiffany’s Restaurant & Bar on Maui, Aloha State Daily got a preview of the new Hawaiʻi-inspired menu. The menu features elevated takes on local favorites and comfort foods.

Prices for each meal range from about $11 to $17. For breakfast (flights departing between 6 and 9:59 a.m.), guests can choose from corned beef hash and eggs ($15.99), Island-style French toast breakfast ($15.99), banana pancake breakfast ($15.99), and coconut overnight oats ($10.99).

The corned beef hash and eggs entree features crisped corned beef hash served over roasted breakfast potatoes, topped with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.

“We’ve done a ton of tests, and we actually got the perfect poached egg in there,” Simeon says. “The Hollandaise sauce is right over the top, and we got some peppers and some onions in there.”

The banana pancake breakfast comprises three pancakes filled with mashed bananas, served with Portuguese sausage and scrambled eggs. Guests will also get Simeon’s specialty banana bread syrup.

“We took home-baked banana bread and we turned it into a syrup, so you get that fresh-baked flavor when you drizzle it over the top,” Simeon explains. “I think that banana bread is one of the best-smelling things in the world.”

He adds that the French toast and banana pancakes are reminiscent of Sunday morning breakfasts.

“I use the line that ‘Somebody is already thinking of you before you wake up,’” Simeon says. “When you get to have breakfast, I wanted something that’s going to feel like that.”  

For lunch and dinner (flights departing between 10 a.m. and 8:29 p.m.), choose from crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles, teriyaki cheeseburger, barbecue teriyaki chicken bento, grilled chicken banh mi sandwich, cheeseburger mac and cheese, sweet and tangy tender greens, and an Italian sub.

“Kamaʻāina that are flying are going to see familiar choices,” Onishi says. “Now, more than ever throughout our cabin, we have more local ingredients sourced in Hawaiʻi — not just in our Island airports, but also in kitchens across the continent. We’re excited to feature as many local flavors from local vendors as much as possible.”

The crispy mochiko chicken with garlic noodles features a crispy, rice flour-coated chicken thigh served with garlicky noodles. It’s accompanied by Simeon’s mac salad, signature spicy-K mayo, sweet teriyaki sauce and his crispy toppings bag.

“‘Fried chicken in the plane — do you have fryers in the back of the plane?’” Simeon jokes. “No, we don’t, but we wanted to mimic that flavor and texture. When people think of mochiko chicken — and fried chicken, in general — they want it crunchy. To mimic that, we have this ‘magic in a bag.’ Dip your chicken in the sauce — the sweet soy or K-mayo — and sprinkle over that kakimochi and furikake to get that crispy, crunchy flavor.”  

The grilled chicken banh mi sandwich features French bread with lemongrass-grilled chicken, fresh cilantro, jalapenos and pickled vegetables. Most entrees come with Simeon’s mac salad.

“This is a legit banh mi sandwich,” Simeon says. “It’s a hearty sandwich; it’s going to be served warm. For the mac salad, we do it local-style, full-flavored with potatoes and extra mayonnaise.”

He says the cheeseburger mac deluxe — a twist on mac and cheese — is one of his favorite dishes on the menu.

“I grew up eating Hamburger Helper,” Simeon says. “There’s just something homey about that; it feels like a hug in a bowl.”

The teriyaki cheeseburger ($15.99) features a teriyaki-marinated beef patty topped with American cheese and housemade pickles in a toasted teriyaki-glazed bun.

“When I think of Hawaiʻi, I think of teri cheeseburgers,” Simeon says. “We make our own patties.”

Guests who want something lighter — but still filling — can opt for the sweet and tender greens ($14.49). The tangy salad is a blend of baby kale, toasted almonds, edamame, grape tomato, quinoa, li hing mango, and a salty-sweet li hing balsamic vinaigrette.

“Our sweet-and-sour salad is another fun one; it’s got a little bit of crunch and a little bit of that burst of flavor from the li hing mui with balsamic vinaigrette,” Simeon says.

He emphasizes that this is the first iteration of the menu, and guests can look forward to more exciting developments to come.

“As you can see by the menu items, it’s not the most avant garde, I’m not trying to make the most fancy (dishes),” Simeon says. “I wanted to connect the stories of what makes us ‘live Hawaiʻi.’ These stories are engrained in these recipes that might look, on the surface, very simple, but it’s deeply rooted. Hopefully, we get to tell those stories to thousands of people in the air. Mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines for letting us have that opportunity."

For more information, visit Hawaiian Airlines’ 

Hawaiian Airlines chef Sheldon Simeon 063026

<title>Hawaiian Airlines’ new main cabin menu launches July 1</title>

For in-flight meals on domestic flights between Hawaiʻi and the Mainland, guests can pre-order from a menu curated by Maui-based chef Sheldon Simeon. The menu features elevated takes on local favorites and comfort foods, and features dishes like corned beef hash and eggs, banana pancakes, teriyaki cheeseburgers, crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles, and more.

Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026

Most read

Daily Smile: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026

Most read