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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Competition over. Give him the gold medal..."}]

Smile 26 6 7

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, June 7, 2026</title>

Competition over. Give him the gold medal...

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 7, 2026

 Competition over. Give him the gold medal...

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Aloha Spirit

When the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival, presented by Hawaiian Airlines, returns to Honolulu next month, organizers say it'll be the biggest festival yet, with more than 800 vendor booths spanning nearly 300,000 square feet across two nights and two full days.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Aug. 1.

, the days and times of the festival have changed from past years due to construction at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where the event will be held.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The event is set for Aug. 20 to 23:"}]

Limited pre-sale tickets for Thursday and Friday will be available through select sponsor links with limited public tickets remaining. You can buy tickets at 

In addition to the hundreds of vendors, the festival also will feature live entertainment, chef demos, fashion shows, tastings and more, an announcement Monday said. But there's plenty of other changes to note this year, too.

[{"type":"text","text":"According to that announcement, here's what's new in 2026:"}]

MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, or HFIA.

“For more than 30 years, the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival has served as the state’s premier showcase for locally made products, connecting thousands of residents and visitors with Hawaiʻi’s most innovative producers, artisans, and food and beverage companies,” the 

 notes. “What began as a platform to support local businesses has evolved into one of Hawaiʻi’s most anticipated annual events and a critical economic driver for hundreds of companies statewide.

 drew approximately 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2024. The festival saw about 70,000 visitors over three days 

 and vendors reported sales just under $10 million, Heu previously told ASD.

With the changes this year, Heu told ASD that organizers are "optimistic" that they'll see similar numbers this year.

ASD attended the festival last year and caught up with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. 

Aloha State Daily is an ‘Ohana Sponsor for the Made in Hawai‘i Festival. Stop by our booth to say “aloha,” play some games, win prizes and learn more about the work we do.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

MIHF 2025 DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS AC 45

<title>Here's what's new at the 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival</title>

Hawaiian Airlines presents the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival returns to Honolulu in August and organizers say it'll be the biggest festival yet, with more than 800 vendor booths spanning nearly 300,000 square feet across two nights and two full days.

Here's what's new at the 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 recently soft opened in Honolulu. The biz doesn’t have an official sign yet, but it’s located on one end of the 

The business is known for its flavorful gourmet burgers made with wagyu patties. Created in collaboration with 

, winner of London’s Slider Decider competition in 2015 and 2016, Dragon Burger is known for its flavorful gourmet burgers made with wagyu beef patties and innovative sauces.

Dragon Burger initially did a pop-up in Fukuoka, Japan in August 2017. After positive customer feedback, the brand opened in Tofukuji, Kyoto the following month. 

The yuzu kosho burger is the business’s signature burger. It includes yuzu mayo, a sweet chili sauce, spring onions, cheddar cheese and pickled radish. Yuzu kosho, a popular Japanese condiment made with fresh yuzu citrus zest, contributes to the burger's savory flavor. 

The shiso flame features spicy mayo, spring onions, cheddar cheese, shiso leaf and onion chili paste.

We’re told that the business will add more burgers — like the wasabi (crispy onions, wasabi mayo, onions, cheddar cheese, wakame seaweed and Karashi mustard) and classic (sweet mustard, onions, onion miso, cheddar cheese and Karashi mustard) — to the menu in the upcoming days.

Customers can opt for the business’s Kyo chips ($6), or fries, plain or with sauces like yuzu mayo, spicy mayo and wasabi mayo (additional $1). The wasabi mayo comes highly recommended.

Dragon Burger is currently open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. daily. Both this biz and the business next to it, Bonbori — a ramen spot from Hokkaido — will be celebrating their grand opening on July 25.

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Dragon Burger yuzu kosho burger 072026

<title>Kyoto’s Dragon Burger is now open in Honolulu</title>

The Japan-based burger spot — known for its gourmet wagyu patties and innovative sauces — just soft opened at Midtown Eats food hall at The Park on Keʻeaumoku. The menu is limited for now; the business will celebrate its grand opening on July 25.

Kyoto’s Dragon Burger is now open in Honolulu

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many individuals developed new hobbies like cooking or baking. For husband and wife Caameron and Monica Nakasone, the pandemic was a catalyst for creating their own coffee beverages.

“When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and we couldn’t go out and visit a café, we took it upon ourselves to learn how to make a delicious brew at home,” Monica Nakasone says. “This sparked our passion for coffee and our admiration for the craft.

“Everyone either baked or did coffee (during the pandemic),” she adds. “We went down the coffee route and fell in love with the craftsmanship.”

i, the couple was living in Oregon at the time, as they both went to college at the University of Portland. They spent many weekends visiting specialty coffee shops, according to Nakasone.

“After we graduated from the University of Portland, we found ourselves living in Oregon for 12 years,” she says. “When Covid hit, we started researching how much craftsmanship really goes into specialty coffee, and how small variables could change the flavor. We started figuring out what we loved about coffee and what flavors brought us joy.”

ahu to be closer to family, they also decided to pursue their dream of opening up a coffee shop together. Their specialty coffee shop, called 

, is inspired by the Pacific Northwest, according to Nakasone.

“We take pride in sourcing our coffee beans and teas from Portland shops that we would frequent and found joy in visiting, and we are excited to share them with the community here in Hawaiʻi,” Nakasone says.

Third Space Coffee opened about two weeks ago; it’s located on the third floor of the 808 Center in a shared space with Cake M. The business’s logo features their dog, Kuro, with a cup of coffee, according to Nakasone, who says the café’s name stems from its goal to be a “third space” for the community.

“Our mission is to be a place to spend time that’s outside of work or home, where anyone can come in, enjoy a memorable cup of coffee, and return for the hospitality and warmth they felt from our shop,” she says. “Third Space is the culmination of our gratitude and appreciation for the communities that supported us, our experience living in the Pacific Northwest — a region known for its multitude of coffee roasters and coffee culture — and our passion for specialty coffee.”

The café offers a variety of coffees, teas and specialty beverages. The signature drinks are inspired by some of the couple’s favorite places and features about Oregon.

“They pay homage to where we first experienced a particular beverage,” Nakasone explains. “For example, The Bluff — an iced London Fog, topped with our marionberry cold foam — is a reference to the University of Portland, where we first had a London Fog. Some of our other popular drinks include the Cedar Hills — a brown sugar vanilla, honey and cinnamon latte — and Mount Hood, our cold brew topped with marionberry cold foam, and the St. John’s.”

The St. John’s is a brown sugar cardamom latte. All of the café’s syrups and cream cheese flavors are made in house, with the exception of the caramel sauce, according to Nakasone.

“I had never heard of a London Fog until we moved to the Mainland,” Nakasone says. “We try to incorporate some of our favorite flavors — like marionberry — from the Pacific Northwest.”

Teas include options like iced hibiscus punch tea, Rose City Genmaicha and Portland breakfast. The café also features bagels from Big Time Bagels, and housemade baked goods like chocolate chip cookies ($4.75) and Spam-cheddar and gochujang scone ($6).

“We are proud to share that all our baked goods — with the exception of our bagels — are made in house,” Nakasone says. “The scones are my husband’s recipe. The Everything bagel with our housemade pizza cream cheese ($8) is a fan favorite.”

Third Space Coffee is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays (closed Mondays).

“We are a small team of two who find joy in crafting a cup of coffee and sharing our take on it with others,” Nakasone says. “This is our way of bringing some of the Pacific Northwest and some of our favorite things to Hawai

Open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays

Third Space Coffee owners 071626

<title>This Pacific Northwest-inspired coffee shop is open on Oʻahu</title>

Hawaiʻi locals Caameron and Monica Nakasone moved back to Oʻahu from Oregon about two years ago. Their new café, Third Space Coffee, features some of their favorite flavors from the Pacific Northwest; the shop is in a shared space with Cake M in the 808 Center.

This Pacific Northwest-inspired coffee shop is open on Oʻahu

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

When Kumu Hula Kenneth “Aloha” Dean Alohapumehanaokalā Victor takes his Hawaiʻi Island-based hālau to Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival on Oʻahu this week, he said he hopes they compete to the best of their ability, while still enjoying being kids.

For some of his students, one of the most memorable parts of the competition might be boarding their first plane.

“That's one of the things I love about coming to keiki hula because it allows kids who've never gone on a plane before to be able to see the big city,” Victor said. “For some of these girls, they don't ever get to go back to Honolulu until they become adults.”

This year, Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival hosted by Hawaiian Council will bring 15 hālau from across the Pae ʻāina, to participate in contests from Thursday, July 23, to Saturday, July 25, at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center. Participants of the invitation-only competition are between six and 12 years old. The structure of the competition resembles Merrie Monarch with Miss & Master Keiki Hula 2026 on Thursday, Group Hula Kahiko on Friday, and Group Hula ʻAuana on Saturday.

, which he started in 2006. By its second year, his hālau had been invited to participate in its first Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival. Victor is also the founder of aloha wear brand 

, which creates designs “made in Hawaiʻi for Hawaiʻi,” according to its website.

When his hālau travels, they have matching outfits, he noted.

“They'll have matching luggage,” Victor said. “Because I just want everybody to be on the same page. Nobody has a better bag. Nobody has a better backpack.”

Want to attend the competition? Help your favorite hālau cover some of the costs of competition by 

 under their name on the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival’s website.

The invitation to be on stage at Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition or Merrie Monarch “is an invitation to the greatest stage on earth for a hula dancer, and that alone deserves a trophy,” Victor told ASD.

For Hālau Kala’akeakauikawēkiu, the community helps fund the cost of getting students to competition, which is often about $2,500 per student, he said. Once on Oʻahu, the hālau visits cultural sites.

“A lot of people just go to Honolulu and they prep for the competition, but not us,” he said. “As soon as we land, we're going to the 

. We go to different places on Oʻahu, so that they can see the city amongst preparing for competition. Because at the end of the day, these memories are everything. … I have girls that have danced with me that only travel because of hula, and so we try to make it not just a hula experience but a life experience.”

Through his hālau, Victor shares knowledge of his past teachers, which include 

Hualani Brandt, George Naope, Keoni Atkinson, Nani Lim Yap, Pat Nāmaka Bacon and Taupōuri Tangarō

, who had influences on his style of dance, repertoire and teaching and cultural perspectives, according to Hālau Kala’akeakauikawēkiu's website.

His students participating in the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition & Festival also create scrapbooks of their experiences.

“For my hālau, we build a book,” Victor said. “And in the book, we put all of our research. We put our choreography. We put our songs. We put our translations. We'll do field trips that connect ourselves to the song and then with that we put pictures. It's like a big scrapbook of their keiki hula experience.”

Three months before competition, practice is just two days a week, but the hours increase as the competition gets closer.

“But throughout all these intense practices, we'll do beach days,” Victor said. “But because I don't want them to sunburn, we do beach days at night. We'll go swimming at night. We'll do glow sticks, and we'll do a scavenger hunt at night. Because at the end of the day, I do not want these children to lose their childhood while being at keiki hula practice.”

Victor said that when he was growing up, he remembers watching the televised competition.

“When I was a young kid, I used to watch the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition on TV, and I used to always be like, ʻWow, they were like the little Keiki Hula superstars because they were on TV,” he said. “Being from small towns — I'm from Kona and I was born and raised in Hōnaunau — and watching these kids on TV, they were like little hula superstars. They were the mini Merrie Monarch superstars because after keiki hula, you're eventually going to go to Merrie Monarch.”

Now, Victor is helping the next generation participate in the same festival. He noted that once they outgrow the keiki competition, he hopes they have memories they can talk about for the rest of their lives.

“These opportunities and experiences allow them to dream and to be inspired to do something great.”

Tickets, which include access to all three days of competitions, are $30 for adults and $25 for keiki. 

Aloha Victor Halau

<title>Hawaiʻi Island hālau returns for Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition</title>

Keiki from 15 hālau across the state, including Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island, will compete in the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition this week. Kumu Kenneth “Aloha” Dean Alohapumehanaokalā Victor shares how he helps the students of Hālau Kala’akeakauikawēkiu embrace fun and dream big.

Hawaiʻi Island hālau returns for Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Competition

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

With the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill about two years away from its planned closure, a proposed replacement site near Makakilo is no longer on the table.

 — a capital improvement budget bill for the 2027 fiscal year — last week, it did not include funding for a planned landfill to be built at Makaiwa Hills. This effectively has killed the project, the City and County’s Department of Environmental Services confirmed to Aloha State Daily.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi has consistently maintained that he does not support locating another landfill 

ʻahu and communicated that position to [site owner] Campbell Estates several weeks ago

,” an ENV spokesperson told ASD. “ENV and the Blangiardi administration will continue evaluating long-term solid waste disposal options.”

What those options might be is unclear. ENV director Roger Babcock Jr. 

 that the Makaiwa Hills site was the only location on the island where a landfill can be built under current laws: restrictions against building landfills within 10,000 feet of airport runways, within tsunami evacuation zones, on federal lands, over protected aquifers, near schools, hospitals, or residential areas had limited the potential locations for a future landfill to a small area west of Makakilo.

With that location now off the table, the future of waste management on O‘ahu is uncertain. Nonetheless, ENV’s long-term waste disposal plans still require a new municipal landfill.

While the city continues to pursue waste reduction, recycling, and emerging technologies, a municipal landfill 

ʻahu's solid waste system, making it essential that a responsible, long-term disposal solution be identified,” the ENV spokesperson told ASD.

The only operational landfill on O‘ahu, the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill, can only operate until mid-2028 under its current special use permit. While that permit can be extended, Babcock previously told ASD that, at current waste production rates, the landfill will reach capacity by 2031.

Babcock has suggested that possible options for diverting waste streams from landfills could include recycling ash from the H-POWER trash incinerator — the primary waste deposited at Waimānalo Gulch — into raw materials such as asphalt, which could prolong the operational life of the landfill. Other possibilities include more robust recycling programs, or potentially “mining” the landfill to recycle previously buried waste.

On the other hand, Makakilo Councilwoman Andria Tupola called the council’s decision “a victory for West O‘ahu” last week, saying that “our communities should not be expected to carry another generation of O‘ahu’s waste burden.”

 a resolution to the council this year establishing an “End Landfills Task Force” that would identify other long-term waste strategies that don’t rely on landfills. That task force will develop a transition plan for the county by November 2027.

“Until we start turning waste into resources, every landfill is a policy failure,” Tupola said.

Screenshot 2026 04 21 at 3 03 12 PM 16x9

<title>West O‘ahu landfill no longer in the works</title>

Makaiwa Hills landfill goes unfunded in county capital improvement budget.

West O‘ahu landfill no longer in the works

Jon Nouchi Director of Transit

Jon Nouchi

Viewpoints

If you ask someone in Honolulu about public transportation, after some thought, they will wax nostalgic about how they grew up taking TheBus and shout out the route number they used to ride to and from home like a Zip code badge of belonging to their neighborhood. "Route 54! Upper Pearl City, not Lower!" 

Maybe if you're lucky, they'll talk about Skyline and where it goes and doesn't go yet. But most will talk about how they drive everywhere now and what a chore it is to get around on this island to the places we go. This highlights a fundamental truth about transportation whether one rides or drives there: It is a critical public need, yet its ultimate success lies in how seamlessly it blends into the foreground and background of our lives.

Across Oʻahu, people spend far too much time worrying about how they will get from the dreaded Point A to Point B (and often to Point C, D, and beyond). They calculate traffic delays, swipe around the Waze app, stress over finding and paying for parking, and monitor social media for bad actors who can cause traffic delays by their inattention. Why do we spend so much brain space on how to get there instead of what we do when we arrive?

Transportation is a fundamental need, but it should never be a barrier to living our best lives. It should be a reliable baseline that simply works. When we design a transportation network, our goal isn't just moving vehicles of steel and rubber; it should be focused on moving people toward opportunity, community and vitality.

As we shape the future of Honolulu’s urban landscape, public transportation stands as the great connective tissue of our island. True connectivity is not just about linking geographical hubs; it is about binding our communities together. From our robust TheBus and Handi-Van systems to the expanding spine of Skyline and our integrated multimodal options like Biki bikeshare, we are creating a network where a rider can move effortlessly and reliably. When transit becomes seamless, it transforms how we plan our communities. It allows us to pivot away from sprawling concrete parking structures and shift toward transit-oriented urban spaces that prioritize walkable paths, affordable housing and public parks.

In Hawaiʻi, land is one of our most precious and finite resources. In Honolulu, we boasted a high-quality transit network implemented by our Aliʻi who had the foresight that a mobile community is a thriving one. For generations since then, however, the rise of the automobile throughout the nation dictated that spaces be built to accommodate cars first and human beings second. We are changing that paradigm, but it hasn't been easy. 

By embedding reliable transit deeply into the fabric of Honolulu, we unlock the future and potential of our urban neighborhoods. We allow neighborhoods to densify responsibly around walkable and bikeable transit hubs, preserving our precious agricultural and conservation lands from development. Our streets can help transform gridlocked congested roadways of frustration into access points to and from vibrant community spaces where local businesses thrive, culture develops and opportunity abounds.

Ultimately, a modern, intuitive transit network unlocks equity and a level playing field for all. It means our kūpuna can travel independently as they live longer lives, our keiki can safely get a head start to and from school without relying on their parents to ferry them everywhere, and everyone can return home to their ʻohana sooner and with an expectation of safety. As we build out this future, we aren't just managing infrastructure; we are curating the daily experience of living on this island. We want to give you back your time and remove the friction from your day. Transportation shouldn't be the main event of your morning 

 it should simply be the invisible and seamless bridge that gets you to and from what matters most.

Jon Nouchi is set to lead a public discussion about human transit at AIA Hawai‘i's centennial quarterly book club series through “

Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives.

by Jarrett Walker. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 27, at UH West Oʻahu's Center for Creative Media (91-1001 Farrington Highway). Register 

Skyline

<title>Community Voices: When Congestion Rules All</title>

Honolulu DTS director of transit Jon Nouchi is set to lead a public discussion about human transit on June 27 at AIA Hawaiʻi's book club, which this quarter aims to examine how public transit influences connectivity, community planning and the future of Honolulu’s urban spaces. Nouchi gives ASD readers a taste of the upcoming conversation.

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 7, 2026

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Daily Smile: Sunday, June 7, 2026

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