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ASD Staff

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"This is so true..."}]

Smile 26 6 18

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, June 18, 2026</title>

This is so true...

Daily Smile: Thursday, June 18, 2026

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

The 450-acre private club and residential community, on Hawai‘i Island's Kona Coast, has seen more than $100 million in sales so far this year as its newest 

newest residential offering, Hale Ka Hala, nears completion.

Carrie Nicholson, principal broker and vice president of sales and marketing at Kohanaiki, told Aloha State Daily that as of Friday, there had been approximately 15 closed transactions from Jan. 1 through Sept. 11.

According to a recent announcement, the highest sale so far this year is 

, which closed for $21 million in May; it was Kohanaiki's second-highest sale of all time.

 late last year, marking the largest sale for the community at that time).

But Nicholson says there also have been "multiple transactions in that $5 million to $9 million range" across the Kohanaiki community.

"We've had some great interest," she says. "What's particularly encouraging with this activity is we're seeing demand across different types of real estate throughout Kohanaiki, different price points rather than the year's volume being driven by just one or two transactions; it's kind of spread out with a variety. I think that speaks to a lot of depth of interest in Kohanaiki and the strength of the community as a whole."

, Kohanaiki features an 18-hole, Rees Jones-designed golf course; access to a white sand beach and the ocean; an adventure club; spa; fitness center; multiple dining options; and an on-property biodynamic farm, as well as a variety of real estate offerings and a 67,000-square-foot clubhouse. The community is being developed by 

Nicholson says most buyers are more focused on the overall experience and the usability of the property.

"We're seeing a strong preference for homes that are turnkey, beautifully designed, easy to enjoy immediately, move-in ready," she says. "They're also looking closely to that indoor-outdoor living with views and privacy and proximity to our clubhouse and amenities, how the home actually functions for their particular family and guests. We're also seeing buyers think beyond just their home itself. They want access to exceptional golf — we have our ... Rees Jones championship golf course. We have our dining, wellness, ocean activities, and the whole community where their families can spend meaningful time together."

[{"type":"text","text":"According to Nicholson, they're also seeing repeat Hawai‘i buyers."}]

"These aren't just people discovering Hawai‘i for the first time," she told ASD. "They're buyers who understand the coast, they understand the Islands and they're very intentional about making their decisions of where they want to spend their time, and they understand the privacy and the exclusivity that comes with living within a private golf and ocean club community."

Nicholson says that the $21 million sale of Hale Kai Apo, also known as 

, is a "great example" of what they're seeing at the very top end of the market.

"Buyers at that price point are looking for something truly exceptional and irreplaceable, and they're looking at the quality of the residence, the setting, location, the privacy, views, and I think, importantly, the overall Kohanaiki lifestyle," she told ASD. "So when you have a property that checks all of those boxes, there's still buyers willing to move very quickly, and that's what that sale represented; it really checked a lot of boxes for that particular buyer."

[{"type":"text","text":"More residential options are coming soon."}]

Its newest residential offering, Hale Ka Hala, includes 24 townhomes in its first phase and followed by 12 more in phase two, the announcement noted. The homes will have five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, and buyers will have the choice of four curated furniture packages, including collections from 

"It's one of the most exciting neighborhoods to Kohanaiki's residential offering," Nicholson says. "It represents another kind of Kohanaiki lifestyle, with residences designed around indoor-outdoor living and the way members actually use their homes. What I think is particularly compelling about the Ka Halas is the ability to enjoy the comfort of being in the home but being right off the golf course. These are five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath homes, so it's very multigenerational, where you can have a lot of family in the residence. There's a lot of indoor-outdoor spaces, and again, they have a sense of privacy. We're seeing a lot of interest from buyers who are looking for that type of combination."

Nicholson noted, too, that these properties, prices for which start at $5.25 million, have four bedrooms in the main portion of the home, with the fifth bedroom part of detached guest quarters. 

Kohanaiki

<title>Kohanaiki has closed more than $100M in sales this year</title>

The 450-acre private club and residential community is located on Hawai‘i Island's Kona Coast.

Kohanaiki has closed more than $100M in sales this year

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, remember meeting each other at a pop-up.

“We both happened to move into the same building,” Sean Miguel says. “We didn’t even know each other (at first) and met at a pop-up in our lobby. Around the same time, we started sharing our baked goods with our neighbors.

“I reached out to Mehana about teaming up, and what started as two neighbors simply sharing their love of baking naturally grew into something much bigger,” she adds.

Miguel says she always loved cooking and baking, but it wasn’t until she started sharing her cookies with friends and family that she “discovered she had a talent for creating something special.”

“Mehana had a similar experience with her cinnamon rolls, which quickly became a favorite among the people around her,” Miguel says.

From there, the two began developing their bakeshop concept and Neighbors officially started in July.

“It was exciting to see something that started so organically between two neighbors turn into a business we’re both genuinely passionate about,” Miguel says.

“We’re neighbors who started baking for our neighbors and now, we collab with our neighbors around Kaka

When it comes to flavors for their cookies and cinnamon rolls, Miguel says they started with the classics. So far, she has made brown butter chocolate chip, Biscoff and s’mores cookies, while Coen has made cinnamon rolls in sweet and savory flavors.

“We leave it to our customers to tell us which they love the best,” Miguel says. “So far, s’mores cookies and the classic cinnamon rolls have been fan favorites.”

Coen has made cinnamon rolls in flavors like birthday cake and ham and cheese. Cinnamon rolls usually cost $5 to $6, depending on the flavor, while cookies cost $5 each.

As the business has expanded, Miguel says they still see some of the same customers at every pop-up.

“We’re really passionate about our community,” she says. “We want to stay as local as we can because our people love our products. We love our community and the amazing support they’ve shown us since day one.”

Neighbors Bakeshop is currently at fishcake in Kaka

ako on every other Wednesday. For updates, follow the business on 

“We take pre-orders and we’re open to collabs,” Miguel says. “We have more pop-ups in the works.

“Mehana and I are both mothers to little ones,” she adds. “Baking and growing a business has really given us the opportunity to do something we have so much fun doing, while still allowing us time to spend with our kids. We’ve developed a genuine friendship, and we’re both excited to see where this all takes us.”

Neighbors owners 091126

<title>Neighbors is a new bakeshop pop-up in Honolulu</title>

Owned by Sean Miguel and Mehana Coen, Neighbors Bakeshop opened in July and pops up at events across Oʻahu. The biz specializes in cookies and cinnamon rolls; you can catch Neighbors at fishcake in Kakaʻako every other Wednesday.

Neighbors is a new bakeshop pop-up in Honolulu

Business & Tourism

Honoapiilani Road, chances are, you’ll see the line for 

The business, which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary, is known for its huge, made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls. The reason for the line: customers can’t pre-order these rolls; it’s first-come, first-served only.

For some dedicated customers, that means lining up at 5 a.m., even though the bakery doesn’t officially open around 7 a.m.

What many customers may not know, though, according to Linda Escobar — wife of chef/business owner David Escobar — is that it takes about three days to make the cinnamon rolls.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” she says. “His labor that goes into it — he’s doing mixes and calculations — it has to be perfect.”

“I work seven days a week for us to be open four days a week,” adds chef David Escobar. “Everything’s about timing and waiting.”

Customers can get a whiff of those fresh-baked King David cinnamon rolls ($12) — flaky, buttery cinnamon rolls topped with housemade cream cheese glaze — even before setting foot in the bakery. David explains that pulling the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and glazing them in real-time — not having pre-glazed cinnamon rolls sitting out for customers — is essential to his business model. He recalls an “aha moment” he had while making doughnuts about 15 years ago.

“I would make apple fritters; I would pull them off the fryer and glaze them,” he says. “I would grab one while they were hot, and I would eat one right then and there. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Nobody gets an apple fritter like this right here.’ By the time we’re open, the fritters are sitting; customers are not getting it like how I just ate it.

“I took that concept that I learned 15 years ago and wanted to make this experience for people to have cinnamon rolls fresh — not glazed already and sitting for a while,” he adds. “It’s fresh out of the oven and served to you while it’s hot.”

While David has been a baker for 20 years — he started in a Safeway bakery in California — owning his own bakery wasn’t necessarily part of his plan. The Escobars moved from California to Maui in 2014; David worked at Safeway in Kihei as a baker, then moved to Monkeypod and, later, accepted a position at the Grand Wailea.

“That’s where he met his mentor,” Linda says. “He was a French pastry chef, and he mentored my husband.”

However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many employees, including David, were laid off. The Escobars started hosting prayer nights at their home, and David would cook for anyone who attended.

“David’s love language is feeding you,” Linda says. “He would literally cook for everyone on those nights. Pizza, cinnamon rolls, cheesecakes — everything you could think of, he was making it.”

During that time, the Escobars faced a personal loss — David’s father, known as “Papi,” died from Covid-19. In January 2021, while still being laid off, David remembers doing a 21-day fast and then caught Covid-19 himself.

“I was just going to quarantine myself and stay away from my family; I didn’t want to get everybody sick,” David says. “During that time, the Lord was ministering to me, saying he was going to use my baking gifts for ministry.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he adds. “After I quarantined and got better, I started baking for (our church) youth group. I always baking for leadership groups and home groups, thinking that was what the Lord wanted me to do. But no, it was more than that. It’s what we’re doing now — it’s to bake under Him and to serve God’s people.”

David had already been making cinnamon rolls for about eight years. He says the French pastry chef had taught him how to make cinnamon rolls, but he added his own twist. He had the chance to perfect his cinnamon rolls during the Covid-19 pandemic, since he was doing a lot of home baking.  

“I was baking like crazy; I’d bake for my neighbors, who loved the cinnamon rolls,” David says. “My chef mentor taught me a different way of making it; it wasn’t traditional. A lot of my pastries are European inspired. I learned that the more you do it, you start creating your own deal.”

As businesses started opening back up during the pandemic aftermath, the idea of starting his own business was already on David’s heart. He knew it was time to start “stepping out in faith." He started buying equipment for a future bakery, even though he didn’t have an official space yet.

"I would put all the equipment in my front yard,” David says, noting that his family was living in Kihei. “My whole yard looked crazy. I was just collecting items, by faith, believing I would open up this business.”

At that time, David remembers looking at a facility in Kihei that was closer to their home and convenient to get to. But one day, as he was looking at Facebook Marketplace, he saw an ad about equipment for sale from a restaurant that was closing down.

“I messaged the contact and said I would love to come see the equipment that was for sale,” he recalls. “I drove to Lahaina, which was on the other side of where I was living at the time. As I got there, I remember seeing the whole facility was completely empty. It looked like it had been empty for a while.

“I tried to go back to Facebook Marketplace, but I couldn’t find the person I was communicating with anymore,” he adds. “I was like, ‘Somebody’s just messing with me.’ I remember calling my mom, telling her about it … but then saying, ‘Maybe the Lord wants me to be here to pray for Lahaina.’ I was literally praying for Lahaina the whole car ride home.”

While he was still trying to work things out with the potential Kihei venue, David talked to another realtor for restaurant rental spaces. He remembers the realtor mentioning larger venues on Front Street, but they were “all big and way out of my budget.”

“I asked, ‘Is there anything you guys have that’s smaller and more in my budget?,’” David says. “He was like, ‘There is one place in Lahaina; they’re asking for a lot, but we can give them an offer and see what they say.’ He told me where it was, it was that same place that I went to — the one that was emptied out completely.

“My first thought was, ‘It would be a long drive for me,’” he adds. “But then I was like, just go and make an offer and see what he says.”

The rest, as they say, is history. The Kihei venue ended up not working out, while the Lahaina spot accepted David’s offer.

“I didn’t even see the inside; I just saw the outside,” David says. “I had a good vibe there; there was something special about that place.

“I really feel like it was the Lord,” he adds. “I went over here just to get some equipment; I didn’t want the spaces on Front Street because they were too expensive. So now, I’m just here, baking away for Jesus.”

David signed the lease for the bakery’s current location in March 2022, and the business opened later that July. Coming up with a business name was a “no brainer” for David, who says it was natural to honor his father.

“My dad had just passed away; why wouldn’t I call it Papi’s?” he says. “He died in 2021, and all this was beginning right after he passed away.”

However, the name “Papi’s” was already taken elsewhere, according to Linda, who says that “Papi’s ʻOhana” was a natural replacement.

“‘Papi’ is ‘dad’ in Spanish — we called my father-in-law that — and ʻohana is family,” she explains. “But it’s also word play — Papi is God, our Father, and ʻohana represents our heavenly father’s family.

“When the Lord gave this to us, he had spoken to my husband, ‘Every person who walks through the doors are my children, whom I love,’” she adds. “I take that with such high responsibility; I make sure that every person has been seen and loved on the way the Lord would want them to be.”

When the business first opened, David remembers the menu was huge. It consisted of sandwiches, fresh breads and more.

“We were doing beignets, bruschetta, and all kinds of different stuff, but the cinnamon rolls just took over — the cinnamon rolls and pizza,” he says. “I was doing it all by myself — I had my nephew, my mom and my wife — but I was there for 20 hours a day sometimes, in the very beginning, during that first year (of business).

“I didn’t realize what the cinnamon rolls were going to be, but that was my favorite thing to do,” he adds. “I cut half of my menu out; I had to.”

Giving customers a high-quality product has always been crucial for the Escobars, who explain the business focuses on excellence, not volume.

“There’s no shortcuts; there’s no rushing the process,” Linda explains, saying that, sometimes, customers comment about their wait times upon entering the bakery. “We open at 7 a.m.-ish until sold out because it’s baking and it’s a science. We make sure it’s all coked in the right way. If the oven takes a drop in temperature, we’re not rushing the process to open the doors. We are representing the Lord, and patience comes along with it.”

When it comes to their line, Papi’s ʻOhana has a system down. Chairs are lined up right outside the bakery for the early risers, who sometimes get there by 4:30 a.m., according to Linda. A staff member comes outside to take coffee orders for those waiting in line, and once customers pay, their orders are brought to them, so they can enjoy beverages while they wait in line.

“We have umbrellas (when it’s hot); when it’s storming, we have ponchos for purchase,” David adds. “That’s part of learning … we just learned as we went along.”

The bakery is currently open from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. (or until sold out) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (closed on Wednesdays and weekends). Papi’s ʻOhana also serves pizza from 5 to 9 p.m. on the same days as the bakery, plus Saturday evenings. Customers can call the business to place pizza orders starting from 3 p.m. to reserve their preferred pick-up time.

The business features 16-inch thin-crust pizzas topped with housemade red or alfredo sauces, and fresh ingredients, according to David.

“We are using all-local farm veggies; we don’t cut corners on anything,” he says. “We’re trying to bring good-quality pizza into the community.”

Flavors range from pepperoni ($30) and Island veggie ($32) to Westside chicken ($36) — featuring roasted chicken, American bacon, creamy alfredo sauce, mozzarella and housemade garlic aioli sauce — and Papi’s all meat ($35), which includes pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon and American bacon.

Unique flavors include the Bella Bella ($33) — a staff favorite, comprising extra mozzarella, housemade tomato sauce, pepperoni, local oyster mushrooms and a ranch swirl — and the ʻOhana special ($36). The latter includes mozzarella, housemade tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, fresh jalapenos and Maui Gold pineapples, according to David.

“That one is popular,” he says. “You get sweet and spice with all the meats.”

Papi’s ʻOhana opened in July 2022; by January 2023, the lines of customers started to form. But all that came to a halt with the Lahaina fires in August 2023. The Escobars still lived in Kihei — about 45 minutes from their Lahaina shop — and remember being in “survival mode.”

“Chef just couldn’t sit still,” Linda remembers. “When we’d make our way to Lahaina, the roads were blocked — they wouldn’t let anyone in — but we had God’s favor every single time. Somehow, we were summoned to come through.

“We came through to cook for the community,” she adds. “We had no service; we were doing this all in the dark with propane — thankfully, we had a propane tank.”

For four months — from August to November — Papi’s ʻOhana fed the Lahaina community cinnamon rolls and pizzas for free, David remembers.

“Two days after the fires, we served the community four days a week — the same days we’re open now,” he says, noting that they alternated serving pizzas and cinnamon rolls on each day. “Then, people started coming back, slowly. We did a soft reopening with the bakery, but the pizzas were donation-based. We did donation-based pizzas for almost two years.

“People were affected by the fires; that problem doesn’t just go away,” he adds. “When the tourists would come, it gave them a chance to support, and we were able to bless families that were affected by the fires with free dinner.”

While Papi’s ʻOhana was trying to give back to the community, the community also helped them, David notes, saying that “everybody was donating things,” from money to ingredients.

“We hung in there to try and keep their morale and spirits up,” he says.

“Our generous ʻohana near and far helped us keep the free meals going for so long,” Linda adds.

To this day, Papi’s ʻOhana is known for being more than just a bakery, according to Linda, who says the business offers prayer, fellowship and support to all who visit. For her, the aftermath of the 2023 fires was a full-circle moment.

“What happened from our living room prayer nights during Covid-19 was happening inside our bakery,” she says. “The community was inside of our bakery — hugging, crying, laughing. That’s why Papi’s ʻOhana is so special — the people know it’s a safe place.

“People literally walk in and see how busy we are, but they will ask chef for prayer, and they know he would put down his paint brush (for the glaze),” she adds.

David remembers people asking him how long Papi’s ʻOhana would be giving away free meals following the fires.

“We were giving away food for so long,” he says. “I remember the Lord telling me, ‘Before the fires, you saw the big lines. You saw how I provided for you. Right now is a time where you’re earning Kingdom provisions. After that, when you re-open, you’re going to have double — earthly provision and kingdom provision.ʻ

“It’s pretty much manifested itself,” he says, chuckling. “Now it really is double; it’s crazy now.”

As they enter their fifth year of business, Papi’s ʻOhana already has big plans for 2027. The business is officially expanding toward Napili, according to the Escobars, who say the new space is about four times the size as their current bakery.

The bigger space will make it easier for customers to line up indoors and out of the hot Lahaina sun, according to Linda.

“We have outgrown this little spot,” she says. “We’ll have more space that we need to meet the demand. Right now, chef makes his max (for cinnamon rolls) and that’s it for the day. Sometimes, that’s at 10:30 a.m. We’ll have more space — more ovens, more electricity — so we can be more capable of providing for the demand.

“I feel bad when we sell out,” she adds. “I feel terrible because we do want to serve you.”

Linda notes that the new space is close to The Gazebo Restaurant at Napili Shores — “The Gazebo is in the back, where the beach is; our location is in the front” — but right now, the Escobars haven’t decided if that location will be the business’s new home, or an expansion.

“Everything is still up in the air,” she says, during the time of our interview in early September. “We’re trying to get our foot in the door. For 2027 — our fifth year in business — that’s our exciting news.”

Bakery is open 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. (or until sold out) Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; pizzeria hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays to Saturdays

Papis Ohana chef David Escobar 091426

<title>At Lahaina bakery Papi's ‘Ohana, every pastry is a blessing</title>

Behind every fresh cinnamon roll is days of work and love at this family-run business. Lahaina-based Papi’s ʻOhana, known for its huge, warm cinnamon rolls, celebrated its fourth anniversary this summer. Aloha State Daily recently caught up with chef David and Linda Escobar, who tell us more about the bakery’s early days, how it got its name, and what lies ahead for 2027.

At Lahaina bakery Papi's ‘Ohana, every pastry is a blessing

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Government & Politics

Arts & Entertainment

A copper and bronze sculpture of a volcano sits at the front of what was once the box office for the old Aloha Stadium. Now that construction is underway for the new Aloha Stadium, it sits in the path of a planned road.

Moving it — along with upkeep and restoration — is estimated to cost about $600,000 or more, said Karen Ewald, executive director of the Hawai

i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, which owns the artwork, in a SFCA general board meeting on Friday, Sept. 11.

 was crafted by Satoru Abe, a sculptor, painter and printmaker who was born in Honolulu and graduated from 

 in 2025, leaving behind artwork still held by 

 and on display in front of First Hawaiian Bank in Downtown Honolulu, among other locations.

His sculpture, “Volcano,” is part of 

, which requires 1% of state fund appropriations for the construction or renovation of state buildings be moved to this special fund and used to purchase — or commission — works of art.

“This work of art needs to be moved, stored, conserved, and upkept while the construction takes place at NASED [New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District],” said Ewald during the meeting, which was held via Zoom.

Previously, SFCA has been able to fund the moving of works of art in its collection through its Works of Art Special Fund, but changes to that law mean this can no longer happen, so the money would need to come out of the general fund, which does not have enough to cover that cost, she said.

“What we like to do is seek legislation to amend the Works of Art Special Fund to expand the allowable use of the fund,” she said. “The proposed amendment could restore or clarify the ability to use the fund for activities necessary to appropriately manage works of art within the state's collection. It would be basically putting back into that law specific words like ‘conservation,’ ‘preservation,’ ‘transportation,’ ‘relocation,’ ‘installation; and ‘reinstallation,’ ‘maintenance and upkeep,’ and other collections management activities associated with the work of art.”

: Seek an amendment to Hawai’i Revised Statutes 103-8.5 to expand the allowable uses of the Works of Art Special Fund; request a general fund appropriation to support the conservation, transportation and relocation of the sculpture; or allow the deaccession the artwork from the SFCA collection.

Commissioners voted unanimously to seek an ammendment to the existing Works of Art Special Fund. And again, unanimously, to request a general fund appropriation to move the artwork to a new location.  

Konrad Ng, the chairperson of the board, also suggested private partners might be able to fund the project.

“Trying to fundraise or have others look for other sources of funding would take some time — more time than if we could just try to get funds from the leg[islature],” Edwald said.

Dismantling the old stadium, which was deemed 

, started in December of 2025.  New Aloha Stadium and Entertainment District (NASED) picked a developer for the 

$350 million of the mixed-use sports and entertainment district will be funded by state taxpayer funds, while the rest is funded by private developer investments

During the meeting, Chris Kinimaka from the state Department of Accounting and General Services, noted that the contribution to the Works of Art Special Fund for building the new Aloha Stadium came out to about $3.4 million, after about $100,000 was removed for consultant fees.

“I just wanted to assure everyone that we're all very passionate about this work of art, especially with the passing of Satoru Abe,” Kinimaka said. “When we looked at the layout of the district — even before we brought the developer on — we recognized that the location of the volcano in the existing Aloha Stadium footprint was a gateway to the stadium.”

The statue was once in front of the ticket office, but the hub is shifting because the stadium is now part of a district and people will be coming in via 

, Kamehameha Highway and other areas. Aloha Hālawa District Partners has been working with SFCA and the art advisory committee on a new location for the sculpture, she added.

“That's why it breaks our heart that the law changed because it was always our intention to utilize that work of art as a terrific entry to the whole district — and then accompany that with additional works of art incorporated throughout,” Kinimaka said.

Aloha Stadium 052126

<title>Legislation may be key to future of Satoru Abe sculpture at Aloha Stadium</title>

The fate of a sculpture by Satoru Abe, a Guggenheim Fellow and well-known sculptor, painter and printmaker who died in 2025, was a subject of debate last week at the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ general board meeting. Commissioners discussed options to move or decommission the artwork.

Legislation may be key to future of Satoru Abe sculpture at Aloha Stadium

It's been about a week since Kale's Hale started selling $10 bentos. Last Friday — the fifth day of selling bentos — the eatery had sold more than 200 before noon. 

Chef/owner Kale Afong says a friend had suggested this $10 bento idea last year. After running some numbers, he figured he would "try and make it work."

“We sold 40 bentos on the first day, 60 on the second, 60 on the third, 250-plus on day four, and it’s more than 200 now on day five," Afong says.

“Everywhere you go, a lunch is $20 or more,” he adds. “Even plate lunches, poke bowls — it’s a $20 bill. We’re trying to bring back a taste of old-school Hawai‘i and make an affordable $10 bento.”

Afong says Kale’s Hale, located in Kalihi, is in the perfect neighborhood for the bento deal.

“We have a whole community full of kūpuna out here,” he says. “Everybody likes a good $10 bento.”

The $10 bento deal is available daily, according to Afong. While the restaurant officially starts selling the bentos at 10 a.m., the eatery could open as early as 7 a.m. The restaurant will post updates regarding the bentos on Instagram.

“Sometimes, if I have the energy, we’ll start at 7 a.m.,” Afong says. “We’re going to try keep it rolling for at least three months; we’re going to try and go until December, but it’s going to depend on the community.

“If the community is for it, we’re going to stick with it,” he adds. “We don’t really make money because it’s $10. But, we can make it worthwhile if we can sell 500 to 700 bentos per day.”

Like the restaurant’s banchan — the side dishes that come with the AYCE yakiniku experience — the bento choices change daily. Recent selections featured citrus salmon belly, miso Swai (fish), garlic chicken and char siu chicken.

“The most popular are probably the shoyu pork and miso Swai,” Afong says. “The Korean fried chicken is also really popular. We have miso chicken, teri chicken and spicy pork. We get choke; those are the top sellers.”

Bento sides also rotate, according to Afong, who says they have included options like gyoza, seaweed rolls, spring rolls, lumpia, dried radish kimchi and ocean salad.

He says that bentos are also available for catering, and customers can call ahead for larger orders.

“It’s first come, first served in the morning, but if somebody calls and pre-orders, we can accommodate,” he says.

On days when the restaurant opens early to sell bentos, Afong says they will have “a few hundred out” for customers to choose from. The bentos are just the beginning of a bigger project, though.

“We’re going to get this elevated,” Afong says. “We played around with some plating options, but I just got so busy. The bentos look good now, but we’re going to get it way better.”

He explains part of the restaurant will be redesigned to create a mini mākeke, and will include a fridge and freezer filled with local products.

“We’re going to have all locally made products — ice cream, chili pepper water, and more,” he says. “I’m starting with the bentos, but I’m going to build this all out.

[{"type":"text","text":"Customer parking is available in the restaurant’s lot."}]

Kales Hale chef Kale 091126

<title>Kale’s Hale is offering $10 bentos for the next three months</title>

The Kalihi-based restaurant — known for its all-you-can-eat Hawaiian fusion yakiniku experience — recently started offering $10 bentos starting at 10 a.m., according to chef/owner Kale Afong. Sometimes, the restaurant opens from 7 a.m. to start selling bentos. The $10 deal will be available for the next three months.

Kale’s Hale is offering $10 bentos for the next three months

A new 27-unit rental workforce housing development is underway near The Queen's Medical Center's Punchbowl campus.

Located at 1518 Miller St., the project, which will be designated for households earning up to 80% of the area median income, broke ground last month. It's the first ground-up project from Fergus Brothers LLC.

"We're really excited," Jake Fergus, an owner of Fergus Brothers, told Aloha State Daily. "This is our family's real estate company and, for a long time, we've been focused on commercial real estate investments. Right now, we have properties on O‘ahu and Maui, a lot of industrial assets, but just in the last few years, we've wanted to become involved with helping with our affordable housing problem and crisis we have in Hawai‘i. This is our first big project, ground-up, that we're building. ... We're just excited to get involved and we hope to do a lot more of these before it's all said and done."

The for-rent apartments are being developed under the City and County of Honolulu's 

Bill 7 was adopted by the Honolulu City Council in 2019; these projects are also referred to as ROH Chapter 32 projects. According to the city's 

, ROH Chapter 32 relaxes development standards and offers financial incentives for affordable rental projects in certain zoning districts and on lots no larger than 20,000 square feet as long as 80% or more of the units are rented to those earning no more than 100% of Honolulu's AMI for at least 15 years.

Affordable housing income limits are based on household sizes — you can find the city's current income limits 

"If you look at the the current 80% AMI schedule for what people earn, those are solidly workforce tenants — hardworking people working in the community. A lot of them have multiple jobs," Fergus says. While there's no formal agreement with Queen's or any other employers in the area, he says, too, that with the location of the property and proximity to the health care center, "we would love it if hospital workers could rent at our building and be able to just walk across the street to work."

The project was designed by architect Ed Sheehan of Interlock LLC and is being constructed by Honolulu Builders. It'll feature 25 one-bedroom and two studio units. Fergus says construction is expected to be finished next year.

Fergus said, too, that the project will be constructed on an elevated podium, allowing the ground floor to be used for parking, minimizing impacts to street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

When the property was acquired in 2024, Fergus says there was a long-empty old house in an unlivable condition on the site. It didn't make sense to keep the house, he noted, so the company hired Reuse Hawai‘i for deconstruction and donated any salvageable items before Honolulu Builder came in.

, the Miller Street property was acquired for a little more than $1.4 million in 2024.

The Miller Street project follows a recently completed restoration of an 11-unit workforce apartment building at 1650 Stillman Lane in Liliha, which offers six two-bedroom units and five one-bedroom units near Kuakini Medical Center, a recent announcement from the developer noted.

Daily Smile: Thursday, June 18, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, June 18, 2026

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