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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Friends come in all shapes and sizes..."}]

Smile 26 8 6

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026</title>

Friends come in all shapes and sizes...

Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"There’s a new salt bread bakery in Honolulu."}]

 officially opened in the former space of Hawaiʻi Banchan Co. on Kapiʻolani Boulevard. The bakery is currently open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until sold out.

The business specializes in salt breads. Right now, flavors like original, truffle and spicy arabiki are available; salt breads are limited to four per customer.

Salt breads are baked fresh throughout the day, according to baker Edrian Bautista, who says it takes about two hours for a batch to be ready.

’s mostly inspired by a Filipino bread called pan de sal, Japanese milk bread, and Korea’s salt bread,” he explains.

When asked about a good salt bread’s qualities, Bautista refers the bread’s crispy bottom and soft, fluffy interior.

“It’s like a milk bread inside,” he says. “It’s not dense at all; it’s still fluffy. Personally, I like to eat it when it’s cooled down.”

Eventually, the business will have a total of eight salt bread flavors, according to Bautista. The menu lists flavors like mentaiko, kimcheese and avocado.

While only the original, truffle and spicy arabiki salt bread flavors were available during our visit, Kilo Deli will also offer other desserts like ube butter mochi ($4), brown butter mochi ($4) and Kouign-Amann ($8).

Customers can look forward to a variety of beverages, ranging from strawberry milk ($6) and strawberry matcha ($9.50) to honey oat lattes

The salt breads are conducive to takeout, but there's limited customer seating inside the cafe. 

 for updates. There’s limited customer parking in front of the store.

Open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until sold out

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Kilo Deli salt breads 080526

<title>New salt bread bakery in Honolulu</title>

Kilo Deli just opened on Kapiʻolani Boulevard, in the former space of Hawaiʻi Banchan Co. The bakery specializes in salt bread, which is available in flavors like original, truffle and spicy arabiki. Salt breads are limited to four per customer. Kilo Deli is currently open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until sold out.

New salt bread bakery in Honolulu

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

The public sales gallery for another planned residential tower in Ward Village is set to open Saturday, Aug. 8.

The proposed Mahana Ward Village will feature 451 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences and will be located across from the newly completed 3.5-acre Victoria Ward Park, according to an announcement this week from Ward Village, 

Howard Hughes’ 60-acre master-planned community located between Downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī.

Mahana also will include about 13,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space that fronts the new Halekauwila Extension, an outdoor transit plaza at the corner of Ward Avenue, and 350 linear feet of street-level retail, dining and outdoor seating, the announcement notes.

“The strong early interest in Mahana reflects the sales velocity and enduring demand that has become associated with Ward Village,”

 Bonnie Wedemeyer, executive vice president, national condominium sales and strategy for Howard Hughes Communities, said in the announcement

“Buyers recognize the opportunity to be part of a thoughtfully designed community with an exceptional quality of life, and Mahana's expansive views across Victoria Ward Park, and distinctive architecture and amenities make it an even more desirable place to call home.”

Mahana — its name taken from the Hawaiian word for warmth — was designed by architect Solomon Cordwell Buenz, interior designer Tihany Design, and VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture, the announcement notes.

Its amenities include an owners lounge, fitness center, dining suites, spa and sports lounge, along with two outdoor decks with a resort pool, dedicated fitness pool, two hot tubs, a cold plunge, barbecue cabanas and dining areas that overlook Victoria Ward Park, Kewalo Basin, and surrounding ocean and mountain views, the developer says.

Ward Village 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.

, bringing another another 546 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes and more than 30,000 square feet of retail and dining space to Kaka‘ako. It was 97% pre-sold when it was completed, the developer said at that time.

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.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Also in the past year:"}]

A pedestrian bridge across Ala Moana Boulevard, connecting Kaka‘ako and Victoria Ward Park Makai to Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Basin, 

 of last year and The Launiu, Ward Village’s 11th residential tower, broke ground 

Most recently, however, Ward Centre, which opened in 1982 and served the community for more than four decades, officially closed its doors to the public on June 30.

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

Melia Ward Village and ‘Ilima Ward Village, 

01 Mahana Ward Village Retail Entrance Courtesy of Ward Village

<title>Mahana Ward Village sales gallery to open Aug. 8</title>

The mixed-use development will feature 451 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences and about 13,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Mahana Ward Village sales gallery to open Aug. 8

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Columnists

Hawai‘i History

Hūnānāniho Beach Park sits along the Waimānalo shore, but many people know the place by its nickname, “Sherwood Forest” or simply “Sherwoods.” At the end of a narrow lane just across from the Polo Club, this pocket of land is covered with tall ironwood trees that are not native to Hawai‘i. While the ironwoods provide welcome shade for beachgoers and campers, they’re a relatively recent addition.

Long before the towering trees were planted, this stretch of the Waimānalo shoreline was already home to generations of Native Hawaiians. Historic photographs from the early 1900s show an open beach with very few large trees. Very different from the dense forest that later became famous.

Perhaps the most sobering reminder of Hūnānāniho’s past lies beneath the sand. Archaeological evidence shows Waimānalo to be one of the earliest permanent settlements on O‘ahu. Radiocarbon dating from nearby excavations places occupation between A.D. 1040-1219, with documented home sites, imu, stone tools, midden deposits, shell fishhooks, and burial grounds containing iwi kūpuna, the ancestral remains of Native Hawaiians.

Hūnānāniho was known to Hawaiians as a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge or sanctuary. Anyone who violated a kapu or fled a losing battle and could successfully reach the grounds of a pu‘uhonua was granted protection from harm or execution. A pu‘uhonua is recognized as a sacred place where kāhuna would perform cleansing rituals and offer prayers for affected individuals. Through these solemn practices, they were absolved of their transgressions and were allowed to return to society.

In 1917, the Waimānalo Sugar Company sold around 1,500 acres of beachfront property to the U.S. Government, after which Pres. Woodrow Wilson’s Executive Order established the Waimānalo Military Reservation. What followed were sweeping changes to the landscape, including the destruction of archaeological sites, the grading of natural dunes, and the construction of an airfield.

In 1933, the reservation was renamed Bellows Field, honoring 2nd Lieutenant F.B. Bellows, who was killed in an airplane accident. The military expanded the facility during World War II to train Air Force personnel for combat. In the 1950s, the military discontinued recreational use of the area, and by the 1960s, it became known as Sherwood Forest, likely named after the famous den of thieves due to high crime rates.

When the military no longer required portions of the property, the land was returned to the state and, eventually, to the city and county. The park was officially named Waimānalo Bay Beach Park until 2021. After a years-long battle to prevent the city from building athletic fields at the park, the Honolulu City and County voted to restore the park’s original name, Hūnānāniho. 

Hawaiian place names have mana, and they often convey the cultural significance of a place. The literal translation of Hūnānāniho is “hidden teeth,” but Hawaiian names often have a deeper meaning. Waimānalo cultural practitioner Kalani Kalima shared an explanation given by Kumu Hula Frank Kawai Hewett that Hūnānāniho means to keep something so sacred and personal that it is hidden, as one’s teeth. 

Today, beachgoers come to Hūnānāniho for its soft sand and shaded shoreline, unaware of the history beneath the sands. While the daytime hours are spent in fun and frolic, the area can quickly become something else entirely.

A few years ago, Rich and his friend, John, crashed a beach party in Kailua, just looking for a good time. After everyone started heading home, the pair snuck a few beers and made their way to Sherwood Forest. Sitting on the tailgate of John’s truck, the young men were facing the beach, sipping their beer and talking story, when Rich noticed some fishermen’s lights bouncing along the shoreline. Not thinking much of it, Rich began texting another friend to see if he’d come and join them until he realized John had become quiet.

When Rich finally looked at John, he noticed his friend’s face was pale, and he was staring at something on the beach. Turning his head in the direction John was looking, he noticed that the lights he saw weren’t flashlights; they were fire, like torches. Then he noticed a long line of them, with dark figures walking beside them.

“Every hair on my body stood up,” Rich said, “and even though I already knew, I asked John, ‘What is that?’”

John started coughing, leaning forward and holding his throat like he couldn’t breathe. Not knowing what else to do, Rich started pounding on John’s back as if he were choking on something.

[{"type":"text","text":"Finally, John sat up and whispered, “Night marchers!”"}]

Rich grabbed John’s arm and helped him to the passenger’s side of his truck and shoved him in, and then jumped in the driver’s seat. He put the truck in gear and sped out of the tiny parking lot, realizing the cooler and some other things had slid out of the bed because the tailgate was open.

They drove to a friend’s house, and someone there told them the moon phase was Kāne, the night when the huaka‘i pō are said to walk the earth. Although it’s been years since that happened, Rich said that he and John never forgot it, and they always make sure to check the moon phase when they go out at night.

Sherwood Sunrise

<title>Beneath the Sand at Hūnānāniho</title>

Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.

Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

Authors

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