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Daily Smile: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Little girl has her dogs say grace before dinner...

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Daily Smile: Friday, February 20, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, February 19, 2026

Since my friend came over with her dog I haven't seen my cat anywhere, then I noticed this...

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Your grandma looked after your dog this summer...

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Daily Smile: Monday, February 16, 2026

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Daily Smile: Sunday, February 15, 2026

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Daily Smile: Saturday, February 14, 2026

“How my dogs act when my husband gets home after 12 hours vs when I get back from the store after 10 minutes..."

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Daily Smile: Friday, February 13, 2026

When your dogs really don't want you to leave...

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Daily Smile: Thursday, February 12, 2026

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

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Daily Smile: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Now let's all enjoy a little boy and his dog...

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Daily Smile: Monday, February 9, 2026

This is Foster. A massive rainstorm hits, but he's out there gleefully swimming laps in the pool like it's the best day ever...

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Daily Smile: Sunday, February 8, 2026

Playing Rock, Scissors, Paper with your dog...

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Daily Smile: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Rage baiting is a universal concept for fun...

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Daily Smile: Friday, February 6, 2026

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Daily Smile: Thursday, February 5, 2026

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

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Daily Smile: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

[{"type":"text","text":"A new Korean grocery store just opened in Honolulu."}]

 just opened in the former Ross space on 

. The grocery store offers a variety of produce, noodles, seasonings, snacks, drinks and more.

The store is open this week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., but starting next week, it will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Customers can get 10% off side dishes — including kimchi, cucumber kimchi and seaweed — during soft opening.

[{"type":"text","text":"Validated customer parking (one hour) is available with purchase."}]

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

You Me Mart sign 022026

<title>New Korean grocery store open in Honolulu</title>

You Me Mart just soft opened on Ke‘eaumoku Street. The business is located in the same space as French-Korean bakery TOUS les JOURS, in the former Ross space.

New Korean grocery store open in Honolulu

 is popular for its seafood and prime buffet, which is offered from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays.

The eatery recently launched a new chef selection dinner buffet option, available from 5 to 9 p.m. every Monday to Wednesday. This buffet experience costs $62 per adult and $42 for children 6 to 10 years old.

Instead of featuring action stations like prime rib, hand rolls and steamed crab legs, this buffet focuses on specialty items and elevated offerings. The new buffet menu comes from Prince Waikīkī’s new executive chef, Brooke Tadena.

Born in Honolulu and raised in Wahiawā, Tadena brings more than a decade of culinary expertise to his new role at Prince Waikīkī. He attended McKinley High School and Kapiʻolani Community College, and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.

His previous experiences included serving as chef de cuisine for Hoku’s; executive sous chef and banquet chef at Hilton Hawaiian Village; executive sous chef at the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa; and restaurant chef for the iconic House Without A Key at Halekulani. 

Highlights from the new buffet include specialty options presented in sample-sized portions, like skirt steak with cilantro garlic chimichurri, fried beef ravioli with marinara sauce, seared fresh catch, and braised beef with creamy potato puree.

Other options from the hot station include angry mac n cheese, mushroom risotto, Spanish-style potatoes, guava barbecue pork ribs, jalapeno corn bread, and lamb ragu campanelli. We’re told the buffet offerings will change occasionally.

Meanwhile, the cold bar features maki rolls, shrimp cocktail, marinated seafood ceviche and nairagi crudo with citrus and pickles.

The salad bar offers mixed greens, Greek salad, assorted breads, assorted imported and domestic cheeses, and charcuterie.

Customers can also enjoy featured desserts like panna cotta, espresso tiramisu, creme brulee, cheesecake and the signature Prince bread pudding.

Tadena has also updated the eatery’s a la carte menu. The majority of dishes featured on it — ranging from margherita pinsa flatbread ($24) and taro burgers ($24) to pappardelle burrata pasta ($32) and lobster rolls ($36) — are brand new.

So far, the ‘ahi poke nachos ($23) have been the most popular appetizer. They feature a medley of chips — won ton, sweet potato, shrimp and taro — topped with shoyu ‘ahi, avocado, spicy mayo, yuzu crema, green onions, pickled red onions, pea tendrils, kizami nori and edamame.

The eatery’s lobster roll ($36) has also been a crowd favorite. It features a New England-style hoagie roll stuffed with lobster mixed with yuzu mayo and fresh dill; it’s served with  fries or salad.

The lobster rolls are on the eatery’s a la carte menu for both lunch and dinner, so customers can enjoy it all day long.

Other popular entrees include the coffee-rubbed rib-eye ($38) — a 12-ounce beef rib-eye served with potatoes, arugula salad with tarragon dressing and coffee demi glace — and Kona kanpachi ($35). The latter features a skin-on filet with hijiki edamame Japanese rice and dashi ponzu.

Conclude your meal with new desserts ($15 each) like mango cheesecake with calamansi sable; creme brulee; and Maui Ku’ia Estate chocolate crunch cake. The latter has been a bestseller so far, and features dark chocolate mousse, sea salted caramel, and Kula Maui strawberry compote.

Chef’s selection dinner buffet is from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Wednesdays

100 Sails buffet cheese 021026

<title>New weekday dinner buffet at Prince Waikīkī</title>

100 Sails Restaurant & Bar just launched a new chef selection dinner buffet, available from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Wednesdays. This buffet costs $62 per adult; instead of action stations like prime rib or sushi handrolls, it features specialty items like roasted beef tri tip, guava barbecue pork ribs, mushroom risotto and more.

New weekday dinner buffet at Prince Waikīkī

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

Architect Francis Oda, one of the founders of G70, died Feb. 14 surrounded by family, including wife Caroline and children Reid and Nalani. He was 84.

Francis was more than one of our founders — he was a mentor, spiritual father and source of inspiration for everyone who had the privilege of working with him,” G70 CEO Linda Miki said in an announcement of his passing on Wednesday. “His legacy lives on in our G70 ‘ohana, our projects and our commitment to serving Hawai‘i and beyond with integrity and car

[{"type":"text","text":"Oda led the firm, founded in 1971, for more than 50 years."}]

His work helped shape Hawai‘i’s built environment and reflected his deep respect for culture, community and place,” G70 says. “Over the course of his career, he mentored generations of professionals whose work continues to reflect his values of excellence, humility and service.”

Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Oda made his first trip to the Mainland in 1959 to study architecture at Cornell University, according to the university’s 

“At the time, no one in his family had ever visited the contiguous U.S. and jetliner travel wasn’t available,” the write-up notes. “It took Oda five days just to reach the Cornell campus.”

He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell and a Doctor of Architecture from the University of Hawai‘i, where he was a “distinguished alumnus” and helped develop the Doctor of Architecture program, G70 noted.

Oda also was an adjunct associate professor at the UH School of Architecture.

According to G70, Oda received more than 50 design awards throughout his career, including the American Institute of Architects Honor Award for Our Divine Savior Church in Chico, California.

 His award-winning projects include the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, the Four Seasons Mānele Bay Hotel, Hanauma Bay Nature Center and the Nanea Golf Clubhouse

He also helped envision master plans and design guidelines for the city of Kapolei, the UH Long Range Development Program, Kanu o ka ‘Āina and Kamehameha Schools Kaiaulu o Kaka’ako Masterplan

, and designed several international projects in French Polynesia, Mauritius and Canada, the firm noted.

Oda was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, designated a Mānoa Forum Fellow by UH, received the 

 and was inducted into the Hawai‘i Business Hall of Fame.

, the 2026 president of AIA Honolulu, the Honolulu chapter of the American Institute for Architects, and an associate principal at G70, told Aloha State Daily in an email that Hawai‘i has lost "one of its most influential voices in Francis Oda."

"I remember sitting with Francis a few years ago — he asked us what we were dreaming about. Not what we were working on. Not what our goals were. What we were dreaming. Then he asked about our reality. He understood that balance — between the possible and the present — and that is what stays with me," Hirai says.

"For Hawaiʻi's architectural community, he was one of a kind. He identified early on that our profession carries a unique responsibility — to place, to culture, to the people who experience what we design. You see it in the buildings he left behind across these Islands and beyond. You see it in the culture he built at G70. And you see it in the people he mentored — who are now doing the same for others.

"As AIA Honolulu president, that question still challenges me — what are we dreaming about? What could our profession look like if the next generation had people willing to push their thinking the way Francis pushed ours?"

 of what was then called The Hawai‘i Society, the American Institute of Architects. You can read a 1982 interview with Oda in 

Recently, though, the architect was featured in newest episode of AIA Honolulu’s Let’s Talk Story series, a video and podcast highlighting conversations between an emerging and experienced architect. You can watch the video and listen to the podcast, 

[{"type":"text","text":"Hirai encourages those who didn't know Oda personally to take a listen."}]

"I'll be honest — hearing his voice again is not easy," Hirai says. "But it's an incredible way to experience who he was, and to celebrate everything he gave this profession and the community he loved."

"The Hawaii Architectural Foundation mourns the passing of Francis Oda, FAIA, whose career reflected an exemplary commitment to architecture and a deep devotion to the community he served," HAF President Katherine MacNeil told ASD in an email. "A recipient of the Foundation’s Gordon W. Bradley Humanitarian Award, Francis was recognized for his far-reaching leadership and enduring contributions to Hawaiʻi’s civic and cultural life. Elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he embodied professional excellence and principled leadership. Through award-winning architecture, visionary master planning, and dedication to architectural education, he strengthened Hawaiʻi’s built environment and the profession. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations."

In addition to his work, Oda was also a senior pastor and board chair of New Life Church Honolulu and served as global chair of Transform Our World.

A celebration of life service is set for Saturday, April 25, at First Assembly of God — Red Hill, Moanalua.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Francis Oda G70 03 A6249

<title>Architect Francis Oda, founder of G70, dies at 84</title>

Hawai‘i has lost "one of its most influential voices," Lance Hirai, the 2026 president of AIA Honolulu and an associate principal at G70, says.

Architect Francis Oda, founder of G70, dies at 84

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Services for the fifth-generation loea hula Nālani Kanakaʻole will be held on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo. Kanakaʻole died Jan. 3 in Hilo. She was 79.

The services are open to the public. Floral arrangements, lei, and kinolau are welcome. The stadium, which is home to Merrie Monarch each year, is named after Nālani Kanakaʻole’s mother, who founded Hālau o Kekuhi.

Kanakaʻole co-led Hālau o Kekuhi with her sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, and later her niece, Huihui Kanahele-Mossman. She also co-founded Sig Zane Designs in 1985 with her husband, Sig Zane.

Nālani Kanakaʻole began rigorous training in hula when she was just 3 years old under her grandmother, Mary Kekuewa Kanaele Fujii, and later under her mother. By the time she was 14 years old, she was teaching. She spent nearly seven decades sharing cultural knowledge through mastery of mele oli, or chanted poetry, and vigorous ʻaihaʻa-style dance.

In 1993, Kanakaʻole and her sister were named National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment of the Arts, in recognition of their lifelong commitment to preserving indigenous Hawaiian chant and dance.

 honored Kanakaʻole family’s contributions to Hawaiian music and culture. Nālani and her sister, Pualani, were among the honorees recognized with lifetime achievement awards for their 

dedication to preserving and advancing traditional Hawaiian chant, mele and performance

On Saturday, Feb. 21, a hoʻolewa ceremony to honor Kanaka‘ole and her legacy will be hosted by the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation. Kanaka‘ole and her siblings founded the nonprofit in 1990 to “elevate Hawaiian intelligence through cultural education founded on the teachings and traditional practices of Edith and Luka Kanakaʻole,” according to its website. ʻAha will begin at 10 a.m., followed by visitation.

Kanakaʻole is survived by her husband, Sig Zane; son, Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane (Shaelene Kamakaʻala); grandchildren, Loliʻi Kamakaʻala Barron and Nāholowaʻa Zane; sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele; niece and co-kumu hula Huihui Kanahele-Mossman; and the extended Kanakaʻole, Kanahele and Zane ʻohana, along with the students who continue to carry on her teachings.

Inquiries about how to support or give donations may be directed to the foundation by calling 

Nālani Kanakaʻole

<title>Services for Hula Master Nālani Kanakaʻole</title>

The fifth-generation loea hula will be honored with services at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo this weekend. Nālani Kanakaʻole also co-founded Sig Zane Designs in 1985 with her husband, Sig Zane. Learn more about the services.

Services for Hula Master Nālani Kanakaʻole

[{"type":"text","text":"A new dumpling shop recently opened in Honolulu."}]

Located on the second floor of Discovery Bay Center, 

 just soft opened. The business is known for its Northern Chinese cuisine, including handcrafted dumplings and specialized noodle dishes.

The business’s dumplings are its signature dishes; most orders contain 20 bite-sized pieces ($15.99). Choose from popular flavors like pork and cabbage and pork and chives, along with specialty options like shrimp and corn (20 pieces for $18.99), and the signature flavor (20 pieces for $23.99), which is a mixture of abalone, sea cucumber and shrimp. All dumplings are made in house.

Other menu items include wontons in bone soup ($15.99) — which is expected to be a popular dish — pork knuckle with cucumber salad ($14.99) and beef shank ($19.99). New dishes not on the menu — but are coming soon — include shredded chicken ($9.99), pigs’ ears ($15.99) and braised pork ($18.99).

Customers can also use the business’s Korean ramen station. Choose your instant noodles ($5); toppings — including cheese, eggs and sausage — are available for an additional price ($2).

If you’re craving something refreshing, check out the business’s shave ice station. Each dessert includes two toppings ($9.99); customers can get five toppings for $15.99.

Toppings range from passion fruit jelly and mango jelly to strawberry boba, peach jam and mango boba.

Waikīkī Snack Store also offers frozen, heat-at-home dumplings ($15.99). To celebrate the business’s grand opening, customers can take advantage of a limited-time promotion: buy four sets of frozen dumplings and get one set free. The promotion is valid until March 1.

The store will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Customers can enjoy free parking for the first two hours at Discovery Bay Center.

Free customer parking at Discovery Bay Center for the first two hours

Waikiki Snack Store dumplings 021726

<title>New dumpling shop in Honolulu</title>

Located on the second floor of Discovery Bay Center, Waikīkī Snack Store recently opened. The shop — which specializes in Northern Chinese cuisine, including handcrafted dumplings and wontons in bone soup — also offers interactive ramen and shave ice stations.

New dumpling shop in Honolulu

 says he’s been lucky — he’s been able to work on “some of the most important historic sites in Hawai‘i” throughout his decades-long career.

Often recognized for his work in historic preservation, Mason’s portfolio includes work on a 

number of historical sites across the Islands and Guam

, including ‘Iolani Palace, Lunalilo tomb, the former Advertiser building, Hulihe‘e Palace, Kalahikiola Church and Kawaiaha‘o Church. He also serves on the 

The founding principal of MASON will be awarded the Medal of Honor by the American Institute of Architects Hawai‘i State Council and the Hawai‘i Architectural Foundation at an upcoming awards gala.

AIA Hawai‘i and HAF will present the second annual Huaka‘i Awards Gala from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the Pacific Club. Find more information and tickets 

The Medal of Honor is the council’s highest distinction, awarded since 1998 to architects who advance the profession and inspire fellow practitioners, a recent announcement from AIA Hawai‘i and HAF noted. It’s not awarded annually and Mason is just the 12th recipient of the honor.

In an interview last month, Mason told Aloha State Daily that he’s been involved with the award since the beginning and did the write-ups on nearly all previous winners. So it’s “very weird,” he says, to be on the other side.

Although he initially had mixed feelings about receiving the award — he was in favor or recognizing another architect — he told ASD that he’s happy to receive the award, “but I’m not much of an awards person, so I’m going with the flow.”

His interest in historic preservation goes back to his college days. Even as a student at the University of Michigan, Mason says he was interested in the field.

“Now, I can’t say that I thought of myself as a preservationist,” he told ASD. “They didn’t have a preservation program, but I was interested in older buildings. They had an observatory structure there that just fascinated me, so I worked on that a little bit. But my first couple of years in architecture, I really did almost none of that work because I worked for Val Ossipoff’s office, and that’s not what they were doing.”

Opportunities, though, presented themselves later.

When asked how he got into architecture to begin with, the response is simple.

“Well, I like building stuff,” Mason says. “That’s the core of it.”

He took a few years of architectural drafting in high school and “kind of liked that.”

After graduating high school, Mason says he was interested in pursuing either architecture or math, “and then calculus kind of convinced me that I was not cut out for math and so I gravitated toward architecture.”

“It just is a natural fit,” he says. “Preservation is a natural fit for me because I have always thought of myself as a problem solver, and the challenge with old buildings in particular, among other things, is how do you bring those buildings up to date and still respect the buildings, still respect the historic nature of the buildings, and that … thought process is the real challenge for me. It’s all a puzzle, and I kind of like puzzles, figuring out how to do things. Sometimes, you get surprised by the answers that you come up with.

“But you have to start by saying, ‘I want this particular building or structure or whatever to retain as much of its original look or feeling as possible, but on the other hand, I’ve got to insert a fire suppression system. How do I do that?’ And you figure out the way to do it with the least amount of damage to the structure. That is not as straightforward as one might think. Sometimes, you have to think a little bit out of the box, and I’m just a little bit more suited to that.”

Mason received the President’s Award in 2013 and the Frank Haines Award in 2014, both from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.

Previous Medal of Honor recipients include Carol Sakata (2023), Chris Smith (2021), Daniel Chun (2019), John Hara (2017), Donald Goo (2015), Kenneth Brown (2004), Ernest Hara and Elmer Botsai (2002), Frank Haines (2000), Charles Sutton (1999) and Vladimir Ossipoff (1998). 

Also being recognized at the upcoming gala are: