Food + Beverage

Autumn Flavors

A Comforting Green Chile Pork Recipe Designed for Easy Weeknight Dinners and Meaningful Family Connection Article by Bethany Reid | Photography by Community Eats & Hailey Cartwright For my family, as September rolls in, there’s a coming ‌together, an almost imperceptible drawing in. A return to routine, a return to hard work, a return to family. Long summer nights at the beach give way to after-school sports and homework.  Historically, fall has me craving meals around my table. Candlelit and...

Life + Culture

Hobby Turned Into Impact

A Young Entrepreneur Flips the Narrative of a Tech-Addicted Generation on Its Head Article by Matias Arredondo | Photography by Anna Velichko It isn’t hard to agree that technology can be a time-killer, a babysitter or a source of isolation. However, what if it wasn’t? Born and raised on the Big Island, 14-year-old Thomas Rooney felt captivated by technology since he was a keiki, even pulling apart computers and small motors. At age nine, he didn’t just absorb information but used it to build...

Food + Beverage

Kona’s Tiny Queen

The Remarkable Story of an Island Bee Ruling Her Hive and Feeding the World Article by Leandra Rouse | Photography by Julia Silva Kurppa On an isolated island in the Pacific, in a hot lava rock field surrounded by coffee trees, in a colorful box buzzing with life—a queen is born. She emerges from her golden cell, a royal nursery built just for raising queens. For the past 16 days, nurse bees have been caring for her closely, feeding her a special elixir called royal jelly.  She grows from...

Fitness

No One Walks Alone

A Grueling Trek Proved That Raising Young Men Requires an Entire Community Article by Julia Silva Kurppa | Photography by Joel Froese “Stop. Breathe. Walk.” The directive from Abe Medeiros was simple, but executing it took everything his grandson, RJ, had left. Clutching the end of his grandfather’s walking pole, RJ was being pulled up the final, brutal incline of Mauna Kea. Behind him walked his father, Randy Tabayunda, watching every step, ready to catch his son if he fell. Years earlier...

Fitness

Teen Golf

Two Big Island Golfers Shake the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship Article by Matias Arredondo | Photography by Alexandra Rowe Photo The Drive, Chip & Putt Championship (DCPC) is a development competition for girls and boys ages 7-15. Participants who advance in the qualifying matches in each age/gender category earn a spot in the National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, which is broadcast live by the Golf Channel before the Masters Tournament. This year, not one but two players...

Life + Culture

True Vision

An Ophthalmologist's Journey From War Zone to Calling Hawaiʻi Home Article by Nathan McQueen | Photography by Ewalina Photography It is easy to miss Eye Center of Hawaiʻi in Kona if you aren’t looking for it. Located off Queen K, the blue building is the only indicator that it is there. Despite its subtle appearance, extraordinary things are happening inside. Founded in 2001, Eye Center of Hawaiʻi has multiple locations on Oʻahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauaʻi. At the Big Island location...

Food + Beverage

The Coffee Farmer Who Almost Wasn’t

Tommy Greenwell—A Kona Legend Still Dreaming Big Article by Nabil Abu-Assal | Photography by Anna Velichko Tommy never planned to be the fourth-generation steward of Kona’s most storied coffee farm. After four decades of farming, he’s ready to start anew. Tommy didn’t grow up dreaming about coffee. He grew up on a dairy in Waimea and a cattle ranch in Kona, took apart every toy he had before he ever played with it, dreamed of diesel engines, and was halfway through college in Oregon when his...

Travel

OceanGalz: An Underwater Exploration

A Gallery of Two Girls in Love With the Ocean Article by Julia Silva Kurppa | Photography by OceanGalz Maria Millan and Isa Lassinaro, owners of OceanGalz, met in Hawaiʻi and quickly became friends as they learned to freedive together. “We were the first in the water and the last ones out,” Maria recalls. Their social media page started as a way to share diving videos and arrange beach cleanups; today, their online community has surpassed 420,000 followers. Hawaiʻi served as the gateway to...

Life + Culture

Explore Slowly With Care and Aloha

Paddle Out to Observe Angelic Sea Creatures and Discover Hawaiian History the Eco-Conscious Way Article by Margaret Kearns | Photography by Anelakai Adventures Lifelong waterman, Iko Balanga, founder/owner of Anelakai Adventures in Keauhou, grew up spending nearly equal time on his native Oʻahu island’s Windward Coast and Hawaiʻi Island’s Kona Coast. “The ocean was my life—surfing, outrigger canoe paddling and fishing. At the time, I was also developing deep respect for Hawaiian values...

Fitness

The Gentle Martial Art

Building Confidence, Character and Discipline With Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training in Kona Article by Margaret Kearns | Photography by Fletch Photography Kailua-Kona business owner Horlando Monteiro was born in the Amazon Rainforest and raised in Brazil’s oceanside city of Natal. Growing up there, he says, he was a “scrappy young kid” often engaging in street fighting with friends. Today, that scrappy kid is 31 years old and respected as one of his generation’s top contenders in Mixed Martial...