Author: Malia Yoshioka

Malia Yoshioka is a freelance food and travel writer from Hawaii, slowly eating her way around the world and currently based in Istanbul. Born and raised in beautiful Upcountry Maui, she created Shoyu Sugar to share her hometown favorites with visitors and kama’aina alike. Consider this your insider guide to the best things to do, see and - most importantly - what to EAT in Hawaii and beyond!
Things to do on Maui: Upcountry Farmers Market
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Things to do on Maui: Upcountry Farmers Market

Driving through Upcountry Maui just never gets old to me. On my last trip home, my dad took us up the back roads where we usually go running. Driving through the old Haleakala Dairy lands, I rolled down my window to take in the smell of eucalyptus and the moist scent of the rain the…

A potted succulent plant next to a brown box from Paiko Botanicals in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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Latest Obsession: Paiko Hawaii

It’s an unfortunate fact that I was born lacking the green thumb gene. My grandma had a beautiful garden full of flowers, fruit and macadamia nut trees, and a huge, grassy lawn. The centerpiece of our yard was a Surinam cherry tree so large you could climb up in it, whereas most times I see…

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Where to Eat in Honolulu: Cocina Hawaii at Taste

UPDATE 9/20/13: Big changes in Kakaako! Biting Commentary reports that Cocina has found a permanent home in the space vacated by the Whole Ox Deli, just around the corner from Taste. It appears that many of the hit dishes from the Cocina pop-ups now will be available in the restaurant, beginning 10/1/13. Nice! Why is…

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72 hours in Cabo San Lucas

People always wonder why we’d ever leave for vacation, when we live in paradise. Yet locals love to travel, whether its the Big Apple, Japan, or just Hawaii’s unofficial 9th island, Las Vegas. But rarely do people from Hawaii head to Mexico since the climate and water activities are pretty similar. It wasn’t at the…