"Tourism is a huge, huge thing for Hawaii’s restaurant industry. The state’s reopening date was pushed back three times; 40 percent of people were unemployed. When we finally opened Miro Kaimuki in June, [my customers were] 100 percent local. We started making takeaway bentos inspired by longtime mom-and-pop shops—and selling 1,000 boxes a week. Though we weren’t doing the food we’d originally planned, we’re exposing our food to a wider range of people. You do what you have to do, right?" - ByAshlea Halpern
