Melissa Chang

Frolic Contributor

Melissa Chang graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in journalism and has been blogging since 2007, mostly on food and travel. She works primarily in social media, so you can find her on Instagram.

 

 

Articles

ukulele

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Ukulele Picnic 2016

From left: Baba Alimoot, Jody Kamisato, me and Chris Kamaka. This weekend is the eighth annual Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii, full of musical events featuring some of the biggest ukulele stars in the world (most of whom hail from Hawaii,…

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New year, new beginnings with Aloha Elixir

Now that a new year has begun on the Gregorian and lunar calendars, it’s time to get your life in gear for the coming months, right? My social media feeds are full of people talking about decluttering, setting goals, and making…

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Something new: Arvo

When you come to our event in Kakaako tonight, it may be the first time in a long time that many of you even set foot in the area, and you’ll find quite a few new things. Arvo, the new…

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Reconnecting at the Westin Kaanapali Resort Villas

My one-bedroom suite at Westin KOR Villas. I recently visited The Valley Isle for Maui Chef’s Table and Buy Back The Beach, and had the opportunity to stay at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort (KOR) Villas for one night. (Alas, actor Jeff…

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Something new: Jing Du Noodle

Usually the best discoveries happen on the fly. I had gone to the big festival in Chinatown last Saturday with our Will Chen, Wang Chungs owner Danny Chang and good Chinee girl Jennifer Lieu to see if I could find things that…

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Did this: Maui Chef’s Table

The Mill House in Waikapu. A few months ago, fellow blogger Olena Heu went to The Mill House at Maui Tropical Plantation to experience Executive Chef Jeff Scheer’s intimate Chef’s Table dinner. Jeff had taken over the restaurant six months…

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Get ready for Chinese New Year 2016

The Year of the Monkey starts on February 8, as Chinese people around the world celebrate a new lunar new year. Here in Hawaii, we get a head start; this Saturday, January 30, Maunakea Street will shut down for a…

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Something new: Rua Catering pop-up in Wailuku

Chefs Jayse Sato, left, and Grant Oura of Rua Catering. I was excited to try out one of Maui’s newest hidden gems last week, a pop-up by two seasoned chefs on the island scene who have been knocking it out of the…

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Party pics: Buy Back the Beach 2016

The Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT) had its 15th annual fundraiser at the Old Lahaina Luau last night, a sold-out community event featuring food, Ocean Vodka cocktails, a silent and live auction, and live entertainment headlined by John Cruz. The community…

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Vegas eats: Glutton

I didn’t get to get a significant taste of as many hotspots Downtown as I would have liked on this last trip, but hopefully you get an idea of the area’s resurgence. The new restaurants and bars are within walking…

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Party pics: Blue Note Hawaii grand opening preview

Hawaii visitors and residents have been waiting eagerly for Blue Note Hawaii — an outpost of the famous New York jazz club — to open in the Outrigger Waikiki in the former Society of Seven showroom. Last night, dignitaries, celebrities…

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Vegas eats: Therapy

I’ve said it before: You can now have a great vacation in Las Vegas with awesome eats, without ever having to go to The Strip. Thanks to the efforts to revitalize Downtown, the area is just as hip and fun…

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Vegas eats: Flock & Fowl

Most of you Hawaii readers have been to Las Vegas many times, probably more than I have. So I’m not going to talk about the same old stuff that everyone has tried already. On my recent trip to The Ninth…

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Hawaii: In Real Life ~ MOSSA at the YMCA

So, how are those New Year resolutions going? If you’re looking for a workout facility, the YMCA of Honolulu‘s six branches are having an open house this Saturday, where you can tour the facilities, try a class, and meet other people…

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Hidden gem: Pali Momi Medical Center

Most people think of hospital food — even the items served in the public cafeteria — as bland and unexciting. But what if the hospital has a chef and a fully trained culinary team? I was skeptical when the public…

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Tokyo: One last look … until next time

I know, this blog post is pretty delayed, sorry! I had to finish my Japan adventures before I could start on my new one. Run! Godzilla overlooking Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. The rooms looking at his face are sold out. I…

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Hidden gem: Burgers and Things

Usually hidden gems come through people who live or work in an old neighborhood and have known about the place for years. But this one is sort of new, and I had to find out about it through someone visiting Hawaii. Even…

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Taste-testing a classy last minute gift idea

How many more shopping days until Christmas? Do you know that I’m still shopping for things as you read this, despite the fact that I try to escape from the madness every year to Las Vegas? How do I get…

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Hale Ohuna’s modern kaiseki

I didn’t realize that last night’s modern kaiseki at Hale Ohuna was chef Lee Anne Wong’s first. She’s been really jazzed about Japan and been flying there a lot, not just to research for her restaurant, but to work on her…

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Modern kaiseki this Sunday at Hale Ohuna

Denise Luke and Lee Anne Wong of Hale Ohuna have been busy prepping for a special kaiseki this coming Sunday, featuring hand-picked sake pairings from award-winning Kikusui Brewery — three of which you can’t even get. When brewer Richard Priest got…

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Tripping from Tokyo: The Nakaminato fish market

Everyone has heard of Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, the largest fish market of its kind, with rows and rows of vendors selling the freshest catch of the day in every form. There are rules. They are tired of tourists. You…

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Touring the Hitachino Nest beer brewery

Deb’s route took us north toward the coast, to Hitachinaka. Yes, Hitachi brand is the primary employer in this area, so pretty much everything bears its name. These towns are cute, but really small, so it was appropriate that I…

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A quick stop in Takasaki

When traveling through Japan with my buddy Deb Aoki, it really is about the journey and not the destination. The destinations are great, but the only way we can make little discoveries is to stop along the way and see…

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Imagine: a nice day in Karuizawa

John Lennon, Yoko Ono and their son Sean. One of our main destinations in our trek outside of Tokyo was the upscale resort town of Karuizawa, but unfortunately it rained most of the time we were there, so I didn’t…

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Something new: The Preserve Kitchen + Bar

Hana may be a sleepy little Maui town, but there’s been a lot going on there in the last several months. The 70 rooms are undergoing a $12 million restoration project, they brought their restaurant operations back in house, and they got…

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Party pics: Quiksilver’s Eddie Aikau 31st Annual Paina

The biggest surfers in the world are gathering today on Oahu’s north shore for the 31st annual Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave riding event opening ceremonies, and from there, they’ll pray for surf. The event has a three-month holding…

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Art, scotch and soba in Kobuchizawa

If you randomly look at Kobuchizawa on a map, you may wonder why people would ever peg it as a destination. It’s kind of on the road to the middle of nowhere and it doesn’t seem like there’s much around…