Pipiyaki
PIPIYAKI
ピピ
NEW FOOD CATEGORY · HILO ORIGINAL

PIPIYAKI

STUFFEDPOI BALLS
Lil' balls, big aloha.

Stuffed poi balls. Poi-style Hawaiian kalo wraps a grass-fed beef or sweet-potato center, flipped takoyaki-style in front of you, drizzled hot. A brand-new food category — born in Hilo, opening June 2026.

Get launch-day discount → See how it's made
--DAYS
--HOURS
--MINS
--SECS
→ opening Friday, June 5 · 5pm · Downtown Hilo Night Market
Poi-chan mascot

Taro from Hāloa.
Technique from Osaka.
Born in Hilo.

— the Pipiyaki promise
Wait, what is it?

A stuffed poi ball
in three acts.

A food that didn't exist until Ian Smith invented it during his recovery — built from taro, beef, and a borrowed Osaka technique.

ACT 01

Poi wraps it.

Hawaiian kalo (taro), cooked and prepped poi-style — sacred, purple, creamy, gluten-free. Our base. Hāloa's family.

ACT 02

Beef or 'uala stuffs it.

A grass-fed beef center for the original. Sweet potato ('uala) for the vegan. Both hidden inside — surprise on the first bite.

ACT 03

Takoyaki pan flips it.

Spun and flipped on a cast-iron Osaka-style pan, finished with Bachan's, Kewpie, and a drizzle of unagi. Served hot, eaten by the bamboo pick.

Why it's different

Six reasons
you'll come back.

None of them are "fusion cuisine redefined." We'll leave that to everyone else.

🌾

Gluten-free by design.

No wheat. No cross-contamination. 'Ulu breadfruit flour, kalo, beef tallow. Naturally safe for celiac diets — not a workaround.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

$6 feeds two keiki.

Four balls per order. Two kids can split it and both leave full. Real family food at a real family price.

🐂

Grass-fed Hamakua beef.

Big Island pasture-raised. More omega-3s than conventional beef, supporting local ranchers, no feedlot anything.

🎭

Cooked in front of you.

The takoyaki pan is the show. Watch the flip. Record the flip. Eat the flip. It's why Instagram exists.

🌺

Rooted, not appropriated.

Kalo is the first ancestor in Hawaiian mythology. We honor it. The Japanese method came from our islands' actual history.

💪

Built from survival.

Ian invented this recipe in a hospital bed after a 130mph crash. It fed him through recovery. Now it feeds Hilo.

Prep theater

Half the magic
is watching it happen.

Five motions, four minutes, one perfect ball. Same choreography every time — that's why it's hypnotic.

01 🥣

SCOOP

Poi-style kalo, double-tablespoon portion.

02 🥩

STUFF

Beef or 'uala center, pressed into the middle.

03 🔄

FLIP

On the pan. Rotated with bamboo picks. Crisp.

04 🎨

DRIZZLE

Bachan's, Kewpie, unagi — applied like a Pollock.

05 🥢

SERVE

Bamboo boat. Mini pick. Instagram it before it cools.

◉ FOUNDER & CEO
Ian
Smith
survivor · inventor
EST. HILO 2026
The story

Built by hand.
Born in a hospital bed.

On June 20, 2023, Ian survived a 130mph head-on collision on Saddle Road. Traumatic brain injury. Spinal fractures. Shattered leg bones. Twenty-nine days of intensive care. Months of neurology, physical therapy, speech therapy.

Restricted mobility. Mounting medical bills. Severely limited budget. He needed meals that were inexpensive, nutrient-dense, portable, and preparable with one working hand.

Experimenting with taro and grass-fed beef, he developed a single portable food that delivered maximum nutrition at minimal cost. He called it a Pipiyaki ball. Over months, it went from survival food to viable commercial product.

"This business isn't entrepreneurship. It's the transformation of adversity into something that can feed a whole community."

After physical therapy graduation, neurological and ophthalmological clearance, and a complete return to work, Ian recognized that what saved him could be served to others. Pipiyaki Poi Balls launches in June 2026.

I've lived on the Big Island for fourteen years and have never experienced something like this. As someone who has reclaimed my health and fitness, finding a snack like this is a game-changer.

— Beta tester · Hilo local · 2026
Sourced from here

Big Island first.
Every ingredient.

We source from the people whose names we know. Our suppliers are our neighbors.

🌱
Keaau Natural Foods

Kalo & 'uala · Hilo's local grocer

🐂
Hamakua Meat Processors

Grass-fed Hawaiian beef · Pāʻauilo

🌳
Eat Breadfruit

'Ulu flour · sustainable Hawaiian starch

🌊
Waiakea Hawaiian

Volcanic-filtered water · Hilo

Year two: our own 3-acre kalo & 'uala plot, already secured. Farm-to-takoyaki-pan, literally.

Play while you wait

Make Your Own Pipiyaki.

Design it, flip it, win a free ball.
Find us

Two markets.
Every week.

We start at the two best-known food markets on the Big Island. Catering and private events unlock every other day.

FRIDAY NIGHTS

Downtown Hilo Night Market

Mamo St · downtown Hilo
5pm – 9pm · every Friday

OPENING NIGHT · JUNE 5 · 2026
SUNDAY MORNINGS

Maku'u Farmers Market

15-2131 Keaʻau-Pāhoa Rd
8am – 2pm · every Sunday

LAUNCH · JUNE 7 · 2026

Sign up for SMS → we text you tonight's location every Friday at 3pm.

◉ Pre-book your event

Catering is open.

Weddings, birthdays, corporate lunches, festivals, private parties. We bring the pan, the balls, and the theater. Reserve now — June and July are filling up.

Mahalo! We'll be in touch within 24 hours. ✨
FAQ

Questions you'll
probably ask.

Is everything gluten-free?
Yes. 100%. No wheat, no barley, no rye. We use 'ulu (breadfruit) flour for coating and poi-style kalo as the base. Our fryers are dedicated — no cross-contamination risk. Celiac-safe.
What's actually in a Pipiyaki ball?
Outside: Hawaiian kalo (taro), cooked and prepped poi-style, with 'ulu flour coating. Inside (beef version): grass-fed Hamakua beef meatball, seasoned simply. Inside (vegan version): 'uala (sweet potato). Finished with Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce, Kewpie mayo, unagi drizzle. Cooked in honey-infused beef tallow or coconut oil.
How long does an order take?
About 4–6 minutes from pan to hand. Each ball is cooked fresh, rotated with bamboo picks — we don't pre-make them. The wait is the show.
Where will I actually find you?
Friday nights: Downtown Hilo Night Market. Sunday mornings: Maku'u Farmers Market. We'll add Wednesday Hilo Farmers Market and special events in Q3. Sign up for SMS and we text you tonight's location every Friday at 3pm.
Can I book you for my event?
Yes — use the catering form above. Small (20 balls / $30), medium (40 / $55), large (60 / $80). Minimum 10 days notice preferred.
What's your launch date again?
Friday, June 5, 2026 · 5pm · Downtown Hilo Night Market. Market debut. Come.
How do I use my founder's discount code?
When you sign up above, we'll generate a unique PIPI-XXXX code and text + email it to you. Show it at the truck on your first visit — you get one free drink with your first order. Share & tag @pipiyakipoiballs = 2 extra balls added.

Be at the front
of the line.

Launch day drops · tonight-we're-here texts · first dibs on new flavors.