COMING JUNE 2026 STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY OSAKA HANDS · HILO HEART COMING JUNE 2026 STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY COMING JUNE 2026 STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY OSAKA HANDS · HILO HEART COMING JUNE 2026 STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY

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 19 · 5pm · Downtown Hilo Night Market

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, and creamy — wrapped around a grass-fed center of beef for the original.

ACT 02

'Uala stuffs it.

'Uala (sweet potato) ball for the vegans.

ACT 03

Takoyaki pan flips it.

Spun and flipped on a cast-iron Osaka-style pan.

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.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

$8 for 4 balls per order.

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.

◉ 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, and portable.

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
ingredients.

We source from people whose names we know.

🌱

OK Farms

Kalo (taro) & green onions

🐂

KTA

Grass-fed beef & katsuobushi

🌳

Eat Breadfruit

'Ulu flour · sustainable Hawaiian starch

🍠

Farm to Car

'Uala (sweet potato)

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

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 19 · 2026

SUNDAY MORNINGS

Maku'u Farmers Market

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

LAUNCH · JUNE 21 · 2026

◉ 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.

How long does an order take?

About 8–10 minutes. Balls are prepped ahead, then finished fresh on the pan and served hot.

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 / $40), medium (40 / $80), large (60 / $120). Minimum 10 days notice preferred.

What's your launch date again?

Friday, June 19, 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.

PIPIYAKI

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

A stuffed poi ball
in three acts.

Poi wraps it.

'Uala stuffs it.

Takoyaki pan flips it.

Six reasons
you'll come back.

Gluten-free by design.

$8 for 4 balls per order.

Grass-fed Hamakua beef.

Cooked in front of you.

Rooted, not appropriated.

Built from survival.

Two balls.
One price.
Zero gimmicks.

Pipiyaki Beef

'Ualayaki

Built by hand.
Born in a hospital bed.

Big Island
ingredients.

OK Farms

KTA

Eat Breadfruit

Farm to Car

Two markets.
Every week.

Downtown Hilo Night Market

Maku'u Farmers Market

Catering is open.

Questions you'll
probably ask.

PIPIYAKI

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

A stuffed poi ballin three acts.

Poi wraps it.

'Uala stuffs it.

Takoyaki pan flips it.

Six reasonsyou'll come back.

Gluten-free by design.

$8 for 4 balls per order.

Grass-fed Hamakua beef.

Cooked in front of you.

Rooted, not appropriated.

Built from survival.

Two balls.One price.Zero gimmicks.

Pipiyaki Beef

'Ualayaki

Built by hand.Born in a hospital bed.

Big Islandingredients.

OK Farms

KTA

Eat Breadfruit

Farm to Car

Two markets.Every week.

Downtown Hilo Night Market

Maku'u Farmers Market

Catering is open.

Questions you'llprobably ask.

Be at the frontof the line.

Join the founders list.

You're in! ✨

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

A stuffed poi ball
in three acts.

Six reasons
you'll come back.

Two balls.
One price.
Zero gimmicks.

Built by hand.
Born in a hospital bed.

Big Island
ingredients.

Two markets.
Every week.

Questions you'll
probably ask.

Be at the front
of the line.