Growing Up Hapa in Hawaii: Recipes and Stories from Chef Ippy Aiona

NOW AVAILABLE! Growing Up Hapa in Hawai‘i is not your typical cookbook—it’s a heartfelt journey told through the lens of food, family, and heri­tage. Chef Ippy Aiona invites you into his story shaped by two rich cultures—Hawaiian and Italian—blended together with love, grit, and a deep sense of place. From the Big Island town of Waimea, where paniolo traditions and plate lunches rule, to the cozy, garlic-scented warmth of his moth­er’s Italian kitchen, Ippy’s culinary path weaves through generations, restaurants, and recipes. With roots in his father’s restaurant, the Kam­uela Deli, and his mother’s restau­rant, Solimene’s, and rising to the national stage through Food Net­work competitions and celebrated restaurants like The Three Fat Pigs, Ippy shares the lessons, flavors, and stories that built his identity. This deeply personal cookbook pays tribute to the many chapters of Ippy’s life—a life built on fusion, resilience, and connection. Inside, you’ll find more than recipes; you’ll discover the soul of a chef shaped by his heritage, community, and family. Growing Up Hapa in Hawai‘i is for anyone who believes food is more than nourishment—it is memory, culture, and love served on a plate. Come hungry, and leave inspired. Hawaii Magazine “Ono At Home – Spaghetti Carbonara” Published: January 21, 2026 Click here to Read Hawaii News Now “Hawaii Island Chef Shares Hawaiian-Italian Heritage in New Cookbook and Memoir” Air Date: December 20, 2025 Click here to read/watch KHON2 News – Wake Up Today “Experience island flavors with Chef Ippy Aiona’s new Growing Up Hapa Cookbook” Air Date: November 24, 2025 Click here to watch Na Leo TV Island Storybook (Ep 11) “Growing up Hapa by Ippy Aiona” Air Date: October 19, 2025 Click here to watch Hawaii Public Radio’s “The Conversation” with Chef Ippy “Hawaiʻi Island chef cooks up a new book of blended cultures” By Maddie Bender – Published July 16, 2025 Click here to listen   RECIPES The Kamuela Deli Aunty Vivian’s Cone Sushi Portuguese Bean Soup Mom’s Oxtail Soup Taro and ‘Ulu Corn Chowder Korean BBQ Chicken Chicken Lū‘au Mochiko Chicken with Spicy Aioli Chicken Nishime Nori Chicken Corned Beef Hash Masayo’s Beef Stew Dad’s Beef and Taro Lū‘au Stew Shoyu Pork Pork and Watercress Pork and Peas (Guisantes) Crab Rangoon Shrimp Egg Foo Young Salt and Pepper Shrimp Garlic-Chili Oil Banana and Cream Cookie Parfait Solimene’s Crispy Spiced Chickpeas Artichoke and Spinach Dip Roasted Tomato Gorgonzola Soup Roasted Red Pepper Soup Minestrone Soup Pasta e Fagioli Soup Pancetta and Caramelized Onion Soup Grilled Summer Vegetable and Goat Cheese Penne Pasta Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Spaghetti Carbonara Penne alla Vodka Bucatini alla Amatriciana Bacon and Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccolini Steak alla Rustica Lamb Ossobuco Garlic Shrimp Aglio Olio Linguine with White Clam Sauce Seafood Fra Diavolo Seared Scallops and Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce The Three Fat Pigs Smoked Gouda Cheese Sauce with Homemade Chips Spring Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette BLTA (Bacon, Lettuce, Pickled Tomato, and Avocado) Sandwich Miso Risotto Coconut Curry Chicken Pot Pie Steak Salad with Curry Peanut Vinaigrette Korean Braised Short Ribs Bavette with Tomato Five Spice Jam Pomegranate and Coriander Glazed Rack of Lamb Braised Lamb Leg in Tomato Ragu Oxtail Stew Kanpachi En Papillote Shichimi Blackened Salmon with Vietnamese-Style Pickles Blackened ‘Ahi with Pickled Fennel and Herbed Yogurt Crab Cakes with Wasabi Aioli Manila Clams with Lemongrass, Chili, and Sake Butter Sauce Shrimp and Grits Ice Cakes Coffee Crème Brûlée Mac Nut, Toffee, and Coconut Ice Cream Sandwich Ippy’s Hawaiian BBQ Shoyu Poke Spicy ‘Ahi Poke Asian Chicken Salad Chicken Papaya Soup Local-Style Kimchee Fried Rice Chicken Katsu Chicken Long Rice Lemon Chicken Beef and Eggplant Stir-Fry Beef Tomato Grilled Korean Kalbi Short Ribs Pork Adobo Pork Belly Tinono Pork and Pumpkin Mahi Mahi with Chinese Ginger Sauce Hibachi Salmon with Namasu Pickles Salt Baked Kanpachi with Bug Juice Misoyaki Butterfish Coconut Shrimp Furikake Battered Shrimp Tempura