NOW OPEN · SAT & SUN STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY NOW OPEN · SAT & SUN STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY NOW OPEN · SAT & SUN STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY NOW OPEN · SAT & SUN STUFFED POI BALLS HILO, HAWAIʻI ピピヤキ KALO GOES KAWALO NEW FOOD CATEGORY

ピピ

NEW FOOD CATEGORY · HILO ORIGINAL

PIPIYAKI

Q: 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.

Q: Where will I actually find you?

Behind Kai Store, 2010 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720. Open Saturday and Sunday, 7am to 5pm. Catering and private events any other day.

Q: Can I book you for my event?

Yes — use the catering form. Small (20 balls / $40), medium (40 / $80), large (60 / $120). Minimum 10 days notice preferred.

STUFFEDPOI BALLS

Lil' balls, big aloha.

Stuffed poi balls. Poi-style Hawaiian kalo wraps a grass-fed beef center. For our plant-based friends, try our sweet potato option. Both flipped takoyaki-style in front of you, drizzled hot. A brand-new food category — born in Hilo, now open.

See the menu → Book catering →

NOW OPEN

→ behind Kai Store, Hilo · Sat & Sun · 7am–5pm

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

'Ualayaki.

'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.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

$12 per 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 opened in September 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

Find us
behind Kai Store.

Open weekends in Hilo, 7am to 5pm. Catering and private events any other day.

SATURDAY

Behind Kai Store · Hilo

2010 Kilauea Ave · Hilo, HI 96720
7am – 5pm · every Saturday

OPEN WEEKLY

SUNDAY

Behind Kai Store · Hilo

2010 Kilauea Ave · Hilo, HI 96720
7am – 5pm · every Sunday

OPEN WEEKLY

◉ 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?

Behind Kai Store · 2010 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720. Open Saturday & Sunday, 7am–5pm. Catering and private events any other day. Sign up for SMS and we'll send fresh-batch alerts.

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 are your hours?

Open Saturday & Sunday, 7am–5pm, behind Kai Store in Hilo. Come hungry.

How do I keep up with where you'll be?

Sign up above with your phone and we'll text you our weekend location and fresh-batch alerts. Or follow @pipiyakipoiballs on Instagram.

PIPIYAKI

Two balls.
One price.
Zero gimmicks.

Pipiyaki

'Ualayaki

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

A stuffed poi ball
in three acts.

Poi wraps it.

'Ualayaki.

Takoyaki pan flips it.

Six reasons
you'll come back.

Gluten-free by design.

$12 per 4 balls per order.

Grass-fed Hamakua beef.

Cooked in front of you.

Rooted, not appropriated.

Built from survival.

Built by hand.
Born in a hospital bed.

Big Island
ingredients.

OK Farms

KTA

Eat Breadfruit

Farm to Car

Find us
behind Kai Store.

Behind Kai Store · Hilo

Behind Kai Store · Hilo

Catering is open.

Questions you'll
probably ask.

PIPIYAKI

Two balls.One price.Zero gimmicks.

Pipiyaki

'Ualayaki

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

A stuffed poi ballin three acts.

Poi wraps it.

'Ualayaki.

Takoyaki pan flips it.

Six reasonsyou'll come back.

Gluten-free by design.

$12 per 4 balls per order.

Grass-fed Hamakua beef.

Cooked in front of you.

Rooted, not appropriated.

Built from survival.

Built by hand.Born in a hospital bed.

Big Islandingredients.

OK Farms

KTA

Eat Breadfruit

Farm to Car

Find usbehind Kai Store.

Behind Kai Store · Hilo

Behind Kai Store · Hilo

Catering is open.

Questions you'llprobably ask.

Never missa weekend.

Get on the list.

You're in! ✨

Two balls.
One price.
Zero gimmicks.

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

A stuffed poi ball
in three acts.

Six reasons
you'll come back.

Built by hand.
Born in a hospital bed.

Big Island
ingredients.

Find us
behind Kai Store.

Questions you'll
probably ask.

Never miss
a weekend.