Kauai Menehune Kitchen Draws Crowds for Malasadas at Kukui Grove

Shoppers quickly lined up at the Kauai Menehune Kitchen tent at the Pau Hana Market at Kukui Grove in Lihue on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, drawn by what The Garden Island described as the aroma “of the freshly cooked morsels wafting in the winds that danced through the tent city of farmers and vendors.” The photograph by Dennis Fujimoto captured Austin Wright ladling a batch of malasadas while Tiffany Lum sugarcoated the hot doughnuts as neighbors waited.

Tiffany Lum of Kauai Menehune Kitchen told The Garden Island, “We’re cooking malasadas today.” Lum also cautioned that the operation is weather-dependent: “But if it rains, no.” Lum added that “Tuesday is Malasada Day, and you have to have some,” and invited customers to visit their Hanapepe location: “Or, you can come visit us in Hanapepe.”

At Kukui Grove Center, Kauai Bakery, voted “Best” for their malasadas, was closed the same Monday, but The Garden Island reported a sign on the door indicating the bakery would open at 6 a.m. today with malasadas and that a phone number was posted for pre-orders on days they are closed. The Pau Hana Market’s “tent city of farmers and vendors” setting underscores how island bakeries and pop-up vendors alternate between fixed storefront hours and market days to meet demand.

Statewide context for the spike in sales is rooted in the Malasada Day tradition. Leonard’s Bakery’s website states: “Malasada Day which dates back to the days of the sugar plantations of the 1800s. always falls on the day before Ash Wednesday and is also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday.” KITV noted that “March 1 is Malasada Day in Hawaii” and reported Leonard’s as saying Malasada Day is the busiest day of the year for the Kapahulu bakery; Leonard’s listed hours for Malasada Day service at 933 Kapahulu Ave., 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Malasadamobile schedules at Pearlridge, Kaneohe and Waikele from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Koko Marina from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Culinary and historical sources explain the food itself: Bakefromscratch credits Portuguese laborers for bringing the yeast-based, eggy dough to Hawaii in the 19th century and describes technical details such as gradually incorporating softened butter, using evaporated milk for richness, and refrigerating the dough overnight to develop flavor. Houseofannie traces links to the Azores and convents, noting the treat was historically made to use up fat and sugar before Lent. Fillings and coatings across vendors range from sugar, cinnamon and li-hing to custard, haupia, chocolate, guava, macadamia and rotating “flavor of the month” options, as Leonard’s and KITV list.

The scene at Kukui Grove highlights community and public-health considerations for crowded food events. The market’s open-air tents, heavy foot traffic at the Kauai Menehune Kitchen tent, and Lum’s weather-dependent cooking raise questions about safe food handling, vendor permitting and support for small food businesses during high-demand days. Leonard’s published Malasada Day hours and the Kauai Bakery’s early opening sign also point to staffing challenges and early-morning access for workers seeking affordable warm food.

For those who want statewide options or information, Leonard’s lists contact 808.737.5591 and its Kapahulu address at 933 Kapahulu Ave. Locally, shoppers were reminded by Lum that aside from Pau Hana Market appearances, Kauai Menehune Kitchen serves customers in Hanapepe.