Not tryna go native on myself, but driving upcountry to makes this saying ring in my ears over and over. We learned in the 7th grade that “Kūlia i ka nu’u” meant “strive to the summit.” You know, go for the gold, reach high, go far beyond where you possibly think you can be. From the moment I learned that saying I thought of one thing–driving up towards the summit of Haleakala, one of our majestic mountains on Maui.

We used to live up here and this green building holds many of my early memories. I remember picking up our mail from our P.O. Box of the Post Office (that no longer exists) at the corner of Pukalani Superette. I remember buying spam musubi here on Saturdays and after we moved downtown we stopped here (and still do) after every dentist appointment or upcountry adventure.

This is one version of gold. The mac salad is still my favorite, finding chili chicken drummettes are like finding the needle in the haystack , and the tako poke is so damn tasty. The produce is always fresh and packaged into little portions perfect for our small family and its always clean. My mom always loved this store and I do too. These are the places that make Maui, Maui, and what makes home, home. I know I’m home when I see it and I hope it stays awesome forever.