Wailua Shave Ice

"All over Hawai‘i, new-school shave ice purveyors are using local fruit and natural flavors, but none more inventively than this wildly popular trailer smack in the tourist center of Kapa‘a on Kaua‘i. Co-founders Brandon Baptiste and Josh Tamoaka — both Kaua‘i natives, while Baptiste is an alum of the Culinary Institute of America and Per Se — inventively combine flavor and texture to create rich, fruity shave ices capped with featherlight foam. Try the hyper-popular Lava Flow, which combines pineapple juice, coconut foam, and strawberry puree. With locations in Portland and San Diego, and more projects in the works, Wailua has the makings of an empire, but for now it’s best experienced at one of their bright-red picnic tables in the tropical sunshine. —Meghan McCarron"