{"id":238276,"date":"2026-07-30T16:53:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T02:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=238276"},"modified":"2026-08-04T15:58:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T01:58:46","slug":"2026-uh-alumni-makers-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/30\/2026-uh-alumni-makers-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Taste, shop, celebrate, repeat! Inside the 2026 UH<\/abbr> Alumni Makers’ Market"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Alum
Alumni vendors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/3HJIg0auaKc” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”][vc_column_text]\n

Guests enjoyed an unforgettable evening of diverse culinary creations, refreshing beverages and locally made goods at the 5th annual UH<\/abbr> Alumni Makers’ Market. Held on July 29, 2026, at the historic Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikīkī<\/span>, the signature event showcased the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the UH<\/abbr> ʻohana<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Dozens of alumni-owned and led small businesses shared their products with an enthusiastic crowd. About 500 attendees at the sold-out event enjoyed unlimited access to food and drink stations, as well as opportunities to shop for unique merchandise.<\/p>\n

Economic driver<\/h2>\n

Gov. Josh Green, whose wife Jaime is an alumna of the UH<\/abbr> William S. Richardson School of Law, said it was fun to see UH<\/abbr> graduates doing exceptionally well as entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

“Supporting UH<\/abbr> is supporting our whole state,” Green said. “The economic driver of our state is often UH<\/abbr> itself. It also produces incredible people going forward.”<\/p>\n

\"Alum
Raelee Takayesu, Owner, KCCAKESS (Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> CC<\/abbr> alumna)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the featured vendors was KCCAKESS, founded by Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Community College Culinary Program alumna Raelee Takayesu. Her brand specializes in highly personal, eye-catching custom cakes and offering hands-on cake classes.<\/p>\n

“Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Community College has definitely helped me a lot with pricing and inventory,” said Takayesu. “I learned a lot of background things other than culinary. We learned things such as how to make larger batches and how to be more prepared so it’s more efficient.”<\/p>\n

‘Riding this wave’<\/h2>\n
\"alums
Take One Music<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adding to the evening’s ambiance was Take One Music, a band featuring UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa alumni Kamahaʻo<\/span> Yamashiro and KC<\/abbr> Bell, alongside current student Kilinahe Wong. The group filled the venue with feel-good, nostalgic island music, with their own unique twist.<\/p>\n

“What I liked about UH<\/abbr> is the camaraderie—we\u2019re all local boys born and raised here,” said Yamashiro, who graduated with a business degree in May. “We’re just riding this wave that we’re on, and I hope it never ends.”<\/p>\n

Presented by the UH<\/abbr> Office of Alumni Relations in partnership with the UH<\/abbr> Alumni Association, the event celebrates the innovation and economic impact of UH<\/abbr> alumni. A portion of the proceeds will go toward benefiting student needs across the 10-campus UH<\/abbr> system.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width=”3″ css=”” grid_id=”vc_gid:1785895059453-5a5439fa-85ad-8″ include=”238300,238280,238299,238298,238296,238291,238290,238289,238288,238286,238285,238283,238282,238281″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talented UH<\/abbr> graduates build thriving small businesses across the state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":238299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,12],"tags":[90,679,734,271,947,56],"class_list":["post-238276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","category-video","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-uh-alumni-association","tag-uh-system","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t