It all begins with an idea. I Luv Dumplings was an idea born out of a week of us binging on Dumplings in Osaka. Our 6 year old daughter bragged how she ate 11 gyoza in one sitting, she said “I Love Gyoza”.

I thought to myself how great it would be to enjoy food like this close to home. There was no go-to place on the island for good gyoza. So we came up with our Farmers Market stand slinging dumplings and steamed buns our first summer. Before we knew it the concept had taken off & we opened the doors to our restaurant in December of 2023.

The food business is not new to us, nor is Japanese cuisine. I am a career long chef from the Seattle area, and my wife is a native of Yamanashi, Japan.

We relocated to Hawaii in 2017, and fell in love with Honokaa town.

Honokaa is an old sugar plantation town on the Hāmākua coast. It is full of many old buildings filled with cute shops, businesses and places to eat. It is close to Waipio Valley which is one of the most sacred places on the island and was once home to King Kamehameha. Honokaa was once a booming town in the 1930’s and 40’s. The location of I Luv Dumplings was famously nicknamed “Long Soup Corner” back in the 40’s by marines stationed in nearby Waimea. They named it that because the restaurant of that time served Saimin noodle bowls. We are honoring that by bringing Long Soup back on the menu after many many years.