James Beard finalist Neale Asato profiled
- Hawaiʻi Public Radio profiled Honolulu sherbet maker Neale Asato after he became Hawaiʻi’s only 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards finalist. - Asato advanced from a field of nine Hawaiʻi semifinalists and is one of five national nominees for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. - The winner will be announced June 15 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera. (jamesbeard.org)
Neale Asato, the Honolulu owner behind Asato Family Shop, is Hawaiʻi’s only finalist in the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. (hawaiipublicradio.org) (jamesbeard.org) He is nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, a national category in this year’s awards. Winners will be announced Monday, June 15, 2026, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) Asato was the only one of nine Hawaiʻi semifinalists to advance to the finalist round, according to Hawaiʻi Public Radio and Honolulu Magazine. The other four finalists in his category are Susan Bae, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Maggie Huff, and Justine MacNeil. (hawaiipublicradio.org) (honolulumagazine.com) The profile fills in how Asato got there. He told Hawaiʻi Public Radio that his family worked in restaurants, and that childhood trips to Tasaka Guri-Guri on Maui pushed him to start developing his own sherbet and ice cream recipes. (hawaiipublicradio.org) He said the business began as a home side project to make extra money for his family before it grew into a full operation. His mother joined after retiring from the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, and other relatives now help run the company. (hawaiipublicradio.org) Aloha State Daily reported that Asato Family Shop has operated at its Pali Highway location for more than seven years, after the company itself started about a year and a half earlier. The business also opened Asato’s Waikīkī at the Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa late last year. (alohastatedaily.com) At the Pali shop, Asato sells sherbet in local flavors including strawberry, pineapple, Green River, lihing float, pickled mango juice, and passion orange guava. Aloha State Daily reported that the store stopped Sunday retail service after April 12 to focus on scaling wholesale operations. (alohastatedaily.com) The James Beard Foundation announced semifinalists on January 21 and nominees on March 31, narrowing the field before the June ceremony. Asato told Hawaiʻi Public Radio the recognition left him “speechless” and grateful for his family’s work. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) (hawaiipublicradio.org)
