Ciara Delizo, owner of Pupu Princess food truck, vividly remembers when she first started making kimchi taegu, which is currently one of the most popular items at her business.

“My nephew went to the swap meet with one of his friends, and they introduced him to the lady that makes those (kimchi taegu),” she says. “She sells the products so you can make them yourself at home. He introduced it to us; once I made it and posted it on social media, people kept asking to try it. Soon, I was getting orders for 30 rolls at a time.”

Pupu Princess’s menu revolves around finger food or hand-held food, and the business started in 2019, Delizo says.

“I had the idea to bring hand foods to events or public parks; since our kids are in football, we’d always be at the park,” she says. “I started the business in December 2019 and did my first pop-up in February 2020, but then we got shut down for COVID-19.”

Like many other businesses, Delizo searched for a solution and started doing pop-ups at Geiger Community Park. You can still find the biz there from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. The biz also participates in various events around Oahu.

“I used to have a pop-up tent, but we officially opened our trailer in June 2021,” she says. “Our menu is still based on a pupu concept, or finger foods to share.”

Popular menu items include the After School Special ($20), which includes five kimchi taegu rolls with Spam and four pieces of fried chicken; shrimp bao buns (two for $10 or four for $20), and the combo plate ($15) with two scoops of white rice, fried noodles, crab potato salad, teri beef and two pieces of fried chicken.

“The shrimp bao burgers feature Chinese steamed buns with garlicky coleslaw and two crunchy deep-fried shrimp topped with unagi sauce, red onions and cilantro; they’re really popular,” Delizo says.

For updates on the food truck’s schedule, follow the biz on Instagram (@the_pupu_princess).

Pupu Princess

Various locations
Instagram: @the_pupu_princess
How to order: In person or via Instagram direct message
How to pay: Cash and Venmo only