Hello Back Bay Bodegas, happy Friday!

The last full weekend in July comes in a month that went way too fast. The 4th of July was just last week, right? Beach days are in full swing as the weather keeps up it’s muggy streak with highs kissing 80° and a 55 that is backed up all the way to Fair Drive. Nothing an ice cold bowl of Poke can’t fix.

To our new readers—welcome! The Back Bay Buzz delivers just the right amount of news and events for locals in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. No crime, no politics, no spam—just the good stuff. We scan newspapers, blogs, social media, business journals, and Google alerts so you don’t have to.

In today’s Buzz:

— Jon Dougher, Publisher, Back Bay Buzz

Costa Mesa's little corner of the islands just got bigger. Exit 8 — a Hawaiʻi-inspired bodega — has opened at 283 East 17th Street, right next to its older sibling, ʻAi Pono Cafe: an island-style corner store stocked with snacks, drinks, grab-and-go bites, and merch, all carrying that "from the corners of the 808" energy. Behind it is Chef Gene Villiatora, who grew up in Whitmore Village on Oʻahu, moved to Las Vegas in 1993, and worked his way up from washing dishes at 18 to personal chef for the Fertitta family (Station Casinos, former UFC owners) and a spot on Season 5 of Top Chef. His Costa Mesa beachhead was ʻAi Pono Cafe, the fast-casual spot he opened with partner Dana-Lee Pagan on the same block — a not-so-fast-casual promise of real Hawaiian street food made with genuine aloha, which built a loyal following. Plates like the Dirty Lickin' Korean Chicken and Chicken Katsu, and has since expanded to the Durango Resort in Las Vegas. Exit 8 isn't a pivot away from that; it's an extension of the same world, right next door — the cafe feeds you, the bodega lets you take a piece of the islands home, and 17th Street now has two reasons to stop in for a taste of Hawaiʻi. Soft launch for the Bodega was this week, with weekend hours from 11am-5pm or sold out.

🌊 Water temp = 71º
Suit Rec: Spring suit 3/2

Thanks! Please ignore any typos, our editor is trying to figure out how to play Mahjong…

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