Welcome to "Homemade," a series about getting a taste of our unique Bay Area culture from, well... home. Locals invite us into their homes and teach us how to prepare goods by hand, sharing a piece of ...

Presenting a lei to a graduating student is a tradition that has spread from Hawai‘i to the West Coast and beyond. In Hawai‘i, lei are made with fragrant flowers, ti or spicy maile leaves, shells, ...

At commencement time, new graduates don their decorated caps and gowns, waving diplomas as they smile for photos. But many graduates also wear lei — made from flowers, candies, or ribbons around their ...

Mariamena Morisa grew up in Hawaii. She and her family moved to Alaska in the late ‘90s. At her high school graduation, her mom walked in carrying leis made out of saran wrap and ribbon with candy ...

After countless years at her craft, Nellie Lua’s fingers have found a rhythm. The 68-year-old jabs a needle through the bottom of each carnation blossom and tugs the frilly flower along the thread. In ...