Sam Choy, Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono
IT promises to be a learning experience that will lead to a teaching experience -- passing along the knowledge attained along the way. A total of 156 local students, many of them "at risk" with various coping problems, are taking turns crewing aboard the "Makali'i" and "Hokule'a," replicas of traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoes, as they sail from Kawaihae to South Point. Today they stop at Hualalai Resort in the area that was a regular stop among ancient voyagers, as the ahupua'a offered fresh drinking water and fish ponds. The students are receiving academic credit for their ongoing tutelage under "Hokule'a" captain Clay Bertelmann (who teaches at the Hualalai Resort) and "Makali'i" captain Chadd Paishon in both celestial navigation and other aspects of Hawaiian culture. Some 15 of the best students will join the trans-Pacific voyage to Micronesia next month, to take celestial navigation expert Mau Piailug to his home island ... Learning’s a trip
for youthful crewON a completely different kind of boat, the "Navatek I" is now featuring "Royal Dining at Sea," featuring top isle chef George Mavrothalassitis, formerly with La Mer and now exec chef at the Four Seasons Resort Maui. How did they land him? It probably didn't hurt that his wife, Donna Jung, heads up public relations for Royal Hawaiian Cruises, owner of the Navatek ... And while we're on the subject of chefs, I dropped by the Nimitz Highway warehouse that by next month will be "Breakfast, Lunch & Crab," the latest eatery in the Sam Choy family. The 11,000-square-foot restaurant is huge, and will seat 380 people, with a separate banquet room available for private parties that'll hold up to 100 more. Breakfasts and lunches will be very affordable, and the place will be transformed into a premiere crabhouse for dinner, with entrees in the $19 to $21 range. There'll also be an oyster bar and brew pub, featuring Sam's own special brews, with a micro-brewery on site. Choy's other restaurants are in Kona, on Kapahulu and in Tokyo ...
LT. GOV. Mazie Hirono learned something about the power of television last week when she was in Tokyo. While there, she was interviewed on "Good Morning Japan" ("Ohayo Nippon") and spent a good deal of her five minutes of airtime telling the Japanese about our beaches and beauty -- as if they all haven't discovered it already. Before she could even call her mom in Honolulu to tell her about the show, friends and relatives in Japan had already called. And when Hirono stopped by the Mitsukoshi department show, she was amazed that the saleslady there recognized her from the show ... TV stardom
THAT'S reminiscent of walking around Waikiki with Alice Inouye. The young isle resident is largely unknown in the local community, but in Waikiki she gets stopped frequently by Japanese tourists who want to pose for pictures with her. She appears on the Hawaii Hotel Network TV shows in Japanese, which tourists from the East watch in their rooms. This makes Alice seem like the Asian Jennifer Aniston to the visitors ...
SPEAKING of attractive women, Miss USA Brook Lee and actress Tia Carrere have more than a little in common. Both were in town recently, both are represented by the Kathy Muller Agency locally and both were interviewed for TV by Emme Tomimbang in a show that will air on Channel 2 on April 23 ... Update on when to watch the San Diego Padres work out at Aloha Stadium: The batting practice and autograph-signing take place 3 to 5 p.m. April 18. For admission, simply bring a can of food for the Hawaii FoodBank ...
LOCALITE Tim Oakley, formerly a graphic designer for Peck Sims Mueller, now runs his own graphic arts company in Portland, Ore., and was written up in Media Inc. magazine recently with the headline, "Oakley Design Studios Hits Jackpot." It referred to the campaign he did for the Oregon state lottery -- signs, posters, flyers, etc. His mother, Pat Offer, still lives in Honolulu, is retired and loving it. She's also one proud mom ... Bull's-eye for Oakley
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.