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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
ScooZee’s looks for buyer
and needs a licenseScooZee's at Ward Centre needs a new liquor license. Quietly for sale, the restaurant allowed the old one to lapse because two purchase deals were in the works, but neither came to fruition.
It's been a headache for co-owner Richard Swartz that may last two more months. It may take that long for the 12-year old business to get a license, he said.
The bright spot is his bakery, said Swartz. He also received an offer for Kakaako Bakers LLC, but he's keeping it and expanding it.
"The bakery makes only hand-done breads and desserts for most of the better hotels and restaurants in town," he said. Swartz rattled off names including Ruth's Chris Steak House, John Dominis, the Moana Surfrider Hotel, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Alan Wong's, Ryan's, Trattoria, Matteo's, several health food stores and, naturally, ScooZee's.
Kakaako Bakers' brand breads -- say that three times fast -- are also carried by Star Markets and the Big Island's KTA Super Stores.
The bakery was started a few years ago to serve ScooZee's but other eateries started placing orders and "it got out of hand," Swartz said.
Bakery General Manager Brad Hull is "one of only two certified executive pastry chefs on the island," Swartz said. Hull previously served at Ihilani Resort & Spa and as a chief pastry instructor at Kapiolani Community College.
PBS' new channel
PBS Hawaii has a whole new channel on TV for which it pays a whopping $1,000 annual fee.The programming for educationally focused PBS Kids comes from the mainland. Oceanic Time Warner Cable of Hawaii put the shows on digital channel 443 for free.
"They put it together with all the other kids' channels, right in the middle," said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of PBS Hawaii.
It is a noncommercial island amidst a sea of commercial-stuffed children's channels.
McCartney was encouraged to pick up the programming by Linda Taira, his fellow Castle High School alum and former local news reporter turned-CBS White House correspondent. She is now vice president for station relations at the Virginia headquarters of PBS.
Way off camera
Future access to cable television in Hawaii will be discussed Monday afternoon in Honolulu.The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs will gather input on core issues that will guide public, educational and governmental, or so-called PEG access to the state's only cable operator -- Oceanic.
Each county has its own PEG access group; on Oahu it is Olelo -- The Corporation for Community Television.
A raft of potential changes will be discussed, from the make-up of the boards of directors to the boards' share of fees paid by cable subscribers.
The DCCA's discussion document, outlining cable access plans, may be viewed on the Web at www.hawaii.gov/dcca. Public testimony will be accepted from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Queen Liliuokalani Building, 1390 Miller St., Room 404.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
