---

A new Ming dynasty
may be under way

The Patti's Chinese Kitchen at Windward Mall has a new name, but the same owner, same menu, same staff and the same friendship that enabled the Lau family to operate the Chun family's established Chinese restaurant brand.

"My parents and their parents (the Chun family) have been real good friends," said Windward restaurateur Kevin Lau.

"It's not because we have a disagreement. We have a mutual agreement. It's a happy agreement ... our family and the Chun family are still very close," he said.

The Laus operated the Windward Patti's Chinese Kitchen for 19 years, using Patti's concept and name, but it was not a franchise.

"We don't franchise our name to anybody," said Pat (Chun) Louie, company secretary and namesake of the kamaaina restaurant.

The former Patti's in Kaneohe now bears the name Ming's Kitchen, after Lau's Chinese name. His manager suggested it and his wife, Vanessa, approvingly noted it could be the start of a new Ming dynasty.

"Hey, that sounds pretty good," Lau said, laughing.

He plans to expand eventually and hopes to have the same success Patti's has for so many decades.

He also left the word "Chinese" out of the eatery name on purpose.

"I feel that it will diversify my business," he said, not wanting to limit himself to Chinese food but perhaps including East-meets-West-type dishes.

Lau considers himself both a business guy and a culinary guy.

"I think I combine myself," he said. "You have to be very flexible. That's how we stay alive in this kind of business."

In addition to serving food during mall hours, "We do offer catering service, which I will deliver personally," he said. "We have an unlimited kind of menu," and "we do budget planning," for customers whose wallets are not unlimited.

Patti's Chinese Kitchen at Ala Moana Center and at Pearlridge Center will stay the same, and Louie says Lau's customers should not be wary of any drastic changes, either.

"We just felt that he's still young, he has the right to branch out on his own. We're glad if he uses the same format. We wish him all the success," she said.

Woo hoo via Yahoo!

Students from Chaminade University won a $500 prize and will move on to the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Competition next month.

The school had not even been represented in the local competition since 1983, but this year's team of Toni Coffelt, Hanh Le, Tasha Mudd, Jeannie Pinpin and Roy Stigall, led by faculty advisor Cliff Bieberly, took the Hawaii district competition in order to move up.

This year's competition was sponsored by Yahoo, and students were required to incorporate promotion of several youth-relevant Yahoo product offerings in their multimedia presentations.

The national winner will be selected at the federation's annual conference June 5 and 6 in Nashville, Tenn.