Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Jayson Asuncion, Executive Chef at the Royal Lahaina Resort.  In this podcast Jayson talks about his first culinary influences while growing up in Lahaina, moving to the west coast for culinary school and his first jobs in the industry, when he realized this was the career path he wanted to pursue, working for both independent restaurants and resort properties, what led to his move back to Maui, how he's seen the food scene evolve on Maui over the past few decades, the inspiration behind opening a food truck, the importance of communication in the industry, joining the team at Royal Lahaina Resort in 2019, what went into the menu design at the Lahaina Noon restaurant at the Royal Lahaina Resort, the inspiration behind the name Lahaina Noon, items on the menu that a first time diner should try, the expanded options at the nearby Pineapple Moon poolside bar, the importance of sourcing local ingredients, how the kitchen has implemented an energy efficient ventilation system, the upcoming Hawaii Food & Wine Festival event that will be hosted at the Royal Lahaina Resort on October 26th, and his advice for younger chefs looking to work their way up in the culinary industry. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Erica Erickson, founder of Da Beehive store in Paia & the Maui Honey Bee Sanctuary.  In this podcast Erica talks about how she got into working with bees, going from weekly swap meet sales to opening a store in Paia, the challenges getting the store opened up, what types of bee products are available, why Maui is an optimal location for bees, why she opened up a bee sanctuary upcountry, the types of tours and experiences offered at the sanctuary, misconceptions about bees, how many bees she typically has on site, why the sanctuary is great for school field trips, how much honey the bees can produce, the importance of bees in our ecosystems, some of the challenges working in the agriculture industry, her advice to anyone looking to get into an ag related job, what she recommends to first time visitors to Da Beehive store, the favorite part of her job, and how people can learn more about Da Beehive and the Maui Honey Bee Sanctuary.  

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Owen Campbell, CEO & Co-owner of Mana Recovery Center.  In this podcast Owen talks about the mission of Mana Recovery Center, the inspiration behind starting Mana Recovery Center, what needed to be in place to open Mana Recovery Center, different addiction treatment options offered to the community, the most rewarding part of his job, his advice for overcoming the stigma of needing help to treat addiction, goals for the future for Mana Recovery Center, & how people can learn more about Mana Recovery Center.  

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Ryan Luckey, Executive Chef at The Pint & Cork.  In this podcast Ryan talks about his family ties to Lahaina, how his grandfather and father were involved with The Carthaginian II replica whaling ship in Lahaina, his culinary influences growing up, his first jobs in the culinary industry, his career path at different stops across West Maui, the differences in working with a resort restaurant vs independent restaurants, how he's seen the culinary industry evolve on Maui during his career, how he's overcome the feeling of burnout as a chef, how The Pint & Cork has helped to reinvigorate him in the kitchen, the approach to the menu design at The Pint & Cork, his support of local agriculture that led to winning the 2025 Friend of Ag award at the Aipono Awards, how The Pint & Cork does not use heat lamps for food, what he sees currently as some of the bigger challenges for the culinary industry, goals looking ahead for The Pint & Cork, and his advice for younger chefs looking to advance their career. 

Diane Woodburn speaks to Jeremy Solyn, Chef/Owner of NyloS located in Paia.  In this podcast Jeremy talks about his first job in culinary industry working in the Hamptons as an 18 year old, his career path that eventually brought him to Maui, what it was like to be the recipient of Best Chef's Table at the 2025 Aipono Awards, what guests can expect to experience at a NyloS dinner, how he worked through the economic downturns with the pandemic and Maui fires, dealing with some of the current industry challenges, how people can book a reservation at NyloS, and his advice for younger chefs. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Ryan Cruz, Executive Chef at Hotel Wailea.  In this podcast Ryan talks about dropping out of business school to change his career path to the culinary industry, why fried shrimp brings up special family memories growing up, how he started on his culinary path, how public speaking classes from his business course help with his current career, lessons he learned early on in his days working with Wolfgang Puck restaurants, how his career took him around the world from LA to London to Istanbul to New York and then back to Maui, the approach to menu design at Hotel Wailea, how designing a prix fixe menu at The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea differs from an a la carte menu for the Birdcage at Hotel Wailea,  the private dining options at Hotel Wailea including The Kitchen Table, how guests can attend a special culinary event on Friday May 30th at The Restaurant with Chef Ryan Cruz joined by Chef Zach Laidlaw of Hua Momona Farms, and his advice to younger chefs.  

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Zach Sato, Chef/Owner of Havens Harborside Fish & Chophouse & Havens Kahului Food Truck. In this podcast Zach talks about how he got his start in the restaurant industry, his favorite family dishes growing up, advancing his career once he became a chef, the decision to open his first restaurant, how the pandemic forced him to pivot on his plans, running his own restaurant vs working as a chef in an existing restaurant, the decision to launch the food truck in Kahului, the approach to menu design for his different locations, opening Havens Harborside Fish & Chophouse, navigating the challenges after the fires in 2023, jumping into action right away to help provide food to the local community after the fires, what it was like to win the 2025 Aipono Award for Chef of the Year, opening a new food truck focused on subs and sandwiches later in May, & how people can learn more about the different Havens restaurants.

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Rhonda Alexander-Monkres, Executive Director of the Ho'ōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group.  In this podcast Rhonda talks about the mission of the organization, bringing together various nonprofits and community leaders to help streamline recovery efforts, how the group supports different recovery needs, working on the challenge of rebuilding owner occupied housing, the importance of flexibility when trying to overcome challenges during the recovery process, the importance of having community led leadership, how people can get involved if they want to support the organization, how people can find out if they qualify for additional support, and the goals for the next stages of the recovery effort.  

Diane Woodburn speaks to GM Josh Hargrove & Hotel Manager Selawe Tau of the Westin Maui Resort and Spa and chair of the 46th annual Maui Charity Walk.  In this podcast Josh & Selawe talk about their career paths, the history of the Charity Walk, why the event is important for the Maui community, the goal this year for Maui to raise $2M for local nonprofit organizations, what the role of chair entails for an event of this scale, how people can get involved to either enter a team or donate money, the details for the May 10th event including food & music on site, what makes them most proud to work on an event like this, & their advice for a young person who may want to start a career in the hospitality industry. 

** Here is the link mentioned during the podcast that will give more information about how to get involved with the 2025 Maui Charity Walk **

https://mauihla.org/events/charity-walk-maui

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks Meli James, co-founder of Mana Up.  In this podcast Meli talks about what Mana Up does, the inspiration behind launching the company, the process going from the initial business idea to the first day of company operations, initial challenges the company had to overcome, ways that Mana Up helps local businesses, examples of Maui businesses that have grown with the support of Mana Up, how pop-up Aloha Markets like the current one at Haneda Airport in Japan help to promote local businesses outside of Hawaii, goals for the future, her advice to small businesses that are in the early stages (or people looking to launch a small business in the near future), and how people can learn more about Mana Up.