The Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Podcast Presented By SilverShark Media

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks with farmer James Simpliciano.  In this podcast James talks about learning about farming early on from his family, the soil difference in West Maui compared to other parts of the island, the challenges with agriculture in West Maui, the importance of growing Kalo/Taro, what the Maui Third Wave agriculture venture which incorporates traditional farming methods, the importance of developing local products like fertilizer at a large scale, his advice to the next generation to encourage them to pursue agriculture as a career, what it was like seeing the new West Side farmer’s market have it’s first event at Lahaina Jodo Mission a few weeks ago, and his advice for anyone looking to start their own backyard farm.  

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine speaks with Brian Yano, GM & Group Property Manager for JLL on Maui.  In this podcast Brian talks growing up on Oahu, moving to the mainland and then back to Maui years later, how covid-19 has had an impact on Maui shopping centers, how he had time to prepare for the pandemic on Maui since his company had locations in areas that had been impacted sooner, how centers went about reopening in a safe manner, adaptations that have been made including contactless shopping, what it was like opening a restaurant in the Outlets of Maui in the middle of a pandemic, how this situation compares to previous economic recessions, what he found worked (and didn’t work) during the reopening process, and his outlook on the next 6-12 months for retail. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine speaks with Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino.  In this podcast Mayor Victorino talks about growing up on the Big Island and then moving to Maui, how giving back to the community has always been instilled in his family, how some personal hardships have helped with leadership, what the decision making process was like early on in the pandemic, how the county aggressively looked at providing support programs for local businesses, the success of the Kama’aina First program, the idea of shifting away from an economy that is fully dependent on tourism, the importance of growing agriculture on Maui into the future, how Covid-19 testing has evolved from April until now, the concept of the resort bubble proposal, how managed tourism will be important in the future to help lessen environmental impacts, and how he finds peace in decision making with those that might disagree with him. 

** Note: This interview was recorded on Tuesday August 25th.  All testing numbers and statistics referenced are up until that date **

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks with cofounders of Jenny Miller of the Maui Humane Society.  In this podcast Jenny talks about the history of the organization, different scenarios of animal rescue, matching sheltered animals with new families, the challenges of being an animal shelter on an island, how the pandemic impacted their operations, how they began donating over 2,000 pounds of pet food to local families, how one employee extended her generosity to the community during a difficult time, how the humane society prepares for emergencies such as hurricanes, the challenges with fundraising in 2020, their Clear the Shelters event that’s going on August 23rd – 29th, the popular beach buddies program that they hope to resume at a later date, and why it’s important to “adopt don’t shop.”

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks with Scott Raines and Melissa Arnold, the co-founders of Westside Bagel.  In this podcast Scott and Melissa talk about what brought them to Maui from the east coast, how they work well together as a team, what inspired them to start making bagels in their own kitchen, how they first started to see business potential, how they began making bagels to sell on weekends, the decision for them both to leave their full time jobs to open a bagel shop in Lahaina, some of their early challenges after opening Westside Bagel, what advice they would give to people who are in a relationship that want to open a business together, when they first started to realize the impact Covid-19 would have, how they’ve adapted since reopening in May to stay open, and their favorite item on the menu to have.  

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine speaks with Chantal Ratte of the non-profit organization Ka Lima O Maui.  In this podcast Chantal talks about the mission of Ka Lima O Maui (providing job training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities), the importance of a paycheck for the people they help, her path that started in 1993 as an accountant that led her to become Executive Director of the organization, how Ka Lima O Maui is building a brand new facility for the organization (and those that it helps), the unique budget setup of their non-profit, and why the groundbreaking for their new facility was such a special day.   

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media talks to the chef/owner of FOND Jojo Vasquez.  In this podcast Jojo talks about his early influences in cooking, his culinary background that took him from his hometown of Chicago to Atlanta and Los Angeles, the importance of knowing your self worth, what brought him to Maui, his experience working with Iron Chef Morimoto, the process he went through to open FOND, the inspiration behind the restaurant name, his advice to anyone looking to open their own restaurant, his process for creating a menu, what it was like to receive the 2020 Aipono Award for Best New Restaurant, what it was liking being named the Aipono Chef of the Year in 2017, the importance of being involved in the community, how the pandemic has affected FOND, the adaptations he has made to keep the restaurant open, and his predictions for what the restaurant industry will look like over the next year. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks to Marc Bromley - the General Manager of the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.  In this podcast Marc talks about his career that took him in part through Washington DC and Costa Rica, how he wanted to create his own path separate of his father who worked in the same industry, how crises management requires good relationships (and how that has been crucial during Covid-19), the expectations of lower occupancy immediately after the property eventually does reopen, how the health standards at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea go above government standards, the use of room filtration similar to an aircraft that will give guests peace of mind while staying in their room, how he’s learned from other tourism destinations around the world who are in different phases of recovery, the importance of flexibility for a reopening date as the quarantine rules continue, how the layout of the property is beneficial in providing guests with access to outdoor experiences and dining, how the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is working with private labs on the mainland to help guests get proper testing within the 3 day exemption period that could begin in early September, and what silver linings he has found during the past 5 months. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media is joined by Ka’anapali Golf Courses PGA Director of Golf Sutee Nitakorn.  In this podcast Sutee talks about how he turned golf into a career, how his path took him from intern at Ka’anapali Golf Courses to the Director of Golf over the years, the role of his job (it’s not just playing golf), how he aims to make Ka’anapali Golf Courses unique, the importance of creativity in the golf industry, the early impacts of the pandemic in 2020, how golf was able to be one of the industries that opened up a little sooner, how Ka’anapali Golf Courses stays involved in the community (including the annual Keiki Tilapia Fishing Tournament), what his favorite holes are to play, and why he thinks the golf industry has exploded in popularity over the past few decades.  

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media is joined by Mala Ocean Tavern General Manager Caleb Hopkins and Marketing Director Ashley Davis.  In this podcast Caleb and Ashley talk about how they each ended up on Maui as part owners of Mala Ocean Tavern, the decision making process when the ownership changed over from Mark Elman to their team, how they approach Mala Ocean Tavern differently from Down The Hatch (which their group owns as well), their advice for those looking to form business partnerships, why the Maui No Ka Oi Magazine Aipono Awards are important to them, how they first dealt with the initial Covid-19 impacts in March, the adaptations they’ve had to make this summer in order to reopen, and the inspiration to launch their new Chef Takeover series that they’ll host every Tuesday in August.