The Maui Nō Ka ‘Oi Podcast Presented By SilverShark Media

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine speaks with Maui County Economic Development Director JoAnn Inamasu.  In this podcast JoAnn talks about growing up on Kauai, her work for previous government administrations, what she learned from working 5 years in the private sector, what her job entails, how the county provides resources for small business development including for those who wants to start a new business, how the office helps for those who are looking for a new job, how the Kama’aina First program is supporting local businesses, what the qualifications are for the newly announced $3M recovery fund for Maui County small businesses, the success of the annual Made In Maui festival, and describes other programs the county supports for businesses and individuals. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine speaks with CEO and co-founder of Maui Brewing Company Garrett Marrero.  In this podcast Garrett talks about growing the Maui Brewing Company business so quickly, his dedication to using local products whenever possible, the decision early on to distribute beer in cans instead of bottles, the importance of innovation for a business, how they utilized solar energy to be electricity grid independent, why efficiency is necessary for a business, how they have coped in 2020 as a business with the pandemic, their decision to make sanitizer early on (and the unusual legal opposition they had after doing so), the challenges with outdated legislation in the alcohol industry on Maui, why he teamed up with other restaurant owners to form the Maui Restaurant Hui, their goal to help support restaurants and their employees in this difficult time, the challenges for Maui Brewing Company and other restaurants as they begin to reopen, and his hopes for the future. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks with State Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English.  In this podcast Senator English talks about growing up in Hana, pursuing a Master’s degree in Pacific Island Studies, why he decided to first run for office in his 20’s, what the role of a State Senator is, why sea level rise is such an important issue for him, how sea level rise affects the road to Hana and how he approaches different phases of a solution, the early decision making process he went through during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (including closing the road to Hana and working on food distribution for the East Maui community), the decision to reopen the road in July, some of the factors that contribute to the ongoing decision making in regards to any reopening of Maui (and the state), how this pandemic has led to a shift in how we approach the tourism industry, his hope to implement a traffic management system going forward for the road to Hana in particular that would lessen congestion in East Maui while providing more opportunity for revenue into the local economy, and what advice he would give someone from the younger generation that is interested in running for public office. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks with farmer Brandon Sato of Kula Onions Etc.  In this podcast Brandon talks about the history of farming in his family dating back to the 1930’s, how the farm has evolved from his grandfather to today, how he supplies restaurants on Oahu and Maui with his produce, how he learned early on that Covid-19 was going to have a major impact on agriculture, the decisions he had to make with his farm as restaurants began closing in March, how he donated 2,500 pounds of food from his farm this past Easter, what the decision making process will look like as he assesses how much food he should begin planting as restaurants slowly reopen, the importance of diversifying products as a farmer, how farm size impacts your distribution potential, the importance (and challenges) of getting more younger farmers into agriculture on Maui, and he speaks to the efforts of farmers who have continued to provide food to the community during these challenging times in 2020. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks to the Sue Johnson of Team Rubicon, a non-profit veteran response organization.  In this podcast Sue talks about what Team Rubicon does, how the organization began, how skills learned in the military help veterans contribute to disaster relief efforts after they leave the military, how Team Rubicon gives veterans a sense of community and support, how Team Rubicon has helped communities with response to Covid-19,  how they teach members new skills, and what their goals are for the future.  

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks to the General Manager of Napili Kai Beach Resort Gregg Nelson.  In this podcast Gregg talks about the 60 year history of the Napili Kai Beach Resort, how the original owners were able to keep all buildings in Napili no larger than 2 stories, the work of the Napili Kai Foundation within the Maui community, how Napili Kai Beach resort has helped with conservation efforts in Napili Bay, how the property has remained open throughout all of 2020, the origins of the Sea House Restaurant on property, how the rest of 2020 could look for the property, the challenges in the testing process in order lift the 14 day quarantine, and how Napili Kai Beach Resort will be prepared once tourism does begin to pick back up on Maui.

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media talks to Chef Alvin Savella ("The Kitchen Assassin") of Humuhumu at the Grand Wailea Maui.  In this podcast Alvin talks about his early influences of cooking from his family, when he first knew he wanted to pursue a career in the culinary world, spending 10 years in California going to culinary school and working in the industry, how catering for large events like the Grammy’s taught him patience, what brought him back to Maui, how he’s become a social media success, the impact social media has had on restaurants, his experience competing on a Food Network show, how he approaches his menus, some challenges he has had to work through while developing menu ideas, what it was like to win the Aipono Awards Chef of the Year in 2018, how he has dealt with the events of 2020, the community outreach that he and the Grand Wailea Maui have done while being temporarily closed, and his hopes for the future of the restaurant industry. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media talks to elite waterman and professional athlete Zane Schweitzer..  In this podcast Zane talks about his families history in water sports, what it was like growing up on Maui surrounded by so much talent in the water, how the popularity of SUP opened up new opportunities for him, how he first realized a career as an athlete was possible, why he uses his platform to promote ocean conservation, why the topic of plastic pollution is so important to him, how he decided to ensure his sponsors support similar conservation practices, how we all have choices each day that can help make our planet a better place, what some of his challenges were early on for the business side of being a professional athlete and managing his own brand, his advice to kids who want to try a career in surfing or other water sports, his advice to parents who think their kid has potential to make a career out of water sports, his experience of flying when suddenly borders began closing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, how he’s dealing with travel restrictions in 2020 and adapting his brand in a time when contests have been cancelled for most of the year, and what it’s been like being featured on a new documentary featured on Netflix.  

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks to Jeremy Solyns of Nylos Restaurant in Paia.  In this podcast Jeremy talks about growing up in Ohio with a family that had a love for food, how that translated into his culinary style at Nylos, how he first got into cooking, how he ended up moving to Maui in 2007, what the past few months have been like as the owner of a fine dining restaurant, how he is looking to adapt in the meantime while the restaurant is temporarily closed, his hope for the future of Nylos Restaurant, the importance of the tourism economy to Maui businesses, and different scenarios he could see for the future of fine dining establishments. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks to Gunars Valkirs of Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate.  In this podcast Gunars talks about his career in biotechnology, how his parents were able to escape the war in Europe and come to the United States, his first job in biotech, his career that includes patents for major advances in biotech medicine, his hope for the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, an explanation of how that process works, the difference between GMO and biotech, why he started the Makana Aloha Foundation to make a difference in the Maui community, how Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate helps to grow the foundation, how Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate is a completely sustainable facility, the development of new chocolate releases, what makes Maui chocolate so unique, and how the past few months have affected Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate.