Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks with chef Taylor Ponte & sales and marketing director (KBH) John White.  In this podcast Taylor talks about his reaction to winning the recently announced 2020 Maui No Ka Oi Magazine Chef of the Year award, his inspiration to get into cooking, the experience he had at UH Maui College, what he learned during his internship with chef Jonathan Mizukami, what he learned working with chef Jeff Scheer, what it was like being named Executive Chef at The Mill House, how the Chef's Table at The Mill House was conceived, his approach to constructing a menu, and his initial expectations for what the restaurant will be like when it's allowed to reopen. Diane also speaks with sales & marketing director John White (26:50) about the origins of Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, what the decision making process is like on when and how to reopen the property, how employees are helping with crafts that will be used in each renovated hotel room, how ownership decided to keep everyone on payroll during the stay at home order, why they moved their reopening date to July 1st, and how they've used this time for construction on a new oceanfront restaurant. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media talks sustainability in restaurants with Alexa Caskey & underwater photography with Dan Cesere.  In this podcast Alexa reacts to winning the 2020 Maui No Ka Oi Magazine Aipono Award for Most Sustainable Restaurant, discusses the inspiration to open Moku Roots, how she wanted to be a zero waste restaurant, how they creatively found ways to avoid using materials like plastic, the relationship between the restaurant and local farmers, the biggest challenge of opening Moku Roots, how the community instantly supported their vegan / vegetarian menu and zero waste model, what it's been like the past few months during the stay at home situation, what her expectations are for restaurants in the near future, and what her favorite dish is on the menu.  Jason also speaks to Dan Cesere (20:46) about underwater photography, how he and his brothers first got into scuba diving, why they moved to Maui in 2003, making the leap from dive instructors to full time artists at local art shows, how they adapted their approach to photography early on, taking the chance on opening a gallery on Maui, his favorite dive in Maui waters, what it's like working with a humpback whale research group here on Maui, how he and his brother film underwater video for global productions and how that has helped their approach to photography, their biggest challenge as a business, dealing with the stay at home order as an artist / art gallery on Maui, and Dan describes his favorite photo in the gallery.  

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks with chef Tylun Pang and chancellor Lui Hokoana. In this podcast Tylun talks about winning the first ever Aipono Award Chef of the Year in 2002, growing up on Oahu, his inspiration to begin cooking, some of his early jobs in the culinary industry, what shaped his inspiration for Kō, why it was important to him to incorporate so many different cultures in the menu, winning the Aipono Awards 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, why he created a scholarship for the culinary program at UH Maui College, the holiday menu he made for Maui No Ka Oi Magazine, his favorite dish on the Kō menu, why it's important to have an experience while dining, what it was like creating a cookbook, how he thinks dining could change and adapt in the near-future, who his mentor was, his advice for aspiring chefs, and how he's helping to create meal boxes for over a thousand furloughed employees of multiple resort properties.  Diane also speaks with UH Maui College chancellor Dr. Lui Hokoana (34:06) about growing up on Maui, why he wanted to get into education, what it was like becoming chancellor, how UH Maui college had to adapt during Covid-19, how the college continues to provide services for students, how they came to the decision to have a virtual commencement in June, how he thinks education could evolve after the stay at home situation ends, and what the campus could look like later this year during the fall semester. 

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media covers ocean science topics with Tapani Vuori & the importance of fitness with Lysha Kamisato Wernig.  In this podcast Tapani explains how the Maui Ocean Center came to be in 1998, how they help the water quality of Ma'alaea Harbor, the effort to incorporate Hawaiian culture throughout the aquarium, their focus on endemic species, why they started a non-profit to help with turtle conservation and educational outreach, what makes Ma'alaea a higher risk area for water quality, how they created the innovative Humpbacks of Hawaii experience, how they aim to be a sustainable aquarium, how they've adapted during the stay at home situation, how the waters are getting a break from heavy boat traffic during April & May, and why sustainable tourism is important for the future.  Jason also speaks to Lysha Kamisato Wernig (29:17) about her early introduction to fitness, why she used her Miss Maui platform to promote health & nutrition, how after being originally hesitant to try yoga it changed her life, the inspiration to start a fitness company on her own, what it was like becoming an ambassador for Lululemon, why fitness is so important during the stay at home order for physical and mental health, how virtual classes are opening the door for people to try new fitness genres, why she decided to offer free virtual classes on Maui during the stay at home situation, and her advice for people who haven't been able to be as active during this time. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks with chef Lee Anne Wong and farmer Manu Vinciguerra. In this podcast Lee Anne talks about what brought her from New York City to Hawaii, why she switched from pursuing a career in fashion to one in the culinary industry, what it was like being part of the first season of Bravo's Top Chef TV series, how she stayed on the series to help produce future seasons, how Top Chef paved the way for other cooking competition shows, how food-based television has influenced restaurants, what inspired her to open Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu, why she came from Oahu to Maui, what her vision is to revamp the restaurant at the Pioneer Inn on Maui, how she's using the stay-at-home time to prep for it's reopening, and what her expectations are for the immediate future of dining.  Diane also speaks with Manu Vinciguerra of Kumu Farms (24:08) about how she made her way from Italy to Hawaii, why she moved first to Molokai, what got her into farming with Kumu Farms, how she came from Molokai to Maui, the challenges of farming in Hawaii, why it's important to buy local, how Kumu Farms adapted to make more produce boxes during the Covid-19 situation, how the community has come out to support Kumu Farms and utilize their products in this time, the ways people can purchase and pick up produce at Kumu Farms, how Kumu Farms is donating food to different causes including current front line workers, and why she looks at this situation with an optimistic future.  

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media talks with Peter Merriman & Joey Macadangdang. In this podcast Peter talks about how he came to Hawaii in 1983 to be a cook, how he immediately fell in love with the local cuisine, what it was like opening his first restaurant, what brought him to Maui, the inspiration to open up Merriman's Kapalua, the important connection of agriculture to his restaurants, why he takes staff to meet farmers, why he started Monkeypod Kitchen, what the past month has been like during the stay at home situation, how his restaurants are helping furloughed employees, how current stimulus programs like the Payment Protection Program didn't fully consider the restaurant industry when distributing grants to businesses at this time, how an industry like airlines benefited substantially more than restaurant owners, and his outlook for the immediate future of the restaurant industry.  Jason also speaks with Chef/Owner Joey Macadangdang (26:58) on his early inspirations of cooking, how he moved from dishwasher to Executive Chef, the lessons he learned in the industry from his time at Roy's, his confidence to open Joey's Kitchen, the difference in his Ka'anapali location and his Napili location, how he'd define his flavors, how the Covid-19 situation has affected his business, why it's important for the community to support local, what it was like to receive the Friends of Agriculture award in 2019 at the Maui No Ka Oi Magazine Aipono Awards, what his expectations are for restaurants in the near-future, and his hope to open a new dining concept/location in late 2020. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks with dressmaker Jennifer Oberg & resort GM Michael Jokovich.  In this podcast Jennifer talks about her history as a dressmaker (atelier), her work in Hollywood for 10 years in the film and tv industry, her move to Maui in 2001, why she immediately decided to turn from making dresses to masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, how the community jumped in to help with logistics, how she's been able to mimic N95 masks and her goal to make 10,000 of them, and how people can help with fundraising or volunteering.  Diane also speaks with Michael Jokovich of the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort (14:40) about how he went from housekeeping manager in 1985 at the Hyatt to GM decades later, the difficult decision to close the resort during Covid-19, what the Hyatt and Andaz are doing to stay productive while closed, the expectations for visitor arrivals when travel ramps back up, how the Andaz helped with donations / food packages for colleagues, the biggest challenges during this shut down, and how the property has been kupuna in the community

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media talks with Shay Smith (one of the owners of Ocean  Vodka) & Michael Moore (one of the owners of Old Lahaina Luau).  In this podcast Shay talks about how Ocean Organic Vodka went from a family idea into a global business, what went into developing a quality product without experience in the industry, the challenges of getting Ocean Vodka on the shelves for people to purchase, the initial impact of Covid-19 to the business, how Ocean Vodka turned part of it's distillery into manufacturing 25,000 bottles of hand sanitizer that has been donated to the front lines of Maui's community, why it's important to buy local especially in challenging times, and how to contact Ocean Vodka for their new hand sanitizer. Jason also speaks with Michael Moore from the Old Lahaina Luau (17:07) about how Old Lahaina Luau started in 1986, the early challenges of starting a business, why they moved to their current location of Moalii, their decision to keep the luau as true to Hawaiian culture as possible, getting employees to believe in the vision of luau, the community involvement over the years of Old Lahaina Luau, what steps they had to take with Covid-19 and the difficulty of temporarily closing with so many employees, and how the future may dictate changes in their business. 

Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks with Chef Kyle Kawakami and farmer Monica Bogar.  In this podcast Kyle discusses his path from zoology into a culinary career, why he decided to launch a food truck (Maui Fresh Streatery), how he wanted his food truck to be connected to a community, his Aloha Tip Jar that helps people in need on Maui, how he's had to adapt his business with Covid-19 impacts, how he has stayed engaged helping the community during this time, his hope for the future, and he reflects on winning the Chef of the Year award in 2019 at the Maui No Ka Oi Magazine 'Aipono Awards. Diane also speaks with Monica Bogar of Napili Flo Farm (27:57) about her award winning locally made kimchi, how she started her microgreen farm and went chef to chef to grow her business, why she changed over to making kimchi, the health benefits of fermented products, and her advice for entrepreneurs. 

Maui No Ka Oi Magazine and SilverShark Media are proud to present a new Maui-based podcast beginning April 14th.  The podcast will feature interviews with community leaders, industry experts, and small business owners as they adapt and cope with unprecedented times on Maui.  We want this to be informative, insightful, and inspirational to listeners as we share stories of ways our island community is working together.  New podcast episodes will be released every Tuesday & Thursday beginning April 14th.