One Busy Bee

No kids for me but do have a furbaby, Bevo. This year’s Hawaii Food & Wine Festival got the kids aka keiki involved and I think my nieces and nephews would have a good time at this event. Hell, even I did. Located at Whaler’s Village center in Ka’anapali, tables and booths were set up with activities for kids including making leis, art projects, meet and greet with the chefs and meeting Nerdy Nummies YouTube star Rosanna Pansino . There were two sessions of her instructing kids on how to make unicorn cupcakes. As for myself, my Bevo turned 10-years-old just before the HFWF and I decided to make him his own doggie cookies. I found an easy recipe online consisting of peanut butter, oats and bananas. All I needed was a cookie cutter. Like this One Busy Bee usually does, I got on my Amazon Prime account and looked for something cute. I found a packet of four cookie cutters including a Frenchie/Boston Terrier cutter. It was perfect! I had no idea I was going to be ...

On Media Day on Maui for the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival , I was hoping to meet some women chefs. I believe Chef Niki Nakayama of n/naka in Los Angeles was scheduled to be in attendance but I didn't get to interview her. With " Michelin 'Can't Do Anything' to Change Lack of Female Representation, Says Director " (Eater NY Oct. 31, 2017), I really wish I had. Representing Oahu, I was lucky to meet the Director of Mixology of SKY Waikiki and Top of Waikiki , Jennifer Ackrill. You San Francisco Bay Area readers may recognize her from her time at Rye. After being convinced by her husband, Jennifer is now on Oahu living it up. The Pennsylvania native knew a few of my colleagues. During a trip to check out the opening operations of a brewery in Waikiki that I was invited to while in Maui, my business partner suggested we go to the Top of Waikiki and see his friend, Jennifer. We enjoyed an amazing view and tasty cocktails on the deck of SKY Waikiki ,...

That Southern Hospitality is real! And you'll feel it the instant your eyes meet Chef Stephen Pyles from Dallas, a fifth generation Texan. I have a love for Texas. My dog is named Bevo after the Texas Longhorns and my favorite band is from San Angelo, Texas, the Los Lonely Boys . I just returned from visiting five cities in the South. I fell in love with Charleston. And you'll feel warm and welcomed when you sit across the table from Chef Pyles if you have the chance. I can still vividly remember his smile. Comfortable with sitting across from this talented chef on Media Day at the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival on Maui, we get to it. This is a man that has a weakness for travel. Inside I scream, " Me too !" Fellow Chef Wolfgang Puck also encouraged him, he says. Chef Pyles has opened 22 restaurants in five cities and has a new partnership with Delta Hotels by Marriott . His partnership with Benchmark Hospitality also has him running a culinary program. ...