Featured Professionals
Cross-Cultural Feasts
By :: Martha Cheng| Photo by :: Dave Miyamoto The Ko‘olau Ballrooms’ menu—as expansive as the 240- acre grounds beside the lush Ko‘olau mountains—offers a glimpse of chef Jim Gillespie’s culinary scope. From Chinese-style steamed mahimahi to beef Bordelaise and five-spice roast chicken; from ice sculptures to wedding cakes, it’s all produced under the exacting eye of Gillespie, who helms the kitchen. But he’s loath to pigeonhole himself into a particular style; what gets him excited is sitting down with people and creating unique menus tailored to their event, whether a small destination wedding for thirty or a gala fête for 300, whether plated courses or buffet. Click here to read the complete article
A Heart For Art
Kimi Morton Chun
By :: Catherine E. Toth | Photo by :: Dave Miyamoto
Kimi Morton Chun always loved to clean and organize her room. The thing is, though, she’d mess it up on purpose just to put it back together again.
“I like to make order out of chaos,” says Kimi, 34. “That totally appeals to me.” So when her mother-in-law, local artist Peggy Chun, asked her to help with her business after she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease—in 2002, it couldn’t have been a more perfect fit.
Click here to read the complete article Business That Keeps On Blooming
Terrie Easley and Jill Easley Allen of Terrie Easley Designs
By :: Rebecca Cummings | Photo by :: Dave Miyamoto
A natural artist, Terrie Easley designed the floral arrangements at her own wedding years before she had any inkling she’d build a career doing just that. Even though she had no prior experience working with flowers, Terrie created unique, bold flower and color combinations; over the years her drive, attention to detail, and commitment to her brides helped her establish one of Hawai‘i’s premier wedding and event floral design companies.
Click here to read the complete article Sweet Success
Catching Up With Young Professionals Rick and Sasha Reichart of cakelava
Photo By:: Dave Miyamoto
It’s been a whirlwind few years for cakelava since our 2007 Young Professional feature in Pacific Edge Magazine. 2007 was a pivotal year when we started gaining national attention for our custom cake designs. Shortly after our Young Professional feature ran, Rick’s all-bamboo wedding cake was named “Best Cake in Hawai‘i” by People magazine. That same year Food Network contacted us to compete on their show, “Challenge.” We unfortunately couldn’t get away at the time, but we created a continuing relationship with Food Network.
Click here to read the complete article Taking On the Fizz Biz
Introducing A New Way To Experience The Flavors Of Hawai’i
By :: Lauren Kawana | Photos By :: Dave Miyamoto
Jason and Karen Campbell are small-time, big-time entrepreneurs. Small in that the two of them alone built their business for six years before they hired their first employee last October. Big in that they are expanding more quickly than ever, with a multitude of opportunities at their fingertips and big dreams in the soda-pop pipeline. The Campbells established
Click here to read the complete article Cooking For A Community
Mark Oyama
By :: Joan Conrow | Photo by :: Sara Wall
Mark Oyama never suffered the angst of trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up. As a fifth grader, he was already spending his summer vacations watching cooking shows and trying to master the art of cracking an egg with one hand—an exercise that had him eating four or five eggs some mornings because, he recalls, “I wanted to perfect it.” Oyama parlayed his love of cooking into two successful businesses— Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors Catering—and three concurrent careers as a restaurateur, caterer and co-coordinator of the Kaua‘i Community College Culinary Arts Department, where he’s been teaching novice chefs for seventeen years.
Click here to read the complete article From Puppy Love To Business Success
Starr Sutherland
By :: Rebecca Cummings | Photo by :: Dave Miyamoto
Fresh out of college and trying to figure out a career path, Starr Sutherland realized that her dream job would consist of two things: working for herself and having her dogs with her. In 2004, when she started Pets in the City, a doggie daycare service located on Young Street in Honolulu, she created a job in which she does both. The 28-year-old owner of six dogs and three cats has fused her love of animals with her entrepreneurial spirit to create a successful business that she finds both rewarding and exciting. “There is honestly not a ‘worst part’ about my job,” says Starr. “It’s why I’m excited to get out of bed every day!”
Click here to read the complete article Custom Couture
Elisha Rinaldo
By :: Pamela Varma Brown | Photo by :: Sara Wall
Kaua‘i designer Elisha Rinaldo has always had an eye for style, proportion, and beautiful clothing—as well as a passion for the radiance of well-dressed women.
“When women are confident about how they look, they just glow with that confidence,” she says. “The joy of designing is seeing my customers smile because of how beautiful they feel.”
Click here to read the complete article
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