Some might say I am driven, an over achiever, goal motivated and inspired. What can I say, from middle school I was voted 'Most Likely To Succeed' and in High School I was voted 'Most Talented' by my peers. I've always had passion and with passion comes determination and with that comes pure drive to be the best. Once I set a goal I strive to reach and achieve it, once completed then I set a new one and so on. 
I remember when I graduated from college, I had achieved the honor of being Miss Hawaii, competed on the Miss America stage and was hired at KHON2 as a general assignment reporter. From there I set my sights on being dubbed an "Award-Winning Journalist" I also wanted to be a News Anchor one day. Well within one year I accomplished becoming the co-anchor of Wake Up 2day and the awards soon followed. With a few Society of Professional Journalist awards under my belt and a coveted Edward R. Murrow (along with being named the first Lin Media KHON2 Employee of the Year) I was on a roll. I had set out to accomplish these goals and it was time to move on. Once I left my job and started my own digital marketing and communications firm I also started freelance writing. From there I wrote for Frolic Hawaii, various blogs and websites, I helped write several TV shows/specials and most recently the Forbes Travel Guide. 

About a year after venturing on my own, one of the shows I helped write won a Telly Award, then this past year Lanai Tabura (known for Cooking Hawaiian Style, Food Network, and a popular radio/host) reached out to me to help with writing a show focused on the food alleyways in Osaka Japan. This was truly an honor because in 2018 Lanai and his team had won an Emmy for a similar show they did on Waikiki Yokocho's Ramen in Hawaii. It was a bit unconventional, as I had to research the restaurants they were visiting in Japan before they left Hawaii to shoot it. So essentially I was writing a show with content sight unseen. Overall, Lanai and his team (myself included) were nominated for 3 Northern California Area Emmy Awards. This is part of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences San Francisco Northern California Chapter, not to be confused for the daytime or primetime Emmy's that you see on TV. It is the same academy but this is focused on the regional nominees which included those in the northern pacific region. 

Anyway, when we received word that our show was nominated for an Emmy in the Lifestyle - Program/Special Category, we were ecstatic. The whole team (host, producers, director, editor and etc) opted to fly to San Francisco for the Gala event and Award Show. We stayed near the airport, ate till our hearts content and also saw a few sights while in town. I love SF, it's a great city and really has the best food in the country right now. The night of the Gala we made it to the SF Jazz center where they hosted your first glass from the bar, hand-passed pupus, people mingled and took photos. Once the awards began we shuffled into the center and the program commenced. Luckily our category was the very first to be announced. In the end we didn't win the actual trophy, but it was an immense honor to be there for my very first time and to nominated is truly a huge honor for me as well. I wasn't sad or disappointed at all.  Afterwards we enjoyed some light bites upstairs at the Jazz Center, went out to dinner then had an after-party in downtown. What a whirlwind! I am so grateful to be able to do what I love and also be recognized for my hard-work and dedication through the years - award or no... this has been an exceptional experience. Keep an eye out for more great things to come!

 I was recently invited to an event at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific. I didn't know what to expect, but thought the evening would include of course -- food! I arrived and found out there was some sort of cooking challenge and we were going to be separated into teams. I had hoped I was wasn't going to be cooking, because I wasn't prepared. But as luck would have it, I was placed on a team with a Chef de Cuisine (an actual student from KCC) to help us and given the task to whip up a 4-course family style dinner in one hour. I was surprised to learn that 2 out of my 3 teammates were not versed in the kitchen and while I've worked in restaurants from the age of 15-30, I was a server and never a cook. But this team building challenge helped us to quickly harness our skills, divide our assignments and truly learn patience, kindness and understanding as a whole. 

I volunteered to make the first course... a Lobster salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette, our second course was a freshly made Mushroom Risotto, main course was grilled Lamb & Asparagus and our dessert was a Chocolate Berry Tart. Time flew by, we needed help getting organized and our Chef that was assisting us was a lifesaver, he was amazingly kind, helpful and resourceful. He told us the first thing to do was to write a list of what we had and what we needed to do. Help was extremely essential to us completing our tasks and getting the food cooked on time, properly and deliciously. 

Overall, this team building experience was an exceptional time spent with some amazing people. I left with a new sense of respect for chefs, a better understanding of the challenges faced by those in the kitchen aiming to create tasty and nutritious meals, and made some new friends. The great thing about this program is it is something that anyone can sigh up for. This new event is actually a team building experience, similar to a ropes course or a bonding outing for co-workers, teams, groups, etc. 

"This innovative, hands-on program encourages groups to be actively engaged in a unique team building experience disguised as a culinary competition. Executive teams, command cadres, destination groups or any party that wants to take its organization to the next, higher performance level will find the culinary experience motivating and satisfying," Kapiolani CC staff said. 

After our meals were created, we sat down and ate the fruits of our labor together, the master chefs and instructors also gave us feedback and critiques, meanwhile we also thought about what we learned, how we worked as a team and what we gained from the experience. I highly recommend this activity for those seeking a creative, innovative and challenging yet fun opportunity to utilize your skills, embrace your inner obstacles and of course dine on homemade culinary gems. 

For more information - check out this link: ​https://continuinged.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/culinarium/