Maui’s Da Kitchen is Back (Sort Of)

Shuttered by the pandemic, Da Kitchen, Maui’s popular restaurant serving local comfort food, has reappeared in Kīhei, along with its signature, heaping plates of chicken katsu and kalbi ribs.

Read the full story (with photos) at HawaiiMagazine.com.

4 Ways to Repurpose Your Best Content

Thursday Night Soup.

It’s a recipe with working-class roots. When blue-collar workers, typically paid on Friday, would struggle to feed their families on Thursday night, it was common to simply make a soup from whatever leftovers could be found.

The dish is a lesson in making the most of one’s assets. In the digital era, one of a brand’s most valuable assets is its content.

Though originally written with hospitality teams in mind, I think there are some good takeaways in this piece for all content teams.

Marketing teams spend a great deal of time crafting original content, and with good reason. A strong content marketing strategy is proven to boost SEO, spur engagement and, ultimately, drive direct bookings.

With so much time is spent in the kitchen, it only makes sense to maximize the value of original content and avoid waste in content strategy.

Ready to get cookin’? Click here to read four recipes for repurposing your best content (via ScreenPilot.com).

Live from the Lobby

Live streaming seems poised for its breakout year, and the maturation of Facebook Live may be the game changer.

Thus far, beauty and auto brands have led the live streaming charge, but as hotel management teams seek innovative ways to engage online and personalize the conversation, broadcast via Facebook Live seems ready-made for exploration.

The case for hotels to consider live broadcast - with industry examples, data and more - read my piece at ScreenPilot.com.

Fruit from a Withering Vine

Upon learning of Vine's impending shutdown, I wrote down a few thoughts on what this means for the state of marketing.

Read the big lesson that hotel teams ... and really all marketing teams ... can learn from the demise of Vine.

How the flavor of fall can inspire hotel teams & evolve social engagement

As off-site content such as social media plays an increasing role in SEO rankings, and with at least 30% to 35% of hotel website revenue generated as a direct result of organic search engine referrals to the hotel website, executing a robust, strategic content strategy is more critical than ever.

Click here to learn how the flavor of fall can inspire hotel teams and evolve social engagement.

5 Ways Wordsmithery Will Benefit Your Brand

If content is king, then the wordsmith is the kingmaker.

Roughly nine out of 10 marketers today are content marketing according to the Content Marketing Institute, and that’s regardless of company size or industry.

Of course this isn’t news to most, but it’s precisely because so many competitors implement a rich content strategy that it’s more important than ever for a brand’s storytelling to stand out.

Enter the wordsmith.

What exactly is a "wordsmith?" Who really needs one?

Click here to read five specific reasons brands are embracing wordsmithery.

Minit Stop TV Spot: Which Came First?

Script + Storyboard

Client: Minit Stop

Medium: Television (:30)

Final Produced Spot

Young Professional Profile: Garrett Morerro, Founder/Owner Maui Brewing Co.

Click here to read the full story from the April/May/June 2012 edition of Pacific Edge Magazine.

Hawaii Republican Caucuses 2012: Kahului, Maui

Spirit of the night belonged to Romney, Paul, with little visible support for Gingrich, Santorum

by Todd A. Vines - Civic Beat (Honolulu)
photo by Nathan Eagle

KAHULUI, MAUI — It was a crisp, starry evening in Kahului for the state’s first-of-its-kind GOP caucus.

A dozen Maui residents arrived at Grace Bible Church in Kahului prior to the start of voting, several engaging in civilized, if passionate, debates on the merits of party nominees.

When the polls opened at 6 p.m., voters began to file in. By 6:40 p.m. there was no wait to show identification and begin the voting process, but a fairly steady stream of optimistic voters came and went until the polls closed.

The spirit of the night clearly belonged to Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, with little visible support for Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum.

Orion “Ori” Kopelman, a 50-year-old management consultant who ran for mayor of Maui County in 2010, came the closest to supporting Gingrich, saying he believed the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives was the smartest candidate on the ballot, but came with too much baggage. Ultimately he voted for Romney.

“Having been in business for 25 years, I prefer someone with a business background,” said Kopelman. “I think Romney will make a good chief executive of our country.”

While the crowd skewed older, it was peppered with voters in their 30s and a few young families with toddlers in tow.

Sean Housman, a 35-year-old pastor who served as a poll watcher for Ron Paul, suggested there was a renewed energy within the party as he spoke of his support for the Texas representative.

“I’ve never been passionate about politics, but Ron Paul woke me up,” said Housman. “I’m voting for someone I believe in. Things have to be different, or it’s going to be the sinking of the GOP.”

For full online story, click here.

Vacations Hawaii at 60

The Honolulu travel agency brought 85,000 Hawaii residents to Las Vegas last year, and they keep coming back with more

by Todd A. Vines - Kama'aina Magazine (Spring 2012)

Most people get a bouquet of black balloons when they turn sixty. Vacations Hawaii got a pair of Boeing 767s.

The Honolulu travel agency that has become synonymous throughout Hawaii with affordable Las Vegas vacation packages celebrates six decades of service this year. And while most of us begin to slow down at sixty, Vacations Hawaii only appears to be stepping up its active schedule.

The full-service retail and wholesale travel agency began offering tour packages in 1952 out of a modest shop on Beachwalk Avenue in Waikiki under the name “Lea Lea Tours.” In 1995, the company was acquired by Boyd Gaming, the fifth-largest gaming company in the US, and within six months began offering twice-weekly, discounted, non-stop charter service to Las Vegas, with exclusive packages at Main Street Station, the Fremont Hotel and Casino, California Hotel and Casino, and Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall.

Today, six round-trip schedules run each week, ferrying around 85,000 Hawaii residents to the state's "ninth island" each year.

CONT.

* FULL STORY IN THE SPRING EDITION OF KAMA'AINA MAGAZINE

Natural Selection

Maui’s signature farm-to-table experience offers a taste of the future

by Todd A. Vines - Edible Hawaiian Islands (Spring 2008)

To use the vernacular of the islands, James McDonald was “stoked.”

The executive chef at Maui’s award winning I’O and Pacific’O restaurants was contemplating what to sow next at O’o Farm, a diversified organic wonderland established in Maui’s rural Waipoli neighborhood to provide for his popular Lahaina establishments.

“I’m always excited when I open up the seed catalogues and start looking for different things to grow,” said McDonald, a Philadelphia native who has been crafting in Hawai’i kitchens for almost 30 years. “It’s a little akin to reading a Playboy. I’ll leave it at that.”

The arrangement is one few chefs anywhere enjoy; eight acres of virgin soil at Maui’s fertile 4,000-foot elevation planted to stock the kitchen; entrepreneurial partners such as restaurateurs Louis Coulombe and Stephan Bel-Robert; a celebrated venue to showcase, quite literally, the fruits of team’s labor.

The private venture is the first of its kind in the state, operating for the sole purpose of supplying the restaurants. A dense wattle forest when it was acquired in 2000, the land has since been turned into a major source of the restaurant’s daily necessities; herbs, fruits and vegetables, including a myriad of leafy greens totaling some 200 pounds – or about 80 percent of the restaurants’ needs – each week.

“My chefs and I are constantly changing dishes in order to incorporate all of the fun items we grow,” said McDonald. But this more than just your average vegetable patch.

The minds behind O’o have managed to infuse island farming with a sense of romance, opening the operation’s doors to visitors seeking a new way to connect with the land of sand and sun. Weekly interactive farm tours began in early 2007 and have proven so popular a second tour was added earlier this year. One need not be a foodie to take something away from the experience. Groups are kept relatively small – rarely more than 20 people – allowing for a personalized excursion where guests can pick, peel and sample exotic edibles in a stunning, Upcountry setting. The two-and-a-half hour culinary safari culminates with a gourmet lunch of fresh fish and farm vegetables, most of which are attached to the earth until just minutes before the meal.

The farm’s simple moniker – which means to “mature or ripen" in Hawaiian – is revealing. Not only does it capture the ethos of the farm, but its place on the forefront of one of the hottest travel trends in the Aloha State.

A Growing Industry

While agricultural or “ag” tourism is one of Hawai’i’s fastest growing niche markets, it’s far from a new concept. Encompassing a broad range of farm- and ranch-related activity, from tours to meals to actual accommodations, some small operations have been supplementing their income with the practice for decades.

While agtourism remains small potatoes on the enormous platter that is Hawai’i’s $12 billion tourism industry, recent numbers show clear signs of growth. Agricultural tourism-related activity in Hawai’i was valued at $38.8 million for 2006 according to the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Statistics Service Hawai’i Field Office, a 14 percent jump from the $33.9 million reported in 2003.

CONT .

* FULL STORY IN THE SPRING EDITION OF EDIBLE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Nightmare on Front Street

The scary politics behind the fight over Lahaina Town's annual Halloween celebration

by Todd A. Vines - MauiTime Weekly

Halloween is safe, at least for another year. Ghosts and goblins of all ages and races will again pack Front Street this Halloween. Friends will gather, music will play, and the festivity in Lahaina will last into the night.But there's a trick to enjoying this year's treats.

The event will be under closer scrutiny than ever before, as voices from the Native Hawaiian community have pegged the annual observance as culturally offensive and disrespectful of the town's heritage. If the event's opponents have their way, historic Lahaina will become a ghost town on Halloween.

For full online story click here.

Concert review; Matisyahu

Fans treated to the inspired sounds of Matisyahu, Citizen Cope

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 09:54:11 pm HST

In an America that votes for its idols and praises all things pop, it’s good to know there’s still room for true talent and originality.

Thursday’s Matisyahu show was a showcase unlike any the island has seen in some time. Nearly 2,500 people turned out for the outdoor show on the Kaua‘i Community College campus. Light showers threatened early but couldn’t dampen the excitement of the eclectic crowd.

For full online story click here.

Wilson and Nolte enlist in ‘Tropic Thunder’

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Isalnd
Posted: Thursday, Jun 21, 2007 - 11:06:59 pm HST

Hundreds of Kaua‘i residents have already been picked to be part of the big-budget comedy “Tropic Thunder,” soon to begin production on the island, but more extras are needed, said extras casting director DeeDee Rickets.

Rickets said there are still hundreds of roles to fill depicting a wide range of ethnic backgrounds for the DreamWorks Pictures project.

For full online story click here.

‘Thunder’ rolls on; another call for extras

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 - 09:58:55 pm HST

Ben Tangalin doesn’t know much about Ben Stiller. In fact Tangalin, the 82-year-old Kapahi resident, knows almost nothing about the Hollywood mega-star.

“To tell you the truth, the name is very foreign to me,” Tangalin said.

The two, however, may very well share more than a name in the near future. The two may share some screen time.

For full online story click here.

Feel the ‘Tropic Thunder’

Ben Stiller comedy to film on Kauai this summer

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Thursday, May 03, 2007 - 10:39:26 pm HST

Kaua‘i is again ready for its close-up.

DreamWorks Pictures and Red Hour Films will bring production of the big-budget comedy “Tropic Thunder” to the Garden Isle this summer. The film, starring Hollywood heavyweights Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. will be the first major studio production shot on Kaua‘i in more than five years.

For full online story click here.

Superweed; part I

‘Superweed’ strikes at heart of watershed

by Todd A. Vines - the garden island
Posted: Wednesday, May 09, 2007 - 10:00:19 pm HST

War has been declared. And the Australian tree fern is the enemy.

Local officials have begun battling the lanky, invasive plant, which they say threatens to push out Kaua‘i’s native vegetation and wreak havoc on the watershed.

For full online story click here.

Superweed; part II

Eradicating ‘superweed’ is an information war

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Thursday, May 10, 2007 - 09:40:53 pm HST

In addition to combating the invasive Australian tree fern using herbicides, an information war has been launched.

For full online story click here.

Microchips help recover pets

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Friday, May 11, 2007 - 09:51:57 pm HST

Lola was gone.

The calico cat had wandered away from the Kalihiwai home of its owner, Dr. Fahy Bailey. Days passed, then months, but there was no sign of Lola.

“I searched and searched but couldn’t find her,” Bailey said. “I assumed she had been hurt by pigs.”

Last week, more than a year-and-a-half after Lola disappeared, Bailey received a phone call from visitors staying at Hanalei Bay Resort, who had recently been caring for a feral calico cat.

For full online story click here.

Student helps pick state quarter

Kapa‘a student contributes more than two cents on state quarter

by Todd A. Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Monday, May 07, 2007 - 09:36:28 pm HST

When the United States Mint introduced the first coins of the “50 States Commemorative Coin Program” in 1999, local student Malia Hitch began to collect them. She had no idea that a few years later she’d be a part of the process to design the coin that would represent her home state.

For full online story click here.

It's about time

Kaua‘i watches set for world stage

by Todd A. Vines - Honolulu Advertiser/The Garden Island
Posted: Saturday, Apr 07, 2007 - 10:31:33 pm HST

Hawai‘i’s only watch label is about to get some face time with the big boys.

Research-scientist-turned-watch-designer Dr. John Patterson flies to Switzerland today to exhibit his Bathys Hawai‘i Watch Company creations at Baselworld, the watch and jewelry industry’s largest trade show. The watches will be on display alongside such iconic brands as Omega, TAG Heuer and Rolex.

For full online story in the Honolulu Advertiser click here.

Ka Loko; One year later

Visitor industry weathered storm

by Todd A. Vines - The GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Wednesday, Mar 14, 2007 - 08:38:11 am HST

When the Ka Loko dam failed in the pre-dawn hours of March 14, 2006, its waters damaged a 100-yard stretch of Kuhio Highway spanning the Wailapa Stream valley, severing the island.

Along with residents, hundreds of visitors became stranded on the North Shore while hundreds of others with plans to stay in Kilauea and points west were already en route to the Garden Isle.

For full online story click here.

KIUC profile; Carol Bain

Carol Bain wants to help KIUC generate trust, lower bills

by Todd Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Wednesday, Mar 07, 2007 - 10:20:14 pm HST

Ask Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors candidate Carol Bain where the board should focus its energy and she’ll answer passionately — renewable resources and more open governance.

For full online story click here.

She's so Ono

Starlet brings model behavior

by Todd A. Vines
Posted: Saturday, Feb 17, 2007 - 10:29:30 pm HST

Like many first-time visitors to Kaua‘i, Mayumi Ono was curious about the chickens.

As a make-up artist prepared the model from Japan for her morning photo shoot, she asked about the island’s omnipresent fowl.

For full online story click here.

Public radio thrives in paradise and beyond

by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006 - 10:09:43 pm HST

Old-school rockers, earthy hippies, surfer dudes, island activists, green thumbs, jazz cats and more.

What do you get when you jam a multifarious selection of information and ear candy into a single spot on the radio dial? You get Kaua‘i Community Radio, better known by the call letters KKCR.

For full online story click here.

Laird Hamilton; Crossing for a cause

by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006 - 10:09:25 pm HST

It was almost midnight when the duo set out. While sunburned tourists were settling their bar tabs in Waikiki, Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama were leaving O‘ahu’s North Shore atop a 16-foot surf board, stand-up paddling across the dark ocean surface.

When the team had originally planned the 79-mile trip from Ka‘ena Point on O‘ahu to Kalapaki Bay on Kaua‘i, they had anticipated that the tradewinds would hasten their journey, but instead Kona winds threatened to blow the budding expedition back to where it started.

For full online story click here.

Year in review; Grand theft

Aloha means goodbye for PGA
by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Saturday, Dec 30, 2006 - 11:20:43 pm HST

In early December, the Professional Golfers Association announced that The PGA Grand Slam of Golf tournament would be moving to the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda after 13 consecutive years on Kaua‘i.

For full online story (no graphics) click here.

Smooth sailing in Fiji ...

... despite chilly political climate

by Todd A. Vines
Posted: Saturday, Dec 02, 2006 - 10:59:31 pm HST

We were already in Fiji when the scuttlebutt began.

The lengthy stand-off between Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and military chief Cmdr. Frank Bainimarama was getting uglier by the day, and the media had begun to kick around that unsettling four-letter word — coup.

For full online story (no graphics) click here.

Kaua‘i Taro Festival

by Todd A. Vines
Posted: Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006 - 10:50:32 pm HST

The patchwork of taro that canvases the floor of Hanalei Valley is one of the most photographed scenes on Kaua‘i. But the lo‘i landscape provides more than just a pretty picture.

The land gives life to a significant portion of the state’s taro crop, making it a fitting home for the Kaua‘i Taro Festival.

For full online story click here.

Grand Slam gone; Bermuda to host

by Charlotte Woolard and Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Wednesday, Dec 06, 2006 - 10:11:51 pm HST

Bermuda has lured the Grand Slam of Golf to its shores, ending the event’s 13-year stint at the Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course, the Professional Golf Association announced yesterday.

The 36-hole, season-ending showcase will pit the winners of the season’s four major tournaments against one another next year at The Mid Ocean Club and The Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda.

For full online story (no graphics) click here.

Who’s who at the 2006 Grand Slam

by Todd Vines and Ford Gunter - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Sunday, Nov 19, 2006 - 09:46:44 pm HST

As the 2006 PGA Grand Slam of Golf prepares to tee it up at the Poipu Bay Golf Course this week, the oft-overlooked Garden Isle will — for a few days, at least — return to the national spotlight.

Here’s a look at who’s coming to dinner.

For full online story click here.

Grand finale?

Aloha may mean goodbye for Grand Slam on Kaua‘i

By Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Friday, Oct 13, 2006 - 10:23:31 am HST

Golf fans may need a passport to enjoy next year’s PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

At a press conference Tuesday, Bermuda’s Tourism Minister Ewart Brown strongly indicated that the Professional Golfers’ Association is going to move the annual Grand Slam event from the mid-Pacific to the mid-Atlantic next year.

For full online story click here.

Tattourism

For vacation memories that last, travelers think ink

by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Thursday, Oct 05, 2006 - 10:48:01 pm HST

Russ and Adriene Partanen are like thousands of thirty-something couples who visit Kaua‘i each year. They came for the snorkeling, sunshine and tropical setting, but the Sacramento, Calif. couple left with more than a suntan and mai tai memories. Russ, a claims adjuster, now sports a red and black Hawaiian fish hook tattoo on his calf. Adriene, a finance manager, now wears a wave, sun and honu, or turtle, on her back.

“We’ve wanted to get island-themed tattoos for a long time,” Adriene said. “Why not get them done on an island?”

The Partanens are among a growing group of travelers who chose to get their body art done abroad. These “tattourists” say that it’s the perfect souvenir to mark their trip.

For full online story click here.

Positive vibrations shake the Garden Isle

by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Thursday, Sep 07, 2006 - 11:37:12 pm HST

Don’t call it a comeback.

After seven years out of the spotlight and away from the stage, internationally renowned reggae artist Pato Banton is hitting the road and bringing his positive vibrations to the Garden Isle.

For full online story click here.

Beat the heat, find golf deals

Desert golf is cheap in the summer, but prepare for high temps

By Todd A. Vines, Staff Writer - WorldGolf.com (TravelGolf.com/GolfArizona.com)

It’s summer in the Sonoran Desert. Well before noon the thermometer will display triple digits. Regardless, thousands of people will head out across the hottest desert in North America and spend a sweltering four hours under the Sonoran sun, all in the name of golf.

Are they nuts?

For full online story click here.

Mo's art

Local artist brushes beyond disability with boundless spirit

By Todd A. Vines and Lanaly Cabalo

Posted: Friday, Aug 25, 2006 - 12:36:09 pm HST

It’s a bold, colorful piece. The subject of the painting, a burley kane in traditional dress, turns his heavy eyes mauka, and the slightest bit of azure reflects in the windows to his soul. His left hand is wrapped firmly around an ipu, as if he could launch out into a moving mele at any moment.

It’s a piece that grabs your attention. It only becomes more compelling to know that the artist painted it with his mouth.

Moses Hamilton has been a quadriplegic for almost four years but has learned to take his experience and turn it into an opportunity to focus on his artwork.

For full online story click here.

A trip back in time

Lynx delivers lucky few on the breeze

by Todd Vines - The Garden Island
Posted: Saturday, Aug 12, 2006 - 04:31:40 pm HST

The booming voices from the deck of the topsail schooner Lynx lent an air of authenticity to a traveler in time not seen often in the waters off Kaua‘i.

“Haul away, ye scurvy dogs!”

The growl came from Christopher Trundell, an experienced seaman poised on the bow of the tall ship Lynx. The sail was ready to come down, and it was Natalie Craig, a business major at California Polytechnic State University, Trundell had recruited to assist.Craig grimaced and worked the lines as ordered, but later admitted she probably wouldn’t have made the best 19th century privateer.

“I wouldn’t make the cut,” said Craig. “I got blisters on my hand.”

For full online story click here.

Sunshine market

Visitors discover what it’s like to get fresh

by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Wednesday, Aug 09, 2006 - 09:56:57 pm HST

KOLOA — Apparently locals aren’t the only ones who like to get fresh.

Kaua‘i kama‘aina have long known that the widest selection and best prices on local produce are found at the island’s sunshine markets, but more and more visitors are taking notice as well.

For full online story click here.

Hola Buenos Aires

Visitors head south to eat, drink and be bueno
by Todd A. Vines - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Posted: Saturday, Jun 24, 2006 - 11:18:37 pm HST
I was running late. The bus was threatening to leave me behind, but it was doubtful I could make it through my first full day of exploring Buenos Aires without an early jolt from a cup of joe.
“Un café, por favor?” I asked the young porteño (the name given to residents of Argentina’s capital city) behind the counter at the Florida Street café. “And I need it to-go, please.”
She offered a look of genuine confusion. I knew my Spanish was weak, so I asked again. The woman still seemed perplexed.
I then realized that it wasn’t my Spanish she couldn’t understand, but my request. The café simply wasn’t prepared to serve drinks on the fly.
For full online story (no graphics) click here.