january 2012 • keiki cover model

Happy New Year to Dawn and Craig Stephens’ ‘Ohana! Dawn works as a concierge at The Four Seasons Maui Resort in Wailea and Craig works as a Maui Police Officer for MPD. Their keiki and our cover models this month are Julia Anuhea, Joshua Nainoa and Justin Kainalu Stephens. Julia is in the fourth grade at Kahului School where she loves reading and PE, she also enjoys playing soccer. Joshua attends second grade at the same school where he enjoys math and art, for fun he loves to go body boarding. Justin is at Christ the King preschool and loves riding his bike, skateboard and scooter. Mom shares, “I love coming home after a busy day at work and getting greeted by my children with a shout ‘Mommy’s home!’ I get showered with big hugs and kisses from them and my heart melts and I feel so loved.” “My children have inspired me to enjoy life everyday, to be thankful for life and to not stress out too easily.”

kupanaha magic dinner theater at ka`anapali beach hotel: how’d he do that?

Kupanaha. It takes nine words in the English language to define this one, seemingly simple Hawaiian word: surprising, strange, wonderful, amazing, extraordinary, unaccountable, marvelous, astonishing situation. After experiencing a performance of this newly revamped magic dinner theater At Ka‘anapali Beach Hotel, my friend Steph and I agree: “That pretty much covers it!”

ruth’s chris steak house: setting the gold standard

The name may leave you wondering: Who’s Ruth? Who’s Chris? Whose restaurant is it anyway? But sink your teeth into one of their dry-aged prime cuts of corn-fed Midwestern beef and you’ll wonder no more—Ruth’s Chris is definitely the king (queen?) of steak houses.

There are two Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses on Maui: Front Street in Lahaina, and upstairs in The Shops at Wailea. My husband Charles and I have selected the Wailea location for this evening’s dinner. Both offer a hugely popular “Sizzlin’ Prime Time Menu” every evening between 5 and 6 p.m. Depending on your meat selection, the price is either $39.95 or $49.95 per person for a three-course meal. Entrée complements like bleu cheese crust or au poivre sauce, as well as dessert upgrades, are available.