july • 2012 keiki cover model

Aloha to our July keiki cover model! We would like to introduce you to Lyric-Ann Ah Puck. Mom is Sherri-Ann Ah Puck, front desk agent at Aston Maui Banyan. Dad Frankie Ah Puck is a driver with The Limo Company, and is also a musician.

Lyric-Ann is five years old, and will begin kindergarten at Kihei Elementary School in August. She enjoys dancing and singing, and Grease 2 is her favorite movie. She has memorized all of the dance steps and songs!

Mom shares: “Lyric is very helpful; she loves to cook and is very helpful in the kitchen. Lyric is warm and loving, she can always put a smile on my face. On a bad day, she always reminds me that it will be okay.”

the plantation house restaurant in kapalua: gracious ambiance paired with exceptional cuisine

It was a dark and stormy night. No, really, it was—the kind of evening when you want to enjoy a satisfying meal while being warmed by a cozy fire. Fortunately, Janet and I are dining at one of only two restaurants on Maui that have a fireplace: The Plantation House in Kapalua.

With raindrops pelting Janet’s car, we’re grateful for the restaurant’s porte cochere so we won’t get drenched. Janet relinquishes her keys to the valet and we enter the large plantation-style building which, with its myriad white-cased windows, is reminiscent of days gone by. Indeed, as we stroll along the lengthy corridor leading to the restaurant itself, we feel as though we’re journeying back in time to the heyday of Maui’s plantation era.

leoda’s kitchen and pie shop: food like grandma used to make… only better

Situated on the Honoapi‘ilani Highway in Olowalu, Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop is like a roadhouse offering respite for weary travelers making their way to Lahaina. Okay, so it’s not that far, but you can still work up an appetite driving to the west side. And anyway, isn’t anytime the perfect time for pie?

The newest brainchild of Na Hoaloha Ekolu (“The Three Friends”), the company that also owns Old Lahaina Lu‘au, Aloha Mixed Plate, and Star Noodle, Leoda’s offers good ol’ home cooking in an old-timey atmosphere reminiscent of days gone by in Olowalu. The space that used to be occupied by Chez Paul has been completely transformed, with the help of Viking Construction, into an entirely unique new concept. “When Chez Paul closed, we felt it was a really exciting opportunity to establish a new destination eatery,” says Michael Moore, president of Na Hoaloha Ekolu. “We wanted to create a comfortable, homey atmosphere that feels both nostalgic and modern at the same time.”

concierge spotlight: andrea wallace, expedia concierge at aston ka‘anapali shores

The Maui Concierge would like to congratulate Andrea Wallace for her recent accolade from Expedia. She was nominated and won “Concierge of the Year” for all of the Expedia locations in the country, Congratulations Andrea!

—The Maui Concierge: How long have you been a concierge?

Andrea Wallace: I’ve been a concierge for almost six years.

—TMC: What made you choose this profession?

Andrea: A couple of Expedia concierges I know had always told me I would be perfect for this profession. I shadowed them at work one day and absolutely fell in love with the job. I knew right then this was my calling.