november • 2012 keiki cover model

Aloha to this month’s keiki cover girl, eight-year-old Namahina Kawabata. She is currently in the third grade at Maui Preparatory Academy in Napili, where her favorite subject is Performing Arts.

Mom is Nohealani Ralar, who works at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in sales and marketing, and is also a cheerleading coach at Lahainaluna High School. Dad is Kawika Kawabata, who works at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club in the valet department.

Namahina enjoys dancing hula because she was born into it! She is a member of the renowned and musical Farden family. Her mother dances and assists her grandmother, K. Holoaumoku Ralar, who is a Maui kumu hula for Napili Kai Foundation and Na Pua O Kapi‘olani Hula Studio.

Mom shares: “Namahina is my cherished gift. She amazes me with the enthusiasm for life… and keeps me on my toes! I know that she will continue to share our Hawaiian culture and the spirit of aloha!”

manoli’s pizza company: affordable, family-focused cuisine in wailea

In business school we learned the definition of marketing is “find a niche and fill it.” Maui restaurateur Aaron Placourakis of Tri-Star Restaurant Group rises to the head of the class with his new Manoli’s Pizza Company in Wailea, providing healthful and flavorful pizzas, salads, and pastas in a casual and affordable family-friendly environment.

Healthful pizza, you ask? You bet. Manoli’s pizzas are served on either a handcrafted organic wheat crust or a whole grain gluten-free crust (available only in the 12” size, and $2 extra). Maui grown ingredients like Kula Farm greens, Surfing Goat Dairy cheeses, Olowalu Carrots, and Hana avocados grace the menu. Sauces and dough are homemade from scratch. Even the wine list contains selections from vineyards that have made a commitment to production in a sustainable, organic, or biodynamic environment. Impressive!

going holoholo to lana`i (part 3 of 3): two great adventures

Lana‘i hasn’t been nicknamed “Hawai‘i’s Most Enticing Island” for nothing—there’s a lot to do, provided you’re willing to tear yourself away from the beach, swimming pool, and golf course for awhile and go off the beaten path. My gal pal Janet and I participated in two interesting and highly entertaining adventures during our recent stay on Lana‘i.