LIHU‘E — Friday lunch was special with award-winning food from Chef Mark Oyama of Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors Catering and the Hawaiian stylings of Pancho Graham, Manululu Dudoit and Pat Cockett of Kupaianaha. “This is the first Friday Pa‘ina,”
LIHU‘E — Friday lunch was special with award-winning food from Chef Mark Oyama of Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors Catering and the Hawaiian stylings of Pancho Graham, Manululu Dudoit and Pat Cockett of Kupaianaha.
“This is the first Friday Pa‘ina,” said Lyah Kama-Drake of the Kaua‘i Museum. “We had 50 invited guests, the capacity of the courtyard, come and try out this program which will start on the first Friday of each month, starting January 4.”
During the Friday Pa‘ina which runs from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., guests will be treated to the creations from Chef Oyama while enjoying live Hawaiian music by some of the island’s top entertainers.
“This was very relaxing,” said Sharon Sahara who discovered her lunch hour was ending too soon. “It’s a very nice way to end the week.”
Jane Gray, the Kaua‘i Museum executive director, joined the entertainers during the Friday pa‘ina, rendering “The Hawaiian Lullabye,” a tune composed by a father about her daughter who was afflicted by a disease and is currently on staff with the Easter Seals Hawai‘i after being helped by the organization.
Gray was joined by Kainani Viado of the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club where she reigns as the resort’s royalty during the annual May Day festivities. Viado did an ‘auana hula to Gray’s rendering of the lullabye talking about rainbows.
La‘a Almeida, the museum’s education specialist, also performed to a tune from the featured trio, adding to the flavor of the old-style pa‘ina.
Some of the guests attending the inaugural event included former mayor Maryanne Kusaka, the governor’s Kaua‘i liason Wanda Shibata, Kaua‘i County Council member Dickie Chang, representatives from the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, and a number of community organizations.
Reservations for the Friday Pa‘ina can be made by calling the Kaua‘i Museum at 245-6931.
The fee, including the lunch and entertainment, is $15 for adults and $8 for children between 5 through 10 years old.
“We need to have reservations,” Gray said. “The courtyard can only accomodate 50 people right now. We’ll see how it goes. If we have to expand, we’ll see.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
