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The ownership of Michel’s at the Colony Surf appears heading for change.
“We are entertaining an offer,” said D.G. “Andy” Anderson, businessman and former lawmaker. Bound by the terms of a confidentiality agreement, he could not divulge further details.
The French restaurant at the Diamond Head end of Waikiki Beach “has been inspiring romance since 1962,” according to its website. It has been owned since 1996 by a partnership involving Anderson and Robert Iwamoto Jr., according to state business registration records.
The beachfront restaurant initially was built by the developer of the Colony Surf Hotel, which has since converted to condominiums.
State to reconsider Manoa tourist attraction
A landowner is making another attempt to revive an expired state permit to develop a new tourist attraction at the former Paradise Park property in Manoa.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources is being asked to consider whether Paradise Park Exchange LLC should be granted a contested case hearing over a decision the board made in May to not extend a permit for developing a Hawaiian cultural attraction that includes hula shows and botanical gardens.
BLNR is scheduled to discuss and act on the request at a meeting Friday that begins 9 a.m. in Conference Room 132 at 1151 Punchbowl St. A staff report from the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands at the Department of Land and Natural Resources recommends denying the request.
Paradise Park Exchange, led by Darryl Wong, is seeking the hearing in part because it claims a lawyer representing the company failed to tell the company about the permit approval that included a one-year deadline to start work. The permit was granted in October 2014 and expired a year later. Paradise Park Exchange said it learned about the approval in March 2015 and didn’t have enough time to start work. BLNR said the company needed to seek a new permit that would involve public hearings and possibly a requirement to produce an environmental impact statement.
ON THE MOVE
Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has hired Christopher Lederer as executive sous-chef for its Black Rock Kitchen restaurant and other dining establishments. He was previously sous-chef at Trump International Hotel Waikiki and held positions at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Ireland, and for Roy’s in Waikiki and Hawaii Kai.
Kaiser Permanente has appointed James Preusser as the new director of employee and labor relations for the region in Hawaii. He spent 18 years with Walt Disney Co. where he served in many departments, including labor relations, consumer products, labor management, merchandise operations and workforce recruitment. Preusser then joined Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California region, serving as a senior labor relations consultant in 2013 as well as a regional manager of labor relations in 2015.
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