Gail Ann Chew, the face of the Hawaii Restaurant Association for nearly eight years, is wrapping up her tenure with the Sept. 19 annual Hall of Fame gala, which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hawaii Regional Cuisine Inc.
At the gala the HRC founders will be inducted as Hall-of-Famers, and most of the 12 chefs — who put Hawaii’s flavors, farm-to-table ethic and the issue of sustainability on the map — will be present. That night 10 other chefs from the islands will cook.
Chew is the new executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Hawaii Chapter.
"It felt right, it felt like it was time," she told "TheBuzz." Chew wants to "try and make a difference" and will take her "networks and relationships and things I’ve learned and put them to good use at JDRF," she said.
The Hawaii Restaurant Association had 92 members when Chew took the helm. It now has nearly 700. Prior to working at the HRA, Chew was with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau for 17 years and was vice president of strategic partnerships and marketing when she left in 2004.
Chew believes the HRA has responded to the needs of restaurant owners with help such as arranging health care, dental care, workers’ compensation "and our new partnership with Phillips." Light bulb maker Philips Electronics NV will assess energy use in HRA members’ restaurants and help increase lighting and other efficiencies to save money. She credits HRA business benefits program manager Alan Hoki for hard work in vetting the benefits offers the organization receives regularly.
In 2008, in conjunction with Nevada-based VibeWare LLC, HRA established MyAlohaVibe.com, a Web portal where member restaurants can post menus, specials, photos and other information for free, as many are smaller operators who might not otherwise have a presence online.
"I know the organization was created to protect the interests of and serve the interests of its members, but that doesn’t mean just lobbying and regs (regulations)," Chew said. "It means ‘help me stay in business, help me do my business better or be better at my business and be more efficient,’" because "‘if I can’t keep my doors open, what does everything else mean?’"
"I’d like to think that I contributed something," Chew said, adding, "I won’t ever really wander far from this. … It’s a truly great community of people who are involved with the restaurant industry."
This would clearly indicate that JDRF Hawaii will have some tasty fundraising events in the future.
"I want to bring whatever resources and networks I have to help them, because all the research and support comes back. One day people are going to be able to know why (type 1 diabetes) happens, and there’s going to be a cure."
Midori-dori goes big
Hawaii-based Midori-dori fabric gift wrap will exhibit at the San Francisco International Gift Fair, a trade expo, Saturday through Tuesday.
The patent-pending wrap with attached sheer bow debuted at the Made in Hawaii Festival in 2009, and SFIGF is its first out-of-state trade show, said founder Stacy Uyehara. She has resellers in far-flung places around the globe, including the Netherlands, but is zooming in her focus on the West Coast given the eco-focus in the region. "Hopefully next year I’ll go to the East Coast," she said.
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On the Net:
» www.midori-dori.com
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Reach Erika Engle at erika@staradvertiser.com.
