Philip "Ippy" Aiona, 23, of Waimea on Hawaii island, will be one of 15 contestants on "Food Network Star" beginning May 13 in New York.
Aiona grew up working in his dad’s Hawaiian plate-lunch restaurant and now is executive chef at his mom’s Italian restaurant, so he’s ready for his close-up to share his culinary skills. He combines Pacific ingredients with European tradition and is inspired by his family eateries and his training at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco.
Food Network’s Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and Alton Brown will mentor the future celebrity chefs through the July 22 finale. …
UKULELE TYKE: Aidan James, now 10, is a bespectacled ukulele sensation with roots in Roy Sakuma‘s Ukulele Studios since he was 4. He used to be Aidan Laprete, son of "Hawaii Five-0" production supervisor Angela Laprete,then Aidan Powell, taking his dad’s surname. But he’s opted to update his handle (first and middle names) and his image, sporting a Mohawk ‘do.
Aidan was featured when Hawaiian Airlines launched its Fukuoka service, playing at inaugural festivities where he discovered "unreal ramen," and he earlier joined Hapa (Barry Flanagan and Ron Kuala‘au) in January when Hawaiian Air flew them to JFK to announce the carrier’s partnership with JetBlue Airways.
Aidan also toured with Hapa this spring to the Pacific Northwest and was a hit at the Aladdin Theater and the Shedd Institute for the Arts in Oregon. "Aidan did just what we expected — he brought the house down," said Flanagan.
Aidan played in Hard Rock Cafe’s "Youth on Stage" event one recent Sunday, and Alex O’Loughlin was in the audience. Aidan next plays there at noon May 20. …
Hapa, meantime, was thrilled to perform at the Highline Ballroom, one of the new hot spots in New York’s Chelsea district, a block from the apartment to where Flanagan’s grandparents moved from Ireland more than 100 years ago. "We had ‘choke family’ in attendance at the NYC show," said the New Jersey native. …
PERSONALTIES: Scott Caan (Danno on "Hawaii Five-0") will world-premiere his play, "No Way Around but Through," June 1-8 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, Calif. He’ll be part of the cast, too, in a romantic comedy directed by Val Lauren. Sounds like a hot summer. …
Hawaii’s Bruno Mars, working on a follow-up to his Grammy-winning "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" album, has acquired a puppy. "My first pooch," he tweeted, announcing the arrival of Geronimo. …
Mars and Dr. Luke composed and produced Adam Lambert‘s sizzling new single, "Never Close Our Eyes," from the "American Idol" finalist’s "Trespassing" CD, delayed because Lambert wanted to get the Mars track on board. …
Dirk Koeppenkastrop of Il Gelato was honored to serve his mango gelato to the Dalai Lama during His Holiness’ recent visit. …
CALENDAR CUES: Jon Brekke is producing a play he co-wrote with Eric Nemoto, "Tiramisu on the Beach," as a fundraiser for The ARTS at Marks Garage at 8 p.m. May 10 and 11, and at7 p.m. May 12. It’s about two attorneys (Lauren Murata and Nemoto) discussing a case with sexual overtones over dinner, and it all gets personal —while the four-course dinner also is served to the audience. The menu: Caesar salad, oysters on the half-shell, steak and, of course, tiramisú. Tickets: www.tiramisuonthebeach.com. …
Clarification: That benefit for hair and makeup stylist Greg Howell, while supported by Manoa Valley Theatre, is being produced by one of its staffers, Bree Bumatai, along with Paul Brown and Becky Dunning. It will be promoted as "Greg-Stravaganza" on July 26 at Tenney Theatre. …
Alea‘s Chad Takatsugi and Ryan "Gonzo" Gonzalez will be joined by Holunape‘s Kama Hopkins to provide Lei Day music at Sacred Hearts Academy on Thursday. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
———
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.
