Veteran Waikiki restaurateur David Nagaishi wound up a 12-year run as vice president/general manager of both Ocean House and Shorebird restaurants at the Outrigger Reef Hotel on the Beach on Saturday night.
His next destination, beginning June 22: the 200-seat Pounders restaurant at the Hukilau Marketplace adjoining the Polynesian Cultural Center. Nagaishi will assume management of the new dining spot, targeting both a visitor and resident clientele.
The lunch-and-breakfast destination, the only major dining room in Laie, features island chef Sean Priester, a soul food master previously with Top of Waikiki. Priester also was the centerpiece of the Soul Patrol food truck visible at Eat the Street and other tasting events in Honolulu. In the weeks ahead, Nagaishi will huddle with his executive chef to refine, define and upgrade an island cuisine menu.
He accepted the challenge to put Pounders on the map as the owners of the Polynesian Cultural Center are prepping for the summer opening of a Marriott hotel in Laie, bringing a new wave of visitors and diners to the North Shore spot. Because Pounders is a Mormon operation, it does not serve alcoholic beverages, so Nagaishi is contemplating a bar menu of exotic libations without the booze kick.
Stay tuned. …
HERE ‘N’ THERE: Aleks Pevecis yet another islander with current Broadway credits: He’s in the ensemble in the Tony-nominated "Something Rotten" musical on Broadway. A former member of Diamond Head Theatre’s Shooting Stars, he returned home to star as Frank Abernathy in the musical "Catch Me If You Can" last year; he was an ensemble member in the original Great White Way mounting of "Catch." He also counts "Aladdin" and "Evita" on his resume and "The Most Happy Fella" off-Broadway. Fans might remember him from the "Wicked" ensemble in Los Angeles, too. …
Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles and fellow cast member Paul Nakauchi got a visit from Broadway-bound George Takei at "The King and I" at Lincoln Center recently. For Nakauchi, it was reunion time, as he was previously in "Allegiance" when it played its world premiere last year atSan Diego’s Old Globe theater. Nakauchi left that show to take on the Kralahome role in the Rodgers and Hammerstein revival, which won this year’s best musical revival laurels. Takei has a lead role in "Allegiance" this fall. Fans still adore him as Hikaru Sulu, the helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the TV and film versions ofthe "Star Trek" franchise.
"Allegiance,"co-starring Lea Salonga, bows in November at the Longacre Theatre in NYC. …
TUBE TALK: PBS Hawaii has received a $50,000 donation from the Island Insurance Foundation to continue the renovation and construction of its new $30 million studio complex on Sand Island Access Road. It’s dubbed the Clarence T.C. Ching Campus, and construction began in November, with a spring 2016 completion date.
"Island Insurance is proud to support PBS Hawaii and its tradition of providing quality educational programming," said Tyler Tokioka, foundation president, in a statement. When completed, the new facility will boast two stories and 30,000 square feet under roof.
"We share moments that add to your life," said CEO Leslie Wilcox.Among the station’s triumphs: the youth-driven "Hiki No" series. The project still lacks $3.9 million, so donations are welcome. Go to pbshawaii.org for details. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
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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.
