The first time I met Emme Tomimbang Burns, she wanted to look into my refrigerator. Actually, she wanted to film me in my apartment making “bachelor saimin” with whatever I had in my refrigerator. It was for one of her Emme’s Island Moments.
Emme loved to eat, and besides being proud of her Filipino heritage, she tried to promote Filipino food and restaurants. I remember she organized a lumpia challenge at Hawaii’s Plantation Village. Chefs gathered to make their renditions of this dish in a time where Hawaii Regional Cuisine was in its infancy and creativity with immigrant dishes was high among chefs. She was ahead of her time; Filipino food and chefs are now nationally popular. Emme was a pioneer in many different ways, and as I got to know her over time, we shared many laughs and memories.
For one of her shows, Russell Siu, Roy, Jean-Marie Josselin, Chuck Furuya and I got into a limo and visited four restaurants — Kapiolani Cafe for oxtail soup at the bowling alley; Helen’s Chinese Food restaurant; Side Street Inn for fried pork chops, fried rice and local grinds; and Leong’s Hawaiian Cafe in Kalihi for luau stew and ono Hawaiian food. Chuck paired wines with all the food we ate.
This show was about where we liked to eat and what we ate and drank. But more importantly, it put the spotlight on local restaurants. It was the beginning of Emme hanging out with chefs and her ability to bring us together. We would eventually all go to Paso Robles to do an event at JUSTIN Winery, as well as New York City for Roy’s restaurant anniversary. She wanted to film everything from the preparations and the lugging of food around the airports to the events themselves because she was amazed how much work actually went into one event. Chefs Chai, D.K. , Hiroshi and Phillipe also took part in some of the events. These road trips created a lot of camaraderie, memories and stories.
Emme often talked about her father. She was close to him and remembered him well. She credits him with her starting to sing in front of a microphone and audience, thus leading her to being on camera for a very long time, entertaining and enriching so many of us who watched her shows.
I credit her for literally bringing me to the old Honolulu Club. The restaurant had just opened and though it was going well, my health was not. “Work hard, play hard” was my motto back then, but exercise, better nutrition and having a more mindful approach to life was in store for me. Emme was already going to the club and exercising, and she said, “Why don’t you come one day?” She met me at the front desk and brought me in like a big sister would.
Emme was a media pioneer, a role model community leader, philanthropist, a proud Filipino and graduate of Farrington, and an extremely talented Aala Park girl. Her relationships within the culinary community were helpful in putting the spotlight on local restaurants that serve Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Okinawan and Portuguese cuisine — our ethnic “local food.”
Put aside hotels and resorts and continental menus; this is where it all started in our culinary history. Emme helped tell our story.
We lost another great person and human being. Jim is waiting for you; may you both rest in peace together. We will miss you; I will miss you.
Mahalo so much for what you have done to touch so many.
Chef and restaurateur Alan Wong has wowed diners around the world for decades, and is known as one of the founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Find his column in Crave every first Wednesday. Currently, Wong is dba Alan Wong’s Consulting Co.
