Shirley Kauhaihao, Chef, Ho’oulu ka ‘Ulu
Aunty Shirley Kauhaihao has a deep and life-long commitment to ‘ulu, rooted in her Honaunau, Kona upbringing in the heart of what once was an ancient Kona ‘ulu forest. Aunty Shirley is co-director and founder of Ho’oulu ka ‘Ulu, a project to revitalize ‘ulu as an attractive, delicious, nutritious, abundant, affordable, and culturally appropriate food (www.breadfruit.info). She is well-known in the community as a master weaver and member of Ka Ulu Lauhala ‘o Kona, cultural organizer at Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, and lead organizer for the cleanup of coral graffiti along Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway in South Kohala, among her many volunteer activities. Aunty Shirley’s unfaltering dedication to the land and people of Hawaii inspires countless others.
Celebrity Chef Sam Choy
Sam spent twenty plus years mastering his craft in the kitchens of noted hotels and resorts on the mainland and Hawai'i. But it was his many years of cooking alongside his parents that gave him the skills and inspiration to become a Hawaiian celebrity chef. His exceptional creativity, love of good food, and aloha for guests propelled him to the status of an internationally recognized chef, Food Network personality, and James Beard award-winner. Sam appears on his weekly cooking show, Cooking with Sam, on the Hawaiian Islands' NBC affiliate. He has authored 16 cookbooks and is often credited as the "Godfather of Poke" and the Culinary Ambassador of the Big Island. Sam Choy's ʻUlu Cookbook: Hawaiʻi's Breadfruit Recipes, was published in 2022 by Mutual Publishing and in partnership with the know if Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative.
