 As the month of March comes to an end, we are excited to celebrate our last week of Wāhine of Hawai’i by highlighting our Mana Wāhine of Hualālai! These are our Hualālai Wahine who have not only made a positive impact at work with both our Members, guests and employees, but who have also made an impact within our community, both local and world wide.
Erin grew up in Honolulu and as a child, remembers gardening being afamily activity. Her parents and grandparents all had green thumbs and having a variety of plants in and outside the home was part of her everyday life. After graduation, Erin received her Agriculture & Forestry degree from UH Hilo and began her career in Washington State and eventually moved back to the Big Island where she decided to set roots…most literally. Erin soon began to build her nursery and green houses. With the support and encouragement of her family, Erin started her company called Lokelani Gardens. She provided quality herbs and vegetables to local businesses, specializing in a variety of tomatoes. Her tomatoes became a highly sought after item and were frequently featured inrestaurants across the island.
Prior to joining the Four Seasons team, Carolina worked for a non-profit company in Brazil which eventually led her to Boston before making the move to the Big Island over 17 years ago. She quickly fell in love with the island and decided to call this place home. Carolina decided to pursue a career in the restaurant business after her first job as a hostess in town. She enjoyed the fast pace, high energy atmosphere of the restaurant and by her second day as a hostess, she was promoted to a server.
Carolina joined the Four Seasons just 5 short years ago and quickly made her mark as a strong and dedicated team player. It was not a surprise to anyone when she jumped at the opportunity to expand her restaurant knowledge when the opportunity to compete for a spot to take a Sommelier course presented itself. To her surprise she was chosen to take the introductory Sommelier course and ecstatic to learn that she was one of the few who passed. Through this process, Carolina came to the realization that she not only loved the complexities of wine, but she was really good at it. The next step was a level 2 Sommelier. She knew that this required a huge amount of studying, focus and dedication all while maintaining her full time job as both an employee and single mom. She spent hours each day before and after her shift studying to prepare. She found as many books as she could on the subject and dedicated the next year to pursuing her goal. She knew that this test would be extremely difficult as it consisted of three parts that needed to be passed and the success rate was a low 45%. The Hualalai ‘Ohana Foundation learned of her goal and assisted Carolina with a financial scholarship so she could pursue this dream. The cost of the test, flights and accommodation was a huge hurdle to overcome but all was made possible because of the scholarship she was awarded. Carolina flew out to San Francisco where the test was held and all her hard work, dedication and determination paid off. Carolina came home as a Level 2 Sommelier. What is in the near future for this budding Master Sommelier?… Carolina looks forward to hopefully getting to a level 3 Sommelier but for now is focused on giving back to the ‘Ohana Foundation and our members. She does this by working with the Chefs to create a unique dinning experience which includes…yes, wine pairings. Carolina also shares her knowledge through her Instagram account by highlighting great affordable wine finds from around the islands along with her recommended pairings.
Aunty Kaulu was raised in sleepy Kohala, with its gentle breeze and breathtaking beauty. Like most of us who are lucky enough to grow up on the Island and have that one uncle or aunty to teach us the art of Hula, Aunty Kaulu had her Aunty Sally Alohikea Lyons. Aunty Sally took Aunty Kaulu under her wing and taught her the foundations of Hula ‘Auana. She was taught the delicate art of telling a story full of emotion with your movements while connecting with everything and everyone around you.
Aunty Kaulu attended Kamehameha School on O’ahu where she had the opportunity to expand her Hula knowledge by training with Kumu Hula Nona Beamer and other Hula Masters. After graduation, Aunty Kaulu returned to the Big Island where she began her career in the Hotel Industry with Keauhou Beach Hotel. Aunty Kaulu flourished in this setting and under the guidance of the Kupuna who she says became her second family, she was taught the ins and outs of the industry. Aunty Kaulu spent time running the front desk, PBX and the restaurants. She took her love of Ho’okipa to the next level with the Mauna Lani Resort, becoming their first soloist dancer. This amazing opportunity highlighted Aunty Kaulu’s natural talent and ability to connect with her audience while telling a story so gracefully that many guest came back year after year just to get a glimpse of her. Aunty Kaulu went on to teach and dance all over the world, she graced the stage of the Merrie Monarch, was asked to be a judge for a number of pageants, hula competitions and parades and represented her home town as well as Kona as the Pa’u Queen for Kamehameha Day Parade. Aunty Kaulu worked with several production companies, TV shows and businesses sharing her talents and being a true ambassador of her culture. She was asked to model for Hawai’i’s legendary artist, Herb Kane and her beauty and grace has been captured in his piece he named Hula Holokū. Upon attending Halau Na Lei O Kaholoku for 25 years, Aunty Kaulu became Kumu Hula under the direction of Kumu Hula Nani Lim Yap. Today Aunty Kaulu continues to wear many hats from full time mom, wife and grandma to full time Four Seasons employee and full time entertainer. She continues to share her love of her culture with not only our guests but our employees everyday. She is generous with her talents and never hesitates to perform a Hula, make a lei or share her mana’o.
Tiapepe grew up in American Samoa on the slops of the Mauna where her family grew Kalo (Taro). Tia’s father was the high chief of her village and would frequently trade their Kalo for fish with the village below. Tia was raised with the understanding that the ocean was a means for food and nothing else and therefore, Tia was not allowed to go near the ocean. She was not allowed to play in the ocean and so she never learned how to swim. Tia would sneak down the Mauna with the other village kids and secretly play in the shore break, frequently getting herself into trouble with her father. Even at a young age, there was a connection to the ocean that Tia always had.
In 2000, Tia made the move to the Big Island where she picked up her first paddle in 2001 and as the saying goes…the rest is history. Tia quickly became a strong paddler and was asked to participate in her first Moloka’i Hoe which is a extremely dangerous and rigorous 41 mile race from Moloka’i to Oahu. This race not only required her to be a strong paddler, but a strong swimmer as well. Tia still did not know how to swim! She knew she would be a risk to not only herself but her team. Tia has to make the difficult decision to skip her first Moloka’i Hoe and learn how to swim. Tia returned the next season stronger than ever. Tia continued to make a name for herself in the paddling community. She went on to win a number of state championships, finished over a dozen Lili‘uokalani races, competed in the Moloka’i Hoe a mind-blowing 18 times and the accolades goes on and on. Tia made the World Sprints team representing Hawaii not once but a total of 10 times! This very elite competition is considered the world Olympics of paddling and happens every two years taking Tia around the world to compete with other elite teams. This August, Tia and her team will be heading to London’s Dorney Lake in Windsor to compete. As Covid-19 hit and disrupted our lives over the last two years, normal paddling season was cancelled. This didn’t stop Tia who took her one man canoe out and began competing in OC-1 races. This led her to one of her most challenging races of her career, the Keokea. This is an invitation only OC-1 race where the best of the best are invited to an 8 mile race with high surf, black water and wind so strong that the fear of ending up in Maui was real. Tia shares that the ocean has become a part of her everyday life. It’s where she goes to celebrate her achievements and happy moments but also where she goes to heal. It has also become a place where she feels connected to her father. Life is never too short to try new things, you never know where it may take you. For Tia, it has taken her all over the world.
Mahalo,  |
Leave a Reply