When it comes to casting television and film roles, Rachel Whitley Sutton is an industry fave.

While notable names like Daniel Dae Kim and Alex O’Loughlin are the face of hit TV show Hawaii Five-0, behind the scenes are dozens of extras who play an intricate role in each episode. Coordinating all those people takes time, passion and talent. Enter casting director Rachel Whitley Sutton.

The New Yorker made the move from the East Coast to the balmy West Coast to attend University of California at Santa Cruzmajoring in biology. “I was either going to be pre-med or become a teacher,” she explains. At the time, she had no idea casting jobs and the like existed.

After college, she continued her search for good surf and sunny weather, and relocated to O`ahu in 1999, right on the cusp of big films including Blue Crush (2002) and The Big Bounce (2004). Sutton settled into island life and began teaching at Waialua High and Intermediate School, but soon felt her life calling pull her in a different direction.

“We had a lot of production work going on around here at the time,” she says of the North Shore locale. Her interest in the film industry piqued, and Sutton sent her resume to casting director Anna Fishburn and was able to procure an internship at her office for a television pilot.

Within a few days, Sutton realized she found her calling.

Rachel Whitley Sutton has worked with LOST, The Descendants and Hawaii Five-0. She even helped Disney find their “Moana,” newcomer Auli’i Cravalho. Photo courtesy Art Streiber/CBS

“With that first time I interned with Anna Fishburn, right away I felt like this is perfect for me,” she says. “I love people. I love television and film. I love actors. I have a knack for remembering people, and that’s really helpful.”

Sutton also credits her abilities to organize and multitask as two critical skills she needs for the job. Her internship quickly turned into a career. And with that transition and evolution, her aptitude and desire to progress in the industry grew. When Lost started production, Sutton was hired to do all the casting for the first season, from 2004 to 2005. “Then I ended up having a baby (daughter Ava Sutton),” she says.

But the film industry wasn’t done with her yet. She made her return to the Lost teamthis time as person in charge of casting speaking roles. “I was nervous,” she admits. “I thought, ‘What if I’m bad at it?'”

However, those fears soon dissipated and Sutton went on to cast the last two seasons of the show. But before the end of the series, her dedication to her craft led CBS to her doorstep when it was planning to start filming the pilot episode of Hawaii Five-0. “I was so honored,” she fondly recalls.

Photo courtesy Rachel Whitley Sutton

She ended up passing on the opportunity, as her work with Lost still was ongoing. “But I said, ‘If you get picked up for a series, give me a call,'” she says. And call they didin fact, she got confirmation on her birthday in June of 2010. (Between the finale of Lost and her start with Hawaii Five-0, Sutton did casting work for Just Go With It starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.)

Since her start with Hawaii Five-0, Sutton also has worked with Alexander Paine, who directed The Descendants (2011), as well as Cameron Crowe on Aloha (2015). She has become the go-to person within the industry and looks forward to continuing to do what she loves.

“I equate it to painting a picture,” she explains. “Whether you’re casting extras or actors, you’re taking these words off a page and you’re putting them into real people’s mouths, and you paint this living, breathing landscape that becomes a piece of art.”

Through the years she has found that working with actors is always enjoyable. She sees people from all walks of life come together for the sake of the craft.

For those interested in getting started in the film industry, Sutton says Hawai`i is the perfect place to do so.

“There are so many avenues here,” she says. She credits the island’s many theatre venues that encourage local actors to pursue their passions. “Do it because you love it,” she adds.

Photo by Nathalie Walker

The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach general manager Douglas Chang gets ready for the luxury property’s O`ahu debut.

Douglas Kahikina Chang, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, embraces hospitality because it allows him to share the values of his Native Hawaiian culture in a meaningful way that transforms the visitor experience.

But the 55-year-old tourism veteran still remembers when Native Hawaiians and hospitality were in conflict. Early in his 30-year-plus career, Chang says Native Hawaiian hospitality workers often lived in mutually exclusive worlds.

“If you were Native Hawaiian and you worked in tourism in the 1970s and 1980s, it wasn’t something that you proudly proclaimed,” Chang says. “Most of us were entertainers and the role that we played in hospitality wasn’t culturally connected. In some hotels, you couldn’t even use your Hawaiian name on your name tag.”

Fortunately, Chang says he grew up on O`ahu in a visitor industry family at a time when the pendulum was just beginning to swing toward cultural rediscovery. A Kamehameha Schools graduate from the class of 1978, Chang was in high school as the Hokule`a set sail on its historic 1976 voyage. He also danced with the men of Waimapuna, the halau that took the Merrie Monarch grand championship in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Chang’s son-in-law and daughter, Corie and Kau`i Raquel (at left) with Chang and wife Akiko at the 2013 World Series (photo courtesy Douglas Chang).

From his family, he learned to be at ease with many different cultures and to embrace the opportunities that tourism brought to the isles. Chang’s great-grandfather Edena Choy Chang came from China to cook for the plantations in Honoka`a, the largest town on the Big Island’s Hamakua Coast. He married a local girl, Priscilla Liana Chang.

“My grandfather was half-Chinese and Hawaiian, my grandmother was almost pure Hawaiian,” Chang says. “My father, Donald Chang, grew up to be a branch manager for Pan American World Airways.

My mother, Marcia Chang, was a school teacher, who was born on the East Coast, but came to Hawai`i on the Lurline when her father was recruited to work at the jeweler Grossman Moody Ltd.”

While Chang’s family was of moderate means, his father’s airline career allowed the family to experience luxury travel and tourism destinations beyond Hawai`i.

“It was the glory days of Pan Am and we always traveled first class,” Chang says. “There was formal white glove service. Since we were the children of employees, we were held to a higher standard. We had to wear coats just to get on the plane.”

Travels with Pan Am took Chang throughout the U.S. West and East Coasts, and to exotic locales like Japan, Hong Kong, Tahiti and Samoa.

Chang brings his aloha spirit to his various roles in hospitality. Sometimes, even his family gets in on the action with his wife, Akiko, sometimes playing the ‘ukulele or making musubi for guests. Here, he’s pictured with daughters Kau’i and Nyla (photo courtesy Douglas Chang).

“I was one of five kids. If Dad did not work for the airline, we couldn’t have even traveled to those places in economy class,” Chang says. “The experience instilled a desire in my to do whatever I needed to do to be able to afford this lifestyle.”

Chang says he began working as a dishwasher at Kahuku Sugar Mill at 14 and in his later teens took his first visitor industry job as a lei greeter.

“It was a magical time. The jumbo jets had just begun flying to Hawai`i,” he says.

After high school, Chang attended University of Hawai`i at Manoa, where he took international studies classes with the hope of capitalizing on a growing Japanese investment market. He put himself through school working at a private dining club at Century Center under mentor Ken Kono, a classically trained maître d.

“He pushed and pushed for perfection with flair. I learned to have a constant hunger for excellence,” Chang says.

To this day, employees report that Chang’s favorite expression is, “Luxury is in the details, folks.” No doubt, it was this kind of thinking that launched Chang’s hospitality career. An excellent start at Century Center parlayed the way to a job as restaurant manager at Hanalei Bay Resort.

“I quickly moved through the ranks and I never did finish college,” Chang says. “Before my mid 20s, I was the director of food and beverage. By 28, I was the resort’s general manager.”

A chance meeting with renowned Hawaiian activist George Kanahele inspired Chang to use his career to build a bridge between Native Hawaiian culture and hospitality. The late Kanahele believed in connecting tourists to a Hawaiian sense of place. He founded Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association in 1997, which worked to end conflict and bridge the gap between the values of tourism and Native Hawaiians.

(from left) Son-in-law Hoku Dudoit, Akiko, daughter Nyla (holding granddaughter Hi`ilei) and Kau`i at Nyla’s graduation from Cal State Long Beach in 2011 (photo courtesy Douglas Chang).

“I attended one of George’s conferences and it really sparked something in me,” Chang says. “I thought, ‘Wow, I have a responsibility as a Native Hawaiian, but also an amazing opportunity to do what I love.'”

From there, Chang went on to leadership roles at Kaua`i Marriott Resort & Beach Club, Hotel Hana-Maui, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, The Kapalua Bay, Ritz-Carlton-St.Louis and most recently The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach. In each instance, he has foraged his own brand of hospitality by embracing the culture of the company and of his native Hawai`i.

“I am fascinated with Mr. Chang’s vision of embracing The Ritz-Carlton culture and enlivening what we stand for as a brand. It parallels to his Native Hawaiian culture,” says Melissa Lee, executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis.

Lee says Chang mentored her and shared his Native Hawaiian culture with guests and employees in the Midwest. He enchanted them with Hawaiian floral arrangements. His wife, Akiko, often would dress Hawaiian style and sing and play the ‘ukulele. Once, Lee says, the couple even came to the hotel at 4 a.m. to create musubi as a gift for 350 ladies and gentlemen.

“Mr. Chang is the most genuine leader I have had the honor to work with,” she says. “Mr. Chang still inspires me every single day to create life’s most meaningful journeys. His legacy and what I learned will always be with me.”

Kamaka Hawaii commemorates its 100th anniversary with a very special `ukulele.

When Samuel Kaialiilii Kamaka Sr. began crafting koa `ukulele by hand in the basement of his Kaimuki home in 1916, it’s hard to think he could’ve imagined the legacy his work would leave. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the fruits of his labor: Kamaka Hawai`i, one of the oldest `ukulele manufacturing companies in the islands, and legendary for its impeccable and high-caliber products. In honor of this achievement, Kamaka is planning its most exciting `ukulele yet: a special centennial edition with beautiful designs, shiny shell inlay and artwork from the past rediscovered from so many decades ago. A century ago, Sam Sr. and seven of his friends had originally wanted to make drums, but found greater success with `ukulele. After a brief trip to New York City, Sam Sr. decided to head across the Atlantic to see how musical instruments were built in Europe and South America. In 1921, when Sam Sr. returned home after five years of travel, he decided to open a shop on King Street, Kamaka `Ukulele and Guitar Works, and quickly established a reputation for constructing top-quality `ukulele. Using the knowledge from his voyages overseas, Sam Sr. laid out a pattern for a new `ukulele body, with a big oval instead of the traditional figure-eight. The result was an `ukulele shape that his friends commented as looking “like a pineapple,” which Sam Sr. embraced. One such friend, an artist, painted the image of a pineapple on the front of the `ukulele, and patented the new shape by 1928. Kamaka’s “Pineapple `ukulele” became an instant hit worldwide and put the company on the map as a signature `ukulele producer.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Sam Sr.’s sons, Sam Jr. and Fred Sr., had both worked at their father’s `ukulele business from elementary school. During World War II, both men were drafted into the army, served, and were able to attend college on the G.I. bill. Although both brothers were partners in the business, now named Kamaka and Sons Enterprises, Sam Jr. was pursuing a doctorate in entomology at Oregon State University and Fred Sr. had a career in the army. In 1952, Sam Sr. became ill and called both sons back to Hawai`i, where he offered them the family business—completely.

“Our father asked us if we wanted to take over the business and make `ukuleles. But he had a warning. He said that ‘if [we decided to] make instruments and use the family name, don’t make junk.’ We had to make the highest quality `ukuleles—or not at all.” says Fred Kamaka Sr.

The brothers agreed. When Sam Sr. died in december 1953, he had been producing koa `ukulele by hand for more than 40 years. Sam Jr. stepped away from entomology in order to care for their ailing father in his final days and to continue their family business. Fred Sr. retired from the army in 1972 and joined his brother, and in the decades since, their children (and grandchildren) have continued to carry the Kamaka torch, creating the same exceptional `ukulele. A century of business has led to new innovations and technologies for Kamaka, but surprisingly little change when it comes to taking care of their customers. Sam Sr. had done it the right way in 1916; his successors are simply following his example.

To celebrate its centennial, Kamaka Hawaii has an assortment of events and products on the horizon for this year, including a special concert at the annual National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention in Anaheim, California in January, a CD release featuring Kamaka `ukulele artists performing both classic and new music, special aloha shirts designed by Reyn Spooner, and a coffee table-style book offering a behind-the-scenes look at Kamaka through its years in Hawai`i.

The crown jewel of this Kamaka 100th Anniversary collection is a limited-edition collector’s `ukulele, featuring a new logo, original artwork and designs for the body, and a distinctive shell inlay detail.

The result will be an `ukulele unlike anything that the company has produced—a bold new model for the next century of Kamaka instruments. To create the shell and mother-of-pearl inlays on the `ukulele, Kamaka is collaborating with Pearl Works, a Maryland company specializing in custom inlay services and designs.

“We love working with the Kamakas,” says Pearl Works president Bill Seymour. “In the past, we’ve assisted with shell and mother-of-pearl inlay pieces for custom single ‘ukulele orders, but this will be the first time Pearl Works is helping to flourish an entire line of instruments for the Kamakas, and we’re very excited.”

Seymour and the Pearl Works team play a critical role in telling the Kamaka story through the centennial `ukulele. The first step was determining the shape of the `ukulele— pineapples, after Sam Sr.’s original patented design. Old labels featuring pineapples were selected for restoration and placement on the new models, along with lettering that reads “Kamaka and Sons” from original models. The back of the `ukulele will bear an image of the original shop, with an image that tells a story, perhaps of “a silhouette of Sam Sr. in the front windows, watching a young Fred or Sam Jr. playing out front,” explains Seymour. “The idea is to convey a sense of the generations that have built the shop. Our goal is to take people to another place and time with these `ukuleles.”

The `ukulele will also feature inlay pieces on the fret boards, shell outlined adornments and specially designed centennial head plates. All Kamaka `ukulele produced in 2016, whether centennial edition or regular, will receive a special design of an unfurled scroll with “1916” and “2016” in contrasting silver shades over the Kamaka logo, in recognition of a century of service.

These Kamaka centennial ‘ukulele are intended to be not just a nod to the past, but a look to the future; to the next century of Hawaiian music, handcrafted `ukulele, and an important family legacy.

kamakahawaii.com

All photos courtesy Bill Seymour at Pearl Works, pearlworks.com.

Guests of Ballet Hawaii’s annual gala were treated to a sultry night in Havana at The Royal Hawaiian Monarch Room. Rolando Sanchez got people moving to his salsa tunes, as guests sipped on mojitos and perused the extensive silent auction offerings. Cigar aficionados got to choose from an array of select sticks. After an exquisite dinner of Cuban-inspired cuisine, things got revved up with a live auction that featured exclusive dining and party experiences and, in honor of Cuba’s renowned vintage cars—a gorgeous, fully restored 1957 Thunderbird hardtop.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Cacao connoisseurs were treated to a private reception with renown chocolatier Pierre Marcolini at MW Restaurant. Along with delectable hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, guests partook in a selection of Marcolini’s confections. The award-winning chocolatier is considered one of the best in Europe and Japan and is known for his small-estate, single-origin tablets.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Hawai`i arts patrons gathered recently for an elegant evening, as Hawai`i Arts Alliance celebrated Sarah Richards, the 2015 Preis Honor recipient. Richards, in addition to being a lifelong arts supporter, had succeeded Alfred Preis as executive director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and served from 1980 to 1989. Jean E. Rolles and Gae Bergquist Trommald served as honorary co-chairs for the fete at Halekulani that featured dinner, Mistress of Ceremonies Leslie Wilcox and a program filled with music, folk arts, opera and more.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

The mood was positively celebratory at the Grand Opening VIP Preview for highly anticipated Blue Note Hawaii at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. Guests were treated to delectable bites and libations as they boogied down to the beats of Rebirth Brass Band.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Hawaii invited guests to Share a Night of celebration for the organization’s service to the islands. The evening’s honoree, Bruce Yanagihara, a longtime RMHC-Hawaii supporter, and RMHC-Hawaii families and guests gathered at Sheraton Waikiki to share a toast to the thousands of residents who supported the organization over the past 365 days. Cocktails kicked off the evening, as guests socialized over silent auction selections before migrating to Hawaii Ballroom for delicious food and a dazzling dinner program. Al Waterson, known for Hawaii Five-O and Magnum P.I., emceed the evening. Entertainment included, but was not limited to: Elvis tribute artist Leo Days; Jordan Segundo, Hawai`i’s first American Idol finalist; and Alyssa Okawa and Rachel Toves, dancers from Pas De Deux Hawaii. RMHC’s annual gala indeed set the pace for another year of success for the philanthropy.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

It’s not every day that an NFL player hosts a conversation on sports culture and domestic violence, but New York Giants Linebacker Mark Herzlich did just that. Mark and his wife, Danielle, a First Lieutenant promotable with the New Jersey Army National Guard are both Joyful Heart Foundation board members. They and other Joyful Heart Foundation guests and community influencers gathered at a private residence ahead of their “Talk Story” event, a discussion on “Men, Sports Culture, and Gender Violence.”

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Guests at the inaugural fundraiser for Friends of Youth Outreach stepped back in time for an evening—co-hosted by Richard Chamberlain, honorary chair, and Cassandra Peterson (aka Elivra! Mistress of the Dark)—of swing music and vintage aloha attire. Guests flocked to the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor for the foundation’s 1940s event, which aims to create a safe place for homeless youth.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Invitees donned their favored shade of pink to the 5th Annual Susan G. Komen Hawai`i Pink Tie Ball, held at renowned pink hotel, The Royal Hawaiian. The festivity began with cocktails and a silent auction before guests enjoyed dinner and a fashion show presented by Hawaiian Airlines. This year’s honoree, Angela Pratt, MD, spoke on her role as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kapi`olani Medical Center as guests celebrated the search for a cure.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Wherever Yayoi Kusama goes, a conversation follows. The acclaimed artist, whose colorful work is surely a conversation-starter, unveiled her newest work in a partnership with The Howard Hughes Corporation and Ward Village. Kusama fans attended the grand opening with wide eyes of appreciation. The multi-piece sculpture installation, Footprints of Life, is the first Kusama collection to be shown in Hawai`i.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

The Bishop Museum invited art and culture enthusiasts to welcome He Nae Akea and Lele o Na Manu with an exclusive reception and preview ahead of the two exhibits’ openings. Attendees were treated to an after-hours outdoor evening view of Chief Kalaniopu`u’s feather cape and helmet. Live music and hula dancing entertained the crowd as fresh hors d’oeuvres made from local ingredients satisfied the palates of on-looking guests.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

La Pietra-Hawaii School for Girls hosted their annual HOOPLA soirée, where more than 300 La Pietra supporters, alumnae, parents and friends gathered on the Great Lawn for this year’s HOOPLA. The theme for the night was “Passage to Paradise,” and La Pietra ensured guests would feel at bliss with cuisine by chef Bev Gannon, beautiful décor by Weil & Associates, entertainment by Paradise and Company and a variety of treasured items in the silent and live auctions.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

Kool & The Gang perform at Blaisdell Concert Hall on June 7 (photo courtesy BAMP Project).

Jun. 7

NEAL S. BLAISDELL CONCERT HALL | 800.745.3000

Grammy and American Music Award-winners Kool & The Gangthe most sampled band of all timetake the stage with their funk-filled hits such as “Celebration,” “Cherish,” “Ladies Night,” “Summer Madness” and more. ticketmaster.com

Jun. 10

MONTAGE KAPALUA BAY

The Grand Tasting at the Kapalua Wine and Food Festival features fabulous gastronomic indulgences from Cane & Canoe, Merriman’s Kapalua and The Plantation House, among others, paired with exquisite wines. Adding to the evening’s elegance: this walk-around event takes place at the oceanfront Montage Kapalua Bay. Festival runs June 9-12. kapaluawineandfoodfestival.com

Puzzle master Will Shortz shares his favorite puzzles in his interactive show, An Evening with Will Shortz: The Puzzle Master on June 16 at Hawaii Theatre (photo courtesy The Tuesday Agency).

Jun. 16

HAWAII THEATRE CENTER | 528.0506

Renowned puzzle master, Will Shortz of NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday”, makes his Hawai`i debut in An Evening with Will Shortz: The Puzzle Master. In this engrossing and interactive show, Shortz discusses the origin of crosswords, why he loves puzzles and his favorite puzzle makers. hawaiitheatre.com

Jun. 26

NEAL S. BLAISDELL CONCERT HALL | 596.7858

Hawai`i’s own Baritone Quinn Kelsey takes the stage in a performance of Verdi’s iconic Rigoletto. Conducted by Maestro Hal France, this live concert closes out Hawaii Opera Theatre’s 2015-16 season. hawaiiopera.org

Jul. 7

MANOA VALLEY THEATRE | 988.6131

The musical comedy, Lysistrata Jones, a modern re-imagining of the Greek comedy Lysistrata, makes its Hawai`i premiere at Manoa Valley Theatre. In this rendition, the men’s basketball team at Athens University is on a 30-year losing streak. New cheerleader, Lysistrata “Lyssie J.” Jones comes up with a plan with the fellow female students to inspire their men to success. Through July 24. manoavalleytheatre.com

Jul. 14

BLUE NOTE HAWAII | 777.4890

Jeffrey Osborne, award-winning American funk and R&B musician, songwriter and lyricist takes to the Blue Note Hawaii stage. Through July 17. bluenotehawaii.com

On View

Art in a Time of Chaos is on view at Honolulu Museum of Art, April 28-Aug. 21. Pictured: Head of Bodisattva, China, Northern Qi dynasty (550-577), sandstone, Shanxi Museum Collection (photo courtesy Honolulu Museum of Art).

HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART | 532.8700
Plastic Fantastic?
Through July 10 at Spalding House

Art in a Time of Chaos: Masterworks from Six Dynasties China, 3rd-6th Centuries April 28-Aug. 21

BISHOP MUSEUM | 847.3511
Lele O Na Manu: Hawaiian Forest Birds Through July 31

All events subject to change

From body bootcamp to cryotherapy, fighter-turned-fitness pro Egan Inoue helps you stay fit and healthy.

Egan Inoue brings cryotherapy to O`ahu. Its benefits range from reduced signs of aging to increased cell rejuvenation (photos courtesy Egan Inoue).

Egan Inoue has made a name for himself around the world. While known for his dominance in mixed martial arts, he also has had his hand in racquetball, where he clocked a top speed of 191 mph, and brief stints on the big (and small) screen.

The MMA retiree left the sport with a TKO win over Hans Marrero back in 2008, and although he no longer competes in cage matches, at age 50 he still competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championships. In fact, he recently returned from the Pan Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship, where he finished in the semi-finals.

He also has turned his sights to helping others achieve their fitness goals and started Egan’s Fit Body Bootcamp in 2010 and opened training centers across the island in Kailua, Honolulu and Aiea. During his years as a fighter and trainer, Inoue has seen many injuries and health complications, and now has added to his efforts to provide the community with assistance in health and fitness.

While training on the mainland, he experienced his first cryotherapy session after a long, hard day of training.

“I was able to train the next day just as hard as I did the first day,” he recalls. “I only train really hard two times a week, and the other days I’m trying to recover.” Immediately after trying cryotherapy, he was hooked.

“I thought to myself, ‘I need to own one of these,'” he says.

Th us sparked the beginning of what would eventually become CRyOTherapy Hawaii, which opened its doors in February. “Th e main benefit is blood circulation,” says Inoue.

In the freezing chamber, blood travels to a person’s core and circulates in that area and becomes oxygenated. After stepping out of the chamber, body temperature rises and that fresh, oxygenated blood circulates through the body. Th e end result is the production of more collagen (great for skin complexion), reduction of inflammation (common with sprains) and revitalization.

“To me and everyone that has experienced an ice bath, this is so much less painful,” says Inoue. “When you get into the cold plunge it doesn’t re-oxygenate all of the blood.”

And rather than staying in a cold plunge for up to 20 minutes, CRyOTherapy Hawaii’s Cryogenic Juka Spa Chamber keeps a person within the walls for no more than three minutes at temperatures near -250 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead of a cold wetness surrounding the body, a refreshing mist made up of pure nitrogen is released within the walls of the chamber, which engulfs a person’s body but not the face.

In addition to the Cryogenic Juka Spa Chamber (which Inoue brought in from Poland), the establishment also houses an LCSD Unit (local cryo-stimulation device), which brings more intensity to a specific spot on the body. Th is method also is popular as a facial treatment.

“You immediately feel your skin getting tighter,” Inoue explains. “Your body is starting to renew and produce more collagen. It basically makes the skin rejuvenate.” Th e LCSD Unit prevents bad reactions to chemical products common in most facial treatments and is great at combatting acne, rashes and inflammation (like puffy, dark circles under the eyes).

Inoue recalls stories of athletes coming in with sprains and being able to return to training after a cryotherapy session, as well as helping people get off their blood pressure medication through exercise and training.

And it seems he always will have a hand in health and fitnessto the elation of many who have benefitted from his efforts.

“With Bootcamp and cryotherapy machine, I really feel like with those two things together I can help people improve their health and fitness,” he says.

Visit hawaiifitcamp.com or cryotherapyhawaii.com for more information.

From art museum to personal art collection, Emily Sano’s passion for Asian art is palpable.

Standing at the window of the penthouse suite in the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki, Emily Sano looks out over Honolulu. From here, the director emeritus of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco has a clear view from Ala Wai Harbor all the way to Aloha Tower, a landscape which includes the former IBM Building in Ward Village, where internationally renowned avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama has recently debuted a new installation. Titled “Footprints of Life,” the exhibition features 15 giant hot pink blobs covered in black polka dots scattered through the Ward Village courtyard as part of a kick-off for the upcoming inaugural Honolulu Biennial arts festival in 2017. Sano recently delivered a lecture on Japanese artist Kusama as part of a month-long series of programming for the show.

“I was truly impressed that the [Honolulu] Biennial Foundation would take on an artist as interesting and challenging as Yayoi Kusama. It’s tremendously interesting that this community is forward enough looking to want to attract a diverse artistic asian component to this biennial next year as well as to draw attention to Pacific Rim artists,” says Sano, about the exhibition. “Those little pink forms are so cute and they’re funny. They flow through that plaza and soften the hard structures of the architecture. I hope people will experience something like that if they pass through; not as how one might take in a painting on the wall, but as something that affects them while walking through an environment.”

Sano’s appreciation for the importance of well-designed spaces comes from her time at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. She began at the Kimbell fresh out of Columbia University with a Ph.D. in Asian Art History. This was late 1979, when the Kimbell was the second richest museum in America. The following year, the museum appointed a new director, Ted Pillsbury, who began buying art at a rapid rate, which granted Sano a tremendous opportunity right out of school: help purchase artwork, organize exhibitions, and educate the public about Asian art.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

“Being at the Kimbell was an amazing experience,” Sano recalls. “I was able to have direct experience with all curatorial matters from working with dealers and collectors to hosting shows with other museums, both national and international. I was extremely lucky to have this available for me in this early part of my career.”

Sano remained at the Kimbell for the next decade, where she ultimately became the curator of Asian art and deputy director of academic services. In 1989, she became the deputy director for the Dallas Museum of Art, and in 1993, the deputy director for the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Here she would remain for 15 years, overseeing a massive and delicate project: moving the museum from its location at the Golden Gate Park, in a building shared with the H.M. de Young Memorial Museum, to the renovated former Main Public Library in the San Francisco Civic Center.

The project was not without controversy but Sano stayed the course. Dedication is part of her character; although she was born in California, Sano and her parents were relocated to a Japanese internment camp in Arizona through World War II. After the war, her family took jobs as laborers on a cotton plantation in rural Arkansas with more than a dozen other families. Eventually, all the other families moved away, but Sano’s parents stayed and became sharecroppers. Like her parents, Sano was determined to see her work through.

And she did. When the San Francisco Asian Art Museum reopened to the public after moving to its new home in the Civic Center in 2003, it featured additional room for exhibitions and educational facilities, more spacious galleries—and a massive spike in the number of visitors. Sano remained at the museum until retiring in 2008. Her goal had been to travel to Florence, Italy, by early summer. She had already rented the apartment.

Instead, Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle (and fifth-richest man in the world according to Forbes), would reach out to Sano for her advice on Asian art. “He wanted to commission a Japanese painter to create a pair of sliding doors for his home, and I was asked to recommend someone,” says Sano. “Ellison is a wonderful, charming man. Intelligent and thoughtful.”

Sano’s help with a single pair of doors turned into a role assisting Ellison as his personal curator for Asian art for several years. Today, Sano is the senior advisor for Asian art at the San Antonio Museum of Art, currently working on a major show of Pure Land Buddhism art for an exhibition in 2017. Her passion—and the basis of her doctoral dissertation at Columbia—is Buddhist sculpture; specifically, the art form’s craftsman-ship and heritage. Being able to share that knowledge with others is critical for Sano.

“Asian art isn’t that well-known, people don’t really understand it. So working at a museum gives me great satisfaction because I have the opportunity to introduce something to audiences that they may not be familiar with, like this.” Sano says. “Asian culture offers so much for people to understand in terms of a culture, human endeavor, the longevity of tradition, and hopefully the survival of that tradition’s art and culture.”

Back at the window of the Hawaii Prince, Honolulu along Ala Moana Boulevard is composed of skyscrapers and construction cranes. It’s a sunny day outside and things are moving. At Ward Village, Kusama’s pink blobs shine brightly in the light. “Things do evolve, of course, and contemporary art is a major movement now. But I hope audiences realize that the art evolved out of something, it didn’t just happen,” Sano says, looking ahead. “I’m genuinely passionate about art and the role that art can play in enhancing people’s lives; I believe in the need for artistic expression both as a personal development but also for broader cultural development within communities. That’s what I’m all about.”

Retail veteran Michael Fenley embraces an aloha state of mind as general manager of soon-to-open International Market Place.

Photo by Bodie Collins

Assuming the role of man of the house after his father’s untimely death catapulted Michael Fenley, now general manager of the International Market Place, into an early leadership role and forged a sense of determination that still serves him today.

Fenley went from being the eldest child in a typical 1950s/1960s household to a 15-year-old forklift operator after his 52-year-old father George, a Los Angeles fireman, died of a heart attack on the job.

“I remember my mom [Barbara] being so scared, just terribly scared. My dad took care of all the finances, my mom was lost,” says the now 61-year-old Fenley. “I remember that I couldn’t help her really except to try and reassure her that it would be OK.”

Unsure of his family’s new financial needs, Fenley sought work at a local food processor as a forklift operator, which paid better than most jobs a teenager could get.

“At 15, I told them I was 18 and had a driver’s license and could drive a forklift,” he says. “I didn’t have a driver’s license. I couldn’t drive a forklift and I wasn’t 18. It was on-the-job training working with teamster truck drivers.”

Fenley worked the forklift for the entire summer full-time, then part-time during the school year and full-time for another summer. While it had nothing to do with his ultimate retail career, Fenley says the job taught him the importance of learning from your mistakes. He still remembers the day that he misaligned the forklift putting it through boxes of Italian dressing.

“I had Italian dressing going all over and I just knew that I was going to get fired,” Fenley recalls.

Instead, Fenley’s boss turned that split dressing moment into a teachable momentone that he hasn’t forgotten today. Fenley went on to forge a 30-year plus career in retail leadership, where he manages employees and vendor team members.

Fenley with wife Julie enjoying their backyard on the Hoakalei Country Club Golf Course (photo courtesy Michael Fenley).

“I’ve come to learn that the most important thing you can do when you are working with people is treat them with respect,” he shares. “Give them the opportunity and space and tools that they need to succeed. When they have failed, help them to understand how and why they failed and get them pointed back in the right direction.”

Fenley says he strives to treat his employees and coworkers the way that his mentors treated him. Thanks to retail mentors, he worked his way through college at Long Beach City College and Long Beach State. He started out selling traditional men’s clothing at Norm Meager in the Lakewood Shopping Center. From there, he ended up working at a retail store in a Taubman-owned-and-operated center in San Francisco Bay.

“I haven’t stayed with this company for this many years or this industry because I’m smart. I’ve done it because I’ve listened to people, who were wiser and more learned than I [am],” he says.

For instance, Fenley says his retail ambitions were focused on becoming an international buyer until a former general manager at Hilltop Mall tapped him to interview for an assistant mall manager job.

“I thought what better way to practice my interview skills until a buyer opportunity comes along,” Fenley says. “As he described the business, the way we provide shopping experiences to people and create an environment for successful retailers and satisfied shoppers, I finally came to realize this business was of interest to me.”

The decision to pursue that position put Fenley on the path to becoming a general manager, a goal that he achieved in 1982, when he assumed leadership of Meadowood Mall in Reno, Nevada. There he also met his wife, Julie, who was working as an office manager there.

“It was an office romance and she’s never forgiven me for having to quit her favorite job,” says Fenley, who still views the day that Julie agreed to marry him as the very best of his life.

Their marriage completely changed his life, he says.

Fenley on the IMP construction site (photo courtesy Michael Fenley).

“I don’t know where I would be or whom I would be if that day had not occurred,” he says. “My wife has been a big part of every one of [our family’s] challenges and solutions.”

Fenley credits further development of his character to his children Cassandra Fenley, 27, and son Cameron, 25, who have shaped his life immeasurably.

“The biggest challenge of my life is raising two wonderful children,” he says. “They’ve taught me that hard work and fighting through tough times can and normally does result in successes beyond your imagination.”

Fenley also has had many notable highlights during his tenure at Taubman Centers. Prior to being named general manager for the International Market Place, he served as general manager of Sunvalley in the San Francisco Bay Area where he oversaw the multimillion-dollar renovation and remerchandising of the center. Fenley also served as general manager for five other Taubman-owned super-regional shopping centers in Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada and California.

“It’s a great company to work for. It’s a company that views its most important assets to be their people, their employees,” Fenley says. “It’s a company that bases their business model on stated values.”

Fenley says he left Taubman for a short duration when a property that he managed for them was sold, but returned three years later when they presented another opportunity.

“It took me six minutes to make that decision,” he says. “It’s a company that I’m very proud to have been associated with for that length of time.”

While Fenley has racked up a plethora of memorable moments at Taubman, he counts the day he was named general manger for the Hawai`i project as the best one of his career.

Fenley sinking a 12 footer for par (photo courtesy Michael Fenley).

“This is my first shopping center opening so every day creates a new challenge,” he says of the center, which is on track to open Aug. 25 with 75 to 85 shops and restaurants and a total workforce in the neighborhood of 2,500 people.

Developed by Taubman and CoastWood Capital Group LLC, in conjunction with Queen Emma Land Company, the revitalized International Market Place will feature the island’s first Saks Fifth Avenue and will seek to regain its place as a key aspect of Waikiki’s shopping, food and entertainment environment. In 2014, the more than half-century old market place and surrounding warren of low-cost shopping closed to make way for this massive transformation and gentrification.

Jonathan LoPatin, Taubman’s on-site owner’s representative, says Fenley was the obvious choice for the job because of his experience in the industry and ability to adapt to new culture.

“Michael displays a lot of passion in delivering a beautifully designed shopping mall that honors traditions and celebrates the future,” says LoPatin. “I am impressed by his ability during the construction process to identify opportunities to maximize the experience for future shoppers.”

As for his new stomping grounds, Fenley is eager to live aloha. “I love the Hawai`i sense of place and seek it wherever I can. That’s why I’m creating it in the Market Place,” he says. “I do anticipate this will be the capper for my career. How can you top this?”

On April 23, Saint Louis School transported guests to a sommelier’s paradise with their ninth-annual Grape Escape gala. As always, Grape Escape invited attendees to “dine, wine and have fun on the slopes of Kalepohaku” during their premier food and wine benefit. Guests feasted on delectable culinary creations by acclaimed O‘ahu restaurants, like MW Restaurant, and had their pick of hundreds of wines. Each course was perfectly plated and paired with the appropriate wine to sip, satisfying the palates of guests all evening long.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]

The Women’s Fund of Hawai‘i’s Tea & Champagne was once again a great success. The fundraiser, which featured a menu of tea and champagne, (of course), and heavy pupu was held at the Pacific Club. The highlight of this fun event is the dessert dash, and it was as competitive as ever. All told the event raised more than $170,000 for women and girls.

[See image gallery at www.hiluxury.com]