Customers and friends have asked about Shirley, who in 2001, after 40 years on the mainland, returned home to the Islands for good! Her creative writing juices have not been sated by writing the cookbook! She is having a great time writing for a local magazine, and is active in church, and community affairs. Shirley has also joined the Honolulu Chorale and is contributing with her wonderful contralto, a voice some say is as rich as Ella Fitzgerald’s! The Chorale will be touring Europe in 2007!

Every Thursday she gathers with her sisters for lunch and mah jong (Chinese bridge), and of course, she continues to cook!

Before Christmas, I was contacted by a Michigan woman, named Melanee who was looking for ono (that means delicious!) Hawaiian food. She is part of a group of people interested in dancing the hula. Melanee and I have been carrying on a cyber dialog about all things Hawaiian. The culmination of that conversation was a February luau in Ann Arbor! Our Hawai’i Club members gathered; we cranked up the heat, wore our zori (flip-flops) and mu’u mu’us, and made lots of great Hawaiian dishes, like kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon and luau chicken.

And four beautiful young women danced the hula - -- hula kahiko, the ancient Hawaiian hula. It was such an inspiration to see these young women keeping our traditions alive! We are planning another gathering in the summer! Let us know if you are interested in attending. E-mail me: lgaynier@diamondhawaiipress.com.