In this episode of Work Like A Mother, host Marina is joined by the multi-talented Anne Lee, a local TV personality, mother of three, and a connoisseur of Hawaii's culinary scene. Anne shares her career journey from her origins in New York to becoming an event coordinator, food expert, and networker in Hawai’i. She also discusses her dedication to spotlighting local restaurants and her passion for connecting people and businesses. The episode delves into the importance of networking, Anne's foray into the world of video, and her expertise on Hawai’i's diverse food scene. Furthermore, Anne provides insights into sustainable agriculture and shares details about a benefit concert aimed at supporting the Lahaina fire victims. Tune in to discover Anne's favorite dining spots and learn about our mission to bridge the gap between food production and consumption in Hawai’i. This engaging conversation offers valuable insights and inspiration for moms balancing a career and family life.

Mentioned in this episode:

Armchair Expert Podcast

98 Degrees Benefit Concert for Restoration of the Heart of Maui

Anne Lee

IG: @sparklee808

https://dining.staradvertiser.com/category/columns/restaurant-insider-with-anne-lee/

Marina Tolentino

https://www.marinatolentino.com/

IG: @marinattolentino_

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@marinatolentino

Newsletter: https://marinatolentino.myflodesk.com/worklikeamother

Transcript:

All right, on this episode, I've got a new acquaintance, but I'm so glad that we connected. The one and only Anne Lee. She's a local TV personality. She's a mom to three, an 18 year old, a 16 year old, and a nine year old. Most importantly, the woman likes to eat, and she knows where to eat. And so we're going to talk about that, too, today. But Anne, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for having me. And thank you for doing this podcast. I think it's amazing for moms in general.

Yeah, absolutely. And so you are a mom to three, obviously, right? Keeps you very busy. Busy. I want to kind of hear a little bit about your career journey. Could you share how you started in your got to where you are today?

So it's very interesting. When I first moved to Hawai’i, I had a salon business in New York. So I came from New York, but I wanted to go back to school. But to gain kind of that residency, you had to be working for a year. So I got into sales and I started working for the Star Bulletin midweek back. God, I want to say right after 9/11.

Wow.

And so the concept of that, it was like, it really helped me learn about the island because Ewa beach is so different than Makiki. So it's really hard for folks to understand. Like, there's people in town that haven't gone past Red Hill, so they have not seen Kapolei, it is the second city out here. But it was really learning and understanding different types of facets of different businesses and relating. But the community that I most related with was the restaurant community because I worked in restaurants growing up in college and things like that. So I guess that niche started. And then being in the sales oriented industry that I was, you needed to go and take them to lunch or take them to dinner. And so I wanted to get to the best restaurants and get the reservations that I needed.

So that's really how that journey started.

So cool. Okay. And then today, how do you spend your time? What are you working on most? What do your projects look like?

So it's interesting because I've been doing this for 24 years, and even through three pregnancies and maternity leave, I was still working. And in this industry, in sales, there's no such thing as a vacation. Thank goodness for cell phones and laptops because that really helps us communicate even more. But I forgot the question.

What do you do today? What are your projects like? How are you filling your time with work?

So it's interesting because of the different types of things and different types of people that I've been able to work with. I've been brought many different opportunities. Like, right now, we're doing a restoration of the heart of Maui concert with 98 degrees and friends, the boy band. And that was something that they wanted to do because they were already looking at doing things in Hawaii. But then the Lahaina fires happened, and so the band itself, they really wanted to devote their time, and they're not charging a fee to do the concert on April 6 at the Blaisdell Arena. We want it to be a sellout. The prices of the tickets are a little bit higher than most because it is a benefit concert. All proceeds of the ticket sales go to the Lahaina victim.

So you're a full time event coordinator at this point, and wrangler and networker and promoter and all the things, all the hats.

Well, it's like being a. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Which you're a master at. So you got it. So you said you grew up in New York. Is that where you came from?

I was born in Korea, and I came to New York when I was three.

Wow.

But, yeah. So, raised in New York and then moved to Hawai’i right after 9/11.

Wow. Okay. Incredible. Then you are a very well networked woman, as you said. So you've met all these crazy people, like, good people in that way, high up in politics. You've met business owners, very wealthy people. How would you say that networking has changed where you are today? And how has that leveraged your career?

I got to say that being in this industry, first and foremost, you basically meet people firsthand, meaning you go into a business and you meet that person and that person. That was, like, 20 something years ago. Of course, those people are also going.

To grow with you.

They grow with you. So that's really kind of how it happens. And then once you've established yourself and you build your reputation, you build that trust, those doors open for you.

Yes.

And it's that consistency and that the reputation that is really in the industry, that's what you want to keep positive.

Yeah. And one thing for Hawaii, it's like a very small island. Right? And so everyone does know everyone. And I think it's true. Even if you're not on an island, the cities are small in themselves. Right. People know people. Good people know all that good stuff for someone who's new to an area.

So when you relocated, what tips would you have for them today in a technological world? Right. It's 2024. How would you network with someone who's too busy. They're super successful, right? Like good nor lord, they don't have time for me. How do we ask kindly in a world like today when it seems like we're bothering them? Do you have any tips for that?

Well, I feel that there are a lot of people that do take that for granted, and so I think that people that have established themselves and they are people that have worked hard, and it's like you've got to earn your stripes. I would say be in the same types of types of industries or industry organizations and just kind of get your feet wet in that type of industry that you just say that you want to get real estate, for example. You're in real estate. The top realtors that there's those events and things like that. But if you keep establishing a name for yourself, those doors are open.

Yeah, so true. And it really is about getting in the room, whether that's the Zoom room or the physical room. Like, we just got to keep showing up and being present and actually volunteering for conversation. Not just being a fly on the wall, takes courage, but I think you've done a great job over the years, and you can see that in your career today, so good job on that.

Thank you.

So when did you start getting into video? Like, when did that world get introduced to you?

So originally, during the pandemic, we wanted to do something to really highlight the restaurants. Because the restaurants were hurting, the tourists weren't coming, the asian market wasn't coming, and Waikiki was dead. I've never seen it so scary. Dead. Then, you know, they're fighting for the same customer now, and it's the local consumer, and local consumers were getting so bored of certain food, so people want to see what the food is. So that's really kind of the concept of that. Right. Of what this restaurant has and the hours and what are your Covid rules? So that's really kind of how that started.

And then it just, season after season, it got really popular. We're still not quite with tourism as we want to be, but it's getting back, but we still have the local audience that need to eat. We do have a lot of the mainland tourists that still come, and they're actually very interested in what Hawaii has to offer.

Yes.

So that's kind of how it kept going.

Okay. Were you a natural on camera?

No, absolutely not.

Okay, tell me, like, a story. From the beginning.

The best thing was that these chefs were my friends, so they made it fun. Nobody told me how to do it, what to do, but just having that dialogue and just being kind of comfortable with that person really made it easier. But once you looked at the camera, you kind of got, like, what was I saying? So there was some pauses and uncomfortable moments, but it got easier. It was like riding a bike. The more you do it, the better it gets.

It's so true. And so I love that you shared that because people will ask me, Marina, you're such a natural. And it's like, actually, I really put in the reps to get here today. We just looked. We did 270 videos on YouTube in the last two years. That's a lot of content.

That is a lot of content.

And it's not that I'm perfect or that we get it right on the first try every time. Just before this, we were filming some ads. It takes two, three times. Right. We're tripping on our tongue sometimes. But for anyone, I mean, video is so important in today's world for entrepreneurs. Like, you have to be on video, you have to see your face. And it just starts with starting.

That's like, the best advice.

Yeah. I think if there's something you're passionate about, it's going to come through. It's not going to be fake. So that's the other thing. It's really something that you love and you want to share. It's going to show.

Yeah, absolutely. Okay. I want to go into the food part a little bit because you are such a connoisseur. So we'll go into two parts. One is like, where should we eat and all the things? And we'll kind of go breakfast, lunch, and dinner, like your favorite spots. And then two, I want to dive into the ag world a little bit with agriculture. So diving in, like, if someone's visiting Hawai’i, or even for us locals who are like, we have so many options, we don't even know the options that we have. What's your go to for breakfast if you had to choose?

I get that question all the time. Like, what's your favorite for this, this and this. And just really depends on what it is that I want that day. It could be something like going to Cinnamons or just going to Kalapawai. It could be. And what I found is that there's not a lot of places that do breakfast anymore because pandemic really changed the scope of how restaurants really are operating. Tango was always my number one place to go because it was open super early. It would open, I believe, before pandemic.

It was 06:00.

Oh, yeah.

Earlier. And I would do my breakfast meetings there. But you would see every powerhouse having breakfast. Yeah, but their hours are. I believe it's seven now, but that's a place. That's a go to place. I know the food is going to be good and the service is great and the coffee is really good.

And that's in Honolulu.

That's in the Ward area.

Okay. Yeah, I mean, I'm a west sider. I don't go town very much. What?

There's lots of great places here on.

The west side, too.

But most of the places, like Mariposa, is a go to for lunch. The service is exceptional and the food quality, the reason why I bring that up is I've been told many times, like, oh, I would never go there. And I'm like, you would be quite surprised to see how attainable and affordable the entrees are. And the food is so good, service is excellent, but it's pretty similar to other lunch places that you would go to.

Yeah. Okay, so let's talk dinner for a. Like, more specifically, though, I think we have such a range of Asian food here in Hawai’i, and that's really, like our sweet spot. Right. Is like, okay, we have six, seven countries to choose from. Which one could you choose? Is there a specific thai spot or. I don't know. We love Pig and the Lady, but something like that, that's different than your traditional barbecue.

Where would you go?

So I always bring up Chef Chai's for a reason. Chef Chai is the only thai trained chef in Hawaii.

Oh, I didn't know.

He will make time to time, he'll make a special thai menu. It was like his childhood favorites, but his cooking, he kind of takes all of the ethnicities and puts it into one. So there's something for everybody. He even has one of the best. Lamb chops, oxtail soup. It's so good and it's consistent. And I think that if you're going to go to a dinner, you want the food to be consistent. I bring a lot of out of town guests there and they are blown away.

Yeah. Like I said, calories. You're going to eat calories. It better be worth it.

Absolutely. And I've heard Chef Chai is just like a great experience. Like, overall, from the atmosphere and everything. It's super good.

Yeah.

For someone who's touring here, they're a tourist. Do you have a top three go to's? Like, must hit these?

You know, what I find is I see a lot of tourists that look at Yelp and things like that. I think you're going to find restaurants open because the food is good, period. So you can't go wrong. I think there's some places that overcharge. You could probably get that item for less expensive, but that's really what it is. If you do your research and if you look at local types of resources that do recommend different types of restaurants, you can't lose.

So true. Yeah. And I think just experiment. Like, hawaii is a great place to experiment and try something you've never tried. So one that I always say is, you got to try filipino food because you probably don't have it in your hometown, back in the states.

So peso, they just opened up at Ward Village.

I haven't been yet. Is it good?

It is so good. I don't want to use the word upscale, but it's more of, like, it's your grandma's cooking, but with a little finesse twist, like a fusion.

Like fusion.

But, I mean, the flavors are still there, but it's kind of giving it more of, like. Kind of like an update, because I feel like some of the older traditional cuisine, it's kind of getting boring for people.

Super simple.

I mean, you want to make sure that kind of palate you kind of increase the awareness to the younger generation and keep it going.

Love that. Yeah. Like, chicken and papaya is just chicken papaya. But if we add a little crunch, maybe it's cool.

They do all the things. They have a pinoy. How do I say it? Pinoymakase, pinoymakase. So it's like an omakase, but it's all fusion. It's super fun.

Okay. We've been talking about going, and every time we drive by, we're like, we got to check that out.

You have to check it out.

Thank you. Okay, that's a good one. Okay. Switching over to the farm stuff a little bit. So I own Tolentino Honey Co, like I said. So we have 75 beehives out in y and I on the family farm. Wow. My in laws have been farming out there since 1980.

So long, long time. We have ten acres, and now we're finding ourselves where. We've bought two condos in Ho’opili. We're very thankful for that, but we're ready to move back to the farm, and so in two weeks, we're moving.

Back to Waianae

Oh, my goodness.

But that means I really want to get back involved in the farm. So in 2017, 2018, three days a week for 4 hours a day, I was beekeeping. That was, like, what I was doing, and we learned everything from a master beekeeper who was nomadic, traveled all over the world, teaching people how to beekeep. So it was super cool, but I love the relationships that I built with chefs through that process. So we were wholesaling to MW, to fet. We're all friends, right? Bread shop. All of us are good vendor friends. And now I'm like, we've kind of separated from that world because we got modern.

I don't know, Ewa Beach life. I want to go back to the farm, but what I'm finding is in this generation, with our kids, there's such a big disconnection between where our food comes from and where we eat it. Right. And so part of this is creating a nonprofit to really educate on that. So with your experience, just through work, you know, the behind the scenes of the businesses. Right. These chefs are your friends now, these business owners. What are some ways that I can really finesse that and help bridge the gap between where food has grown and how scarce our food, sustainability is, Hawaii, and help this next generation connect with the food and the chefs and all of that.

Do you have any ideas or a narrative I can help share or light on that? Anything?

There's a gentleman by the name of David Wong. A good friend of mine did a show on his farm, Mountain View Farms. He does the same type of farming that Nyman ranch does, but he's a one person that's doing right.

Yeah. Okay. I think I've seen him in Hale magazine sometime, but if you google it, you'll see.

I'll send you the link. But he got, like, almost 100,000 views on that video. He has people calling him all the time because no pesticides, no hormones the way that he does, I guess how he waters the plants is through ocean.

Oh, interesting.

The whole episode walks you through the process. You could literally take a leaf and just eat it. So good walking through. And then he feeds that to the pigs. So it's like this whole natural process.

Regenerative farming. Yes, absolutely. No, that's where we're going to. It's got to work in a full cycle and working with nature instead of against it and forcing something to happen.

And he's right. In wine.

I know we've heard of his name quite a bit, and we just haven't made the connection. But I will reach out. Yeah. Thank you.

I would love to connect you too.

Yeah, no, that'd be great. And great homeschooling experience for the kids. So I'll go out there and learn some stuff. No, thank you so mean. I think that's where this episode can kind of come to a close, is just like all these amazing things in Hawaii that are at our disposal. So many things to eat, so many things that are unique to Hawaii, and we just need to know more about them. And that's through connecting with cool people like you who know the secret spots and all the good things and then seeing what can we do to make Hawai better. That's really a big part of it.

And so what you're doing with this concert at Blazdale, you want to give us one more time the spiel of how to get involved and what's included with all that?

So tickets are on sale now. It's 98 degrees and friends, so it's a restoration of the heart of Maui. We say friends because you never know who's going to show up.

That's exciting.

But all tickets, all the prices for all the ticket sales will go to the Lahaina fire victims. And then also our nonprofit partner is Hara, and they are the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts. It's kind of like our version of the academy. And all of the musicians, whether you are hawaiian descent or not, but local musicians, this is part of that organization. So they are the 501 partner.

Got it.

So all of the proceeds will be funneled through them?

Yeah. Amazing. And is tickets already on sale?

Yes. You can go to ticketmaster.com or Blaze dell Arena box office and then 98 degrees, all of their social media and their website, you can purchase tickets that way, too.

Okay. And then if you're actively looking for sponsorships, so if there are businesses that want to donate and all that, how do they get involved? Who do they talk to?

So if you go to that website, or you could literally email me at honoluluanne@gmail.com. Anne with an e. It's all on the QR code. There's a QR code. And all the psas are going to be running right now, radio stations and television stations, so you can see what it's about.

Yeah, no, we're so excited for that. I'm definitely going to be there.

Awesome.

So we wrap up every episode with a fun rapid fire. So what is your Starbucks order?

Oh, venti dark roast.

Okay, easy, simple. She's a simple girl. What do you make for dinner? If it's last minute doordash or uber eats. Do you cook? She got it unlocked on the app. What's your favorite? Go to department of target. Do you have a favorite designer?

Oh, you know what? We like to go to Bullseye area.

Yeah, that's good ones in there. Name a book or a podcast you'd recommend to the show audience and why.

I love armchair expert.

Okay.

He covers. I just enjoy the banter and the type of guests that he brings on, because Dax, you look at Monica is this sweet personality, and then you have Dax, who's like. He's from Michigan. He drives muscle cars, and they just have such a balance, and then they bring in these amazing people I've never heard of. And then you just learn about.

Barack.

Obama was on their random armchair what? Armchair expert.

Okay, so I'm going to check that one out. That's a fun one. TikTok or Instagram?

Instagram.

Okay. And where can listeners find you online, or how do you want them to get in touch with you? Just your email or the site?

Right now, sparklee808 is my instagram handle. Sparklee Productions. The website is being developed.

Okay. Exciting. Very good. Well, this is a good one, I think, just to plant some seeds, get people excited about Hawai'i’s food, and really to connect with you. And you are a woman of many talents and many connections, and I'm glad that I got to connect with you today. This is the beginning of a relationship that I'm excited about.

No, thank you. It's a pleasure and honor to meet you.

You. Yeah, thank you so much. And that's a wrap. We'll see you again next time.