Diane Woodburn of Maui No Ka Oi Magazine talks with chef Lee Anne Wong and farmer Manu Vinciguerra. In this podcast Lee Anne talks about what brought her from New York City to Hawaii, why she switched from pursuing a career in fashion to one in the culinary industry, what it was like being part of the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef TV series, how she stayed on the series to help produce future seasons, how Top Chef paved the way for other cooking competition shows, how food-based television has influenced restaurants, what inspired her to open Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu, why she came from Oahu to Maui, what her vision is to revamp the restaurant at the Pioneer Inn on Maui, how she’s using the stay-at-home time to prep for it’s reopening, and what her expectations are for the immediate future of dining.
Diane also speaks with Manu Vinciguerra of Kumu Farms () about how she made her way from Italy to Hawaii, why she moved first to Molokai, what got her into farming with Kumu Farms, how she came from Molokai to Maui, the challenges of farming in Hawaii, why it’s important to buy local, how Kumu Farms adapted to make more produce boxes during the Covid-19 situation, how the community has come out to support Kumu Farms and utilize their products in this time, the ways people can purchase and pick up produce at Kumu Farms, how Kumu Farms is donating food to different causes including current front line workers, and why she looks at this situation with an optimistic future.
