The Left Lane
Streamin' Rabbett

However, Abbett, a Kailua resident whose 5-year-old service Internet Radio Hawaii (www.irh.com) is among the pioneer sites, is a Web radio mover and shaker. So it's not surprising that he's now part of the StreamAudio network of 600-plus Internet radio stations. This means the IRH program of traditional Hawaiian music is delivered on a 32K stereo stream, a pipe fat enough to be tapped by multitudes of new listeners.

When James Beard died in 1985, his friend Julia Child was determined that the memory of the "Father of American gastronomy" should be preserved in some concrete way; it was her idea to renovate his Greenwich Village brownstone and make it a culinary center. Former Beard student Peter Kump spearheaded the effort and became the first president of the James Beard Foundation, which has launched a prestigious awards program for restaurants, chefs and food writers, created scholarships to help culinary students and financed these and other efforts with a series of sought-after dinners featuring chefs nationwide.

Quite a number of Hawai'i chefs have schlepped Island ingredients across the country for the nerve-wracking but high-profile honor of cooking a James Beard House dinner.

The next to be featured in a series sponsored by the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau are Bryan Ashlock of the Sheraton Maui and Scott Lutey of the Sheraton Kau'ai with a "Gourmet Lu'au" featuring such dishes as Imu Turkey in Profiterole, Pohole Fern and Seared Foie Gras, Chili Pepper Opihi with Ma'alaea Limu, Trio of Steamed Laulau and — what else? — Haupia Cake with Kona Coffee Glaze.

Also up: Eric Faivre of The Orchid at Mauna Lani and James Cassidy of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Sept. 10; Beverly Gannon of Hali'imaile General Store and Mark Ellman of Penne and Maui Tacos Oct. 17; and James McDonald of I'o and Pacific'o Dec. 14. (Info: www.jamesbeard.org)

Speaking of Beard honors, paging through the spring Beard House magazine, we spotted a photo of former Islander Sherry Chiyoko Au, who won a $3,000 scholarship from the Peter Kump Cooking School and snagged a job at New York's Vong restaurant after graduation. Maika'i!

Thanks, Dad

Now, here's a creative idea for a Father's Day gift: Inspired by his father's service in World War II and the man's "quiet dignity" about his accomplishments, lawyer Gary Hale of Ansonia, Conn., created a Web site, www.yourtruehero.org, mounted Lester Hale's story on the site and invited students from around the world to contribute stories about their own true-life heroes.

Hale reports that they got more than 8,000 stories in less than three weeks on the noncommercial site. More than 200,000 people have visited the site and students who enter are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship for the best story.