SHOW BIZ
Sansei culinary secrets soon to be revealed

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

MAUI WOWIE: D.K. Kodama's "The Sansei Cookbook" (working title) contract is signed, sealed and delivered. It is his first cookbook project — which means entails revealing some of his recipe secrets — and the second for writer Bonnie Friedman. Ten Speed Press hopes to get it out by next Christmas ...

And Kodama's second Maui Sansei, pegged for an April opening in Kihei, has an executive chef, Tom Selman, who's already at work at the Kapalua eatery. Selman was a chef at David Paul's for several years before joining the Sansei 'ohana ...

Nake'u Awai, the designer and fashion-show guru, is mounting a Year of the Horse musical revue, set for 4:30 p.m. today and 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Lahaina Cannery Mall. The show was created to mark the arrival on Maui of Maile Meyer's new Na Mea Hawai'i shop; Meyer, who founded Native Books & Beautiful Things, is sailing a new course, planning to open a Waikiki outlet, too, which, like Native Books, would concentrate on Hawaiian-made merchandise. Awai has tapped Randy Hongo, Alvin Ing and Liane Mark, plus members of the 'Ulalena company (for Saturday's shows) to model gear that he created, plus garb from mall merchants such as Blue Ginger and Jeans West ...

SHOW BITS: You'd never know it, watching Bert Sagum prance, dance and frolic on the Outrigger Waikiki stage, but he's got a broken left rib or two, which means a jolt of pain with every move. It's an injury from an auto accident in Las Vegas about three weeks ago when the Society of Seven was still performing there. Trouper that he is, Sagum continues his antics (Little Richard impression, cha-cha dancing, etc.) without skipping a beat. What he can't do for now is play golf ...

Jonathan Kaina and Jan Luna, members of the spin-off group, Society of Seven Las Vegas, were among the first-nighters welcoming the group back to the showroom. Kaina was marking his birthday. The group will make its Neighbor Island debut at 8 p.m. Feb. 15 and 16 at the Crown Room of the Hawai'i Naniloa Hotel in Hilo. Tickets: $25, available through the hotel, at (808) 969-3333 ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Barbie Benton, former Playboy Playmate, dined at Keo's in Waikiki the other night with KCCN Radio host Dr. Diana Wiley. She was pleased to see a photo of herself on the Wall of Fame, taken during an earlier visit. Just tables away: an NBC-TV crew, in town for the Pro Bowl this weekend ...

A Valentine's dinner, on Feb. 14 at the Banyan Veranda of the Sheraton Moana Surfer Hotel, is a very romantic outing. A special menu is on tap, natch, with a $42 price tag, but you get a real Valentine performing — Johnny Valentine — with Ginny Tiu, sister of first lady Vicky Cayetano, at the piano. Valentine, who has performed with Stardust, the Love Notes and Nite Splendor, now is a ladies' man — the lone gent with Ladies Night, which includes a trio of female warblers ...

Pucker up — and get your kisses judged — in Merle Norman's "Most Kissable Lips" concert, at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Kahala Mall. Paul Drewes of KHNL-8 will judge. Your lip prints (lip colors will be provided) determine the three top winners ...

Jodi Leong, KHNL-8 news anchor, will portray Mrs. Potiphar, the seductive wife of an Egyptian slave owner, in the upcoming "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," playing April 18-21 at the Hawai'i Theatre. Matthew Pedersen will be Joseph in the Jamarama Productions musical to be directed and choreographed by Andrew Sakaguchi ...

Summer Jensen, daughter of entertainer Dick Jensen, has been hired by Tokyo Disneyland to perform as a hula dancer, so family and friends had a bon voyage celebration at Cafe Sistina last week. Those present: her sister Renee Oliveras, owner of Sanctuary Salon; dad Jensen; empresario Tom Moffatt; Jack Law, owner of Wave Waikiki and Hula's Bar & Lei Stand; Summer's fiance, Flash Hansen, promotions director of Wave Waikiki; G-Spot, of Double-O-Spot Productions; Komo Low, a promoter of W's Wonder Lounge; and Jim Bluester, co-owner of Faith Riding Co.

The party moved on to the Pussycat Lounge for wee-hour cocktails and dancing ...

And that's Show Biz ...

Wayne Harada's Show Biz runs Wednesdays and Fridays.

Reach him at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.