SHOW BIZ
Gourmet gala will toast TV host Hari Kojima

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

After doing personal cooking demos and book signings at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua for Morgan Stanley top brass, noted Chicago chef Charlie Trotter accompanied the execs to I'o restaurant in Lahaina last week. An acquaintance of chef James McDonald's, Trotter delighted the cadre of young I'o cooks with a photo op with them in front of the restaurant's show kitchen. ...

And chef George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro is back from a James Beard Best Chefs in America wingding in New York, where he joined others in cooking up a $500-per-person gala dinner for 70 high-end American Express members. It was kind of a gathering of kitchen kingpins, with Marcus Samuelsson (New York), Hiro Sone (California), Takashi Yagihashi (Detroit), Chris Biano (Phoenix) and Clifford Harrison (Atlanta, who grew up in Kailua) also participating. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Maryknoll School, home of "American Idol" contestant Jasmine Trias, had a host of local idols performing at a program Sunday honoring former Gov. George Ariyoshi at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The 7th annual Monsignor Charles A. Kekumano Award was bestowed on Ariyoshi, who was entertained by Nina Keali'iwahamana (Class of '54 and a former recipient herself), Iwalani Kahalewai and Gary Aiko. Mahi Beamer provided piano accompaniment, and Beverly Noa was featured on hula. Taking advantage of its current national attention, Maryknoll also had Trias-autographed items on the auction block. ...

And the aforementioned Keali'iwahamana and Noa will join Danny Kaleikini and Kit Samson, among others, in a Hawai'i Theatre benefit, "Under the Kahala Moon," April 30 at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental. Kaleikini and Samson (the latter with his Sound Advice) were staples at the resort when it was the Kahala Hilton, and the fund-raiser will reflect the spirit of the good ol' days. ...

Mark Medoff's "Gunfighter" will be produced by the Manoa Valley Theatre starting May 19, so the entire cast spent time at a "boot camp," led by Wade Kersey, military consultant for the show (who by day is a tech director at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth). Kersey is an ex-Marine who fought on the ground in the 1991 Persian Gulf war, on which the play is based. So the 20-plus cast members toiled on marching drills and underwent basic training. Not only that, Marsha Nadalin of Marsha Nadalin Salon and Day Spa brought her clippers to a practice session and gave the guys buzz cuts. Even Dwight Martin, who is MVT producing director, got snipped and clipped, since he'll appear as Gen. Starbuck. And Medoff, author of such works as "Children of a Lesser God," will arrive here May 9 to work with the cast as associate director, alongside director Joyce Maltby. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Wayne Harada's Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach him at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.