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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, January 20, 2004

SHOW BIZ
Compadres owner Enos first-time grandfather

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

PARTY TIME: Restaurateur Rick Enos put family matters aside last week to fly to Honolulu for Compadres' 20th anniversary. This, at the height of anticipation of the birth of his first grandchild. He welcomed past employees at a reunion party, when the restaurant's phone rang. Son Scott had become the proud parent of Emma, born Wednesday at 8 pounds. Mom April is doing fine, too. The reunion celebration turned into a congratulate-the-new-grandpa celebration, with longtime friends and Compadres founders Dick and Monene Bradley among the well-wishers. Original g.m. Kern Rogerson and wife Nikki, a real-estate agent, were on hand, as were former g.m. Burd Paterson (now with Buca de Beppo) and ex-employees Lisa Higashiguchi and Mary Ann Bailey of Hoku's, Karl Riker of Cheeseburger in Paradise, Greg Johnson of Indigo Eurasian Cuisine, Gregg Jewell of Ihilani, and Jan Solidad of Tommy Bahama. Current g.m. John Langan helped host the party. Enos said he fulfilled terms of the original 20-year lease with Ward Centre and has signed on for five more years that could easily become 20 more.

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HERE 'N' THERE: Alison England, the soprano who did her "Broadway, Opera & Beyond" concert Saturday night at the Hawai'i Theatre, has fond memories of the Islands thanks to her musician-dad, Nicholas England. He sang here during World War II with a quintet called The Beachcombers. "One of the singers was Carl Reiner," she said, meaning the veteran comedian. ...

When singer Yvonne Elliman and her dad, Russ, dined at Wai'oli Tea Room, her "I Don't Know How to Love Him" was playing on the restaurant's sound system, according to manager Brian Jahnke. Elliman told her server, Trinette, that she'll be doing a world tour later this year with other original singers from "Jesus Christ Superstar." ...

Hugh Downs, former "20/20" co-host with Barbara Walters, recently brought his entire 'ohana to the Palace Suites at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. "Downs time" was spent at the pools and at the hotel's extensive art collections, and the Discover Waikoloa Gallery. ...

Erin Newton, daughter of Las Vegas superstar Wayne Newton, gave Hilton Waikoloa Village's wedding planner atelier (Heather Sousa is the wedding planning director there) the reins to create a memorable wedding cake for her Jan. 10 nuptials at the resort's Palace Gardens. Award-winning pastry chef David Brown created a three-layer wedding cake festooned with orchids and made of passion fruit, chocolate and banana, which earned a thumb's up from groom Adam. Yep, the father of the bride gave her away, but we don't know if he sang "Danke Schoen". ...

Date to circle: "Mardi Gras 2004" will launch Feb. 27 at Pearl Harbor's Banyan Club; Jack Cione directs. ...

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ITEMIZATIONS: Arriving in music stores today: Jim Nabors' "More Songs of Inspiration" CD, with some tracks that were initially released as early as 1966. Among the great ones: "Ave Maria," "He," "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" and "The Impossible Dream," rendered in Nabors' inimitable style. ...

No doubt inspired by the early Food Network faves the Two Fat Ladies, "Two Skinny Chefs" — Chai Chaowasaree of Chai's Island Bistro and Singha Thai Cuisine, and Beth-Ann Nishijima of Hilo's Nori's Saimin and Snacks — will surface as a TV cooking show, premiering at 6:30 p.m. Saturday (repeating at 4 p.m. Sunday) on KGMB. They've had a history of partnerships before, so a joint cooking show is not surprising. As for the skinny selling point: there's Sam Choy's long-standing slogan, "Never Trust a Skinny Chef," though he's been taking off the pounds for health reasons. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Wayne Harada's Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays; reach him at 525-8067 or wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.