William Sonoma Taste

The Story Behind Honolulu’s Newest Must Try Restaurant

As talks about opening a restaurant inside the new Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club progressed, Michelle Jaime, the hotel’s designer from The Vanguard Theory, showed Kenney her inspiration board for what the space could look like. There, in the lower right-hand corner, was a picture of a 1950s-era hula dancer with a hibiscus flower tucked behind her ear—and the dancer was Kenney’s mom. “It was pure coincidence, but it meant something to me,” says Kenney.