Isabella with Maui's Best Mai Tai

Meeting Isabella, you notice her good looks first, followed immediately by her accent. When asked if she’s German, she quickly clarifies – Bavarian.

Like most residents of Bavaria, she is proud of her origins, and why not? Dwellers of her home state in southern Germany are well known for their fun-loving good nature – think Oktoberfest.

Yet, in spite of having grown up just two hours outside Munich, Bella (as she likes to be called) admits with a shrug to having never attended the famous festival of beer and blasmuzik. Would she like to join the fun some day? To Bella, the job at Mai Tai offers a more exotic and manageable party nightly.

Isabella Serves and Mixes with Equal Aplomb

Find Isabella and her jolly attitude every night except Monday and Wednesday at the Mai Tai Lounge on Front Street in Lahaina. Before you do, here’s a chance to get to know her a little better:

WCM: How do you mange to keep things sizzling night after night?

Bella: My enthusiasm for the job and great drinks such as Mojitos, Margaritas, dirty Martinis, Cosmos and Lemondrops,  and of course our signature drink, the Mai Tai!

WCM: You’re not just a bar manager. You also serve meals at your bar. With all the serving, bussing, pouring, mixing, and special orders, how do you manage it all so seamlessly?

Bella: My years of experience and my German charm.

WCM: Off the cuff — what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?

Isabella Fuerst

Bella: Enjoying what I like to do, making drinks and meeting amazing people from all over the world (who will buy some real estate here on this beautiful island of Maui.)

WCM: Okay, better put, how did you originally find your way to  Mai Tai Lounge? How long have you been working there?

Bella: Just walked in one day after JD from the liquor commission recommended me to William the owner. I have worked here over one year.

WCM: If I weren’t the bar manager at Mai Tai, I’d be….

Bella: … the owner.

WCM: How do you make everyone feel so at home at your bar?

Bella: I treat them how I would like to be treated and show my customers a good time at the bar.

WCM: Do you offer advice to the lovelorn?

Bella: Find your best friend in the person you love, the person you can see every day and love to hang out with because, ladies and gentlemen, looks will fade.

WCM: How do you handle prickly situations?

Bella: I cut them off.

WCM: What’s your favorite libation to serve? To enjoy after hours?

Bella: Margaritas

WCM: What do you love most about your job?

Bella: Meeting new people.

WCM: What else would you like our readers to know about you?

Bella:  I have been in the states a total of 8 years now. I started in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and moved on to Santa Cruz, California, then to Kauai and now on Maui. I am going on my 4th year here and counting. My 2nd passion, next to making drinks, is real estate. I am a real estate agent working for the oldest company on Maui called Maui Realty Company, Inc. I get a lot of my clients from Mai Tai Lounge, so it’s a good job to have from that point of view. I have a dog named Kaya and a cat named Missy, whom I love dearly and miss them when I’m away. I love taking Kaya to the beach and on long walks.

WCM: Thanks for letting us get to know you better!

Bella: See you at Mai Tai Lounge!