With only a couple of seconds and a single chance to make a great first impression, doing it right is difficult. A quick and dirty stride to perfection can result in performance anxiety. It’s not fair that most of us have to work at it – practice in the mirror even – while others…

For Bartender Brooke Adams it comes off as effortless. She leaves you with a lasting first impression before you’ve even been seated at her bar.

Brooke Adams

“It’s not work, as to most. It’s an adventure I look forward to everyday”, she states eloquently when asked the question, “What do you love most about your job?”

She serves me a refreshing carafe of Mojito with an empty glass to refill at whim (which by the way is half off during happy hour, chump change at $5 a carafe) while awaiting her return to answer my questions between orders while she equally divided attention with the rest of her regulars.

WCM: This is a hot bar! How do you manage to keep things sizzling day after day ?

Brooke: Great service and a big smile!

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?

Brooke: When you love what you do, it’s easy. You don’t even think; you just do.

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

Brooke: This is a nice place.

WCM: Okay, better put, how did you originally find your way to Bistro Casanova? How long have you been working here?

Brooke: I heard through Maui’s coconut wireless that the popular upcountry Italian Restaurant & Deli was opening in another location. The excitement of a great restaurant being so close to me without having to drive so far made me want to work there, and I’ve been there ever since.

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

Brooke: ……..a flight attendant doing the same thing, but in the air and traveling the world at the same time.

Now we are well into my 2nd caraffe of Mojito, which by the way, I have failed to pour into my empty glass, being so wrapped up with the most delectable spread sitting in front of me from the Tapas menu.

The delicate flavors of the Nori Wrapped Seared Ahi served with a wasabi aioli made me forget where I was for a minute or two while I shoveled it in like no one was watching. Every crunch of the Sauteed Mushrooms over crostini with garlic & chives and a hint of Brandy sauce enhanced the deep flavor and made it a true Italian delight. Then lastly, for the French fry freak that I am, the ever popular frites with Rosemary served with a caper mayo dipping sauce capped the evening.

WCM: Bistro Casanova is undoubtedly Central Maui’s best place to meet and mingle. How do you make everyone feel so at home at your bar?

Brooke: Being around so many different personalities so much of the time, I learned how to multi task my abilities and share my attention equally among everyone sitting at my bar.

WCM: I happen to know firsthand you’ve watched the evolution of many relationships from your position behind the bar; from heady first date to heart aching split. Do you offer advice to the lovelorn?

Brooke: I am not one to judge and offer biased advice.

WCM: How do you handle prickly situations?

Brooke: I don’t, but if I must, a smile, a sorry, and perhaps a glass of water with a lemon wedge (because they might have had too much to drink).

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

Brooke: I like the sound of the ice while shaking a Martini. After hours, I like an extra dirty Grey Goose or a nice glass of Pinot.

WCM: What do you love most about your job?

Brooke: Meeting new people and making them smile while they sit in front of me.

Exiting the parking lot of Bistro Casanova not knowing of whether it was one too many Mojitos or having enjoyed the food way too much, I find myself belting out the lyrics to the popular song, ” I Love This Bar” by Toby Keith. Then I wave goodbye to my friends through my rear view mirror with a promise of meeting next week, same place, same time.

Bistro Casanova, 33 Lono Ave, Kahului, Hi 96732 (808)873-3650

Hours of Operation: Daily Mon – Sat, closed on Sun

Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm

Tapas: 4pm – 9:30pm

Dinner: 5pm – 9:30pm

Happy Hour: 4pm – 6pm

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!

Chef Bev Gannon

For the past ten years Bev Gannon, her restaurants, and catering business, have garnered enough awards to fill the entire wall of her upcountry dining room including Top Maui Restaurant as noted by Honolulu Magazine’s Hale `Aina Award,  in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and Maui No Ka Oi Magazine’s `Aipono Award in 2004, 21005, 2006. Readers of the Maui News voted her Best Chef on Maui this year, but she was almost too busy to notice!

Bev Gannon is on a roll! Admittedly, she’s been rolling along for twenty years, ever since moving to Maui and opening Hali`imaile General Store.  It’s not as if success is anything new for Chef Gannon, but the past year we’ve seen her stand in the spotlight even more than usual as the winsome and highly acclaimed Chef ratchets her significant talents to a whole new level.

Perhaps it’s the satisfaction she gained after celebrating Hali`imaile’s twentieth birthday last year, or the inspiration derived recently by finishing her second cookbook, Family Style Meals at the Hali`imaile General Store, or the fact she’s added yet another restaurant to her list of enterprises.

The Restaurants!
Already there was Joe’s in Wailea, Hali`maile General Store, the Lanai Grill, and Celebration Catering. Then in August Chef Gannon “quietly” took over Sea Watch in Wailea. After participating in the upcoming Restaurant Week Wailea, Nov. 8-14^th during which a prix fixe menu will be offered at Sea Watch for $29, (link here) the doors of Sea Watch will temporarily close December 1^st for a full remodeling. Quite an undertaking, sure to result in a new and exciting dining experience for Maui.

Flying High!
Bev also serves as executive chef for Hawaiian Airlines and constantly updates the innovative menu options. Her delicious food is one of the main reasons to fly Hawaiian! What other airline serves duck stir-fry or Grilled Salmon with Coconut Curry Sauce and Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes? Beyond creating menus, Bev supervises chefs in all major Hawaiian air terminal locations –from Sydney to Portland, Oregon, and shares her recipes via in-flight videos. (Try this recipe for Blackened Ahi with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, Wasabi Greens, Tobiko & Mashed Potatoes which I snatched from Bev’s Blog.)

The Spotlight!
Chef Gannon accomplishes all that when she is not fulfilling her role as media darling, appearing with Sam Choy, Rachel Ray, Giada or giving cooking demonstrations on the mainland. (Search YouTube to see some of the places Bev has appeared on camera in the past twenty years.)

The Community!
In her role as community leader, Bev believes in giving back to many local organizations including the Maui Food Bank, Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center, and the Maui Culinary Academy.

On December 6^th, Bev is offering her home as part of the Holiday Home Tour sponsored by the Maui branch of Planned Parenthood to benefit educational outreach programs. Although typically closed on Sundays, the gracious and generous Chef will open Hali`imaile General Store for tour participants from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Call 808-572-2666 for reservations and information.)

The Zin!
Adding to her impressive schedule and accomplishments, Bev will also headline at the 19^th Annual Zinfandel Festival (or ZAP) in San Francisco, January 28-30, 2010. During the three day affair she will be wowing local foodies with a signature Hawaii dish “certain to surprise expectations,” among other expressions of her culinary talents. Because promoter John Hanhauser is such a Gannon Fan as well as Maui homeowner, the Maui Culinary Academy has been named a beneficiary of funds raised at the event.

The Woman!
Besides her obvious skills in the kitchen, it is her positive outlook, innate sense of hospitality, and practiced Aloha that all adds up and keeps the award winning Chef in such high demand. She’s been compared to Julia Child which is not totally off-track. Both women project a strong sense of themselves along with a love of food and the people they feed. Both crashed through gender barriers in a profession dominated by males. Bev was the only female member of the original twelve chefs who helped create the Hawaiian Regional Cuisine movement – the gang that started the whole “Pacific Rim” style of food preparation which took the world by storm and did for Hawaiian dining what Wynn did for Vegas. In short, Bev Gannon deserves all the accolades and opportunities that have come her way. We can’t wait to see what she takes on next!