Hi everyone, you're listening to Radio Cherry Bomb, and I'm your host, Carrie Diamond.

We have a special interview for you today with Leanne Wong, the Maui-based chef who lost

her restaurant in the tragic Lahaina fires earlier this month.

Leanne and I spoke a few days ago via Zoom.

Like many in Maui's culinary community, Chef Leanne is part of the relief efforts taking place.

She is working with a collective known as Chef Hui, and they are making on average 10,000 meals

a day for those in need. She is also spreading the word about what happened and what is going on

right now in Maui in an effort to raise both awareness and funds. Chef Leanne's restaurant, Papa Ina, was located at the Pioneer Inn,

an historic hotel built in Lahaina in 1901.

Chef Leanne took over the restaurant space almost four years ago

and was happy to finally have the pandemic behind her, and then tragedy struck.

Leanne also has a restaurant, Noahu, called called Coco Head Cafe, and the team there has been

fundraising and doing what they can to help their Lahaina colleagues.

As Chef Leanne told me, she is grateful for the support of the culinary community at home and beyond,

and thankful to everyone who has reached out to her.

She told me during times of need or distress

or even peace, the culinary community is always the first to jump in. We understand food is love

and food heals people, she said. Please visit our show notes for the link to the GoFundMe campaign

for the staff of the Pioneer Inn and Papa Ina restaurant and for the link to donate

to Chef Hui. Please give if you can. Here is my interview with Chef Leanne Wong.

Leanne, first thing I wanted to say is thank you so much for doing this this morning and I just

wanted to say how sorry I am on behalf of our team and our community at large.

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