Lahaina Chef Honda Honored for Helping Iselle & Kilauea Victims

Lahaina Chef Lyndon Honda. Courtesy photo.

By Maui Now Staff

Lahaina Chef Lyndon Honda was honored by State Rep. Joy San Buenaventura and the Rotary Club of Pāhoa Sunset at the club’s awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 2, for raising more than $40,000 to help the people and businesses of Pāhoa on Hawaiʻi Island who were affected by last August’s Hurricane Iselle and Kilauea volcano’s ongoing eruption.

Honda, owner-chef of Laulima Events and Catering, was applauded for his aloha spirit and fundraising efforts and presented with a resolution from the 2015 State House of Representatives at the Rotary banquet at the Akebono Theater in Pāhoa.

Rep. San Buenaventura cited Honda’s love for “cuisine and food culture combined with his selfless desire to help others” in motivating him to organize culinary events raising $28,000 last September and $15,000 in February to benefit the Puna community.

“Lyndon not only rallied the chefs from Maui and the Big Island to help raise money for the victims,” San Buenaventura said, “but he got them to provide all the necessary supplies, food and tools needed to prepare their dishes so that 100% of the funds raised went to the victims.”

Checks for $3,000 were presented to The Neighborhood Place of Puna, Kua O Ka La and Hawaiian Academy of Arts and Sciences public charter schools, the Puna Community Medical Center fund and Kalani Honua at the awards banquet last night.

Earlier this year the Pāhoa Rotary distributed $750 grants to 31 local farmers and $5,000 to the Hawaiʻi Island Food Bank from the funds Honda raised on Maui last year.