Aunty Tammy and Uncle Danny Smith were honored for their overflowing aloha, generous nature of ho‘okipa (hospitality) and contributions providing ‘ai pono (nutritious traditional food) to local communities, especially keiki and kūpuna.
HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) presented Tourism Legacy Awards to a trio of organizations and individuals for their outstanding achievements in supporting local agriculture, furthering Hawai‘i’s agricultural and culinary sectors, and contributing to Hawai‘i’s regenerative tourism future. Individual ‘ō‘ō awards were presented at HTA’s 2023 Tourism Legacy Awards luncheon to Aunty Tammy and Uncle Danny Smith, Go Farm Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau.
ʻŌʻō are one of the core traditional tools for agriculturalists in Hawaiʻi. The ʻōʻō were crafted from ʻōhiʻa wood and commissioned by HTA from educator and artisan Mahi La Pierre who named these ʻōʻō collectively, Nā Hale Lehua symbolizing the strength, resilience, and wisdom of the awardees. The ʻōʻō were oiled with kukui to further symbolize the recipients’ enlightenment, knowledge, and leadership in the community.
The nexus of agriculture, culinary endeavors and tourism strengthens economic diversification for Hawai‘i. HTA is proud to support the success of farm, ranch and food tours; programs encouraging buying local and bolstering the work of farmers and food producers; and restaurateurs and retailers buying, stocking and serving Hawai‘i-grown and -raised ingredients. Continued support of agriculture was also a core request from residents in HTA’s Destination Management Action Plans.
“HTA remains committed to strengthening and growing the interconnectivity of Hawai‘i’s visitor industry, restaurant and culinary sector, and sustainable agriculture,” said Daniel Nāho‘opi‘i, HTA’s Interim President and CEO. “Local farmers, ranchers, fishermen and food producers need local chefs, restaurateurs and caterers to be successful and profitable, and vice versa. Their support of each other’s product and goals is as important as assuring residents and visitors know about, taste and purchase the ever-growing array of fresh and flavorful homegrown produce, ingredients and more in our islands.”
Nāho‘opi‘i continued, “HTA is honored to celebrate and recognize Aunty Tammy and Uncle Danny Smith, Go Farm Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau for their hard work, leadership and kuleana in supporting, sustaining and promoting local agriculture among residents and visitors alike. They are champions of our state’s food self-sustainability future and are actively curbing our islands’ reliance on importing foods. We and Hawai‘i’s communities are grateful for all they do.”
Go Farms Hawai‘i was recognized for its statewide beginning-farmer training program for increasing the number of farmers in Hawai‘i and supporting and encouraging them to “go farm” for the benefit of our communities, residents and visitors.
The nonprofit Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, which works closely with ag-industry organizations and individuals statewide, was honored for being advocates of Hawai‘i’s diverse agricultural community and advancing the social, economic and educational interests of farmers and ranchers.
HTA’s Tourism Legacy Awards annually honor organizations and individuals that have established and sustained a legacy of aloha through their perpetuation of Hawaiian culture. The 2023 Tourism Legacy Awards ceremony was one of the final events of HTA’s two-day Hawai‘i Tourism Conference, which was held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center yesterday and today.
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