On Saturday, April 30, 2022, the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce (HJCC) hosted a virtual gathering, the final event in the first-ever Chopsticks & Wine with a Twist, featuring a month’s worth of events celebrating food, wine and our community. 

We hosted dine-in and takeout opportunities for Corporate Table sponsors, as well as individual packages for two at participating restaurants including MW Restaurant, RumFire Waikiki, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Sansei Waikiki. 

We offered unique wine packages for sale, curated by Fujioka Wine Times, including a Wagner Family Wines package and a Taste of Italy package. 

The hour-long Final Night Dinner and Virtual Program was emceed by former HJCC Chairman Jason Ito, and participants enjoyed the event while dining on a delicious meal prepared by A Catered Experience. Dinner packages were conveniently available via drive-thru pick-up thanks to a well-organized team of HJCC volunteers.

The program included a live mixology presentation from Dave Newman, who demonstrated how to make a classic old-fashioned cocktail (the kit was included with the dinner package). Dave also took attendees on a virtual tour of the new Pint+Jigger space!

The final night event also included the selection of five Lucky Draw winners and the conclusion of the Chopsticks & Wine Silent Auction, which featured over 200 fabulous items, including hotel stays, rounds of golf, restaurant gift certificates and unique Experience Packages donated by HJCC members.

During the program, we also had a chance to hear from Corporate Table sponsors. It was wonderful to see the fun and mouth-watering photos from their dine-in experiences, as well as to hear the latest news from their respective organizations. 

We would like to extend our deepest thanks to the participating Chopsticks & Wine restaurants: MW Restaurant, RumFire Waikiki, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Sansei Waikiki.  

We would also like to extend a special mahalo to Fujioka’s Wine Times for curating the sponsor table wine packages, as well as two enticing wine packages for purchase.

Thank you to A Catered Experience for the delicious final night dinner, as well as organizing the convenient dinner package pick-up.

Thank you to Dave Newman of Pint+Jigger for hosting the engaging mixology presentation and tour.

Thank you to our sponsors, our HJCC Board and members for your generosity in making Chopsticks & Wine with a Twist a success.

And finally, we would like to thank the Chopsticks & Wine planning committee and dedicated HJCC staff for their hard work on this year’s unique event. 

Although we were not able to celebrate together in-person as a large event, we truly appreciate the support and enthusiasm of everyone involved in continuing the tradition and spirit of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce’s Chopsticks & Wine!

Cheers!

Paul Yokota (Event Co-Chair)
Kaiulani Shinsato (Event Co-Chair)

		Virtual Program Emcee Jason Ito	Pint+Jigger Dave Newman

Chopsticks & Wine with a Twist Planning Committee

Kaiulani Shinsato [Event Co-Chair]
Paul Yokota [Event Co-Chair]
Marc Nakamoto [Ways & Means Chair]
Ina Chang
Sidney Hamada
Craig Hirasaki
Arnold Hirotsu
Crystine Ito
Gordon Kagawa
Jill Kuramoto
Gordon Nihei
Lyle Takeuchi
Jon Tsukamoto
Kristine Wada
Taryn Wells