HCCNC

The Hawaiʻi Chamber of Commerce of Northern California is pleased to announce our 20th Annual Five Star Aloha Gala on Friday, May 27th, starting at 5:30pm at The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. This is our organization’s signature event and serves as a venue for honoring individuals and organizations with our Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu (Strive for the Summit) Award for contributions in promoting the Aloha Spirit from Hawaii through Northern California and beyond. All proceeds go to helping fund our scholarship program foundation and organization.

The year will be an extremely special event as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of our Aloha Gala. We are pleased to honor Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne, one of the joint awardees of our inaugural Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Award, with a special Lifetime Achievement Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Award. Past awardees have included Chenoa Farnsworth of Blue Startups, Sig Zane Designs, Andy Bumatai, Nainoa Thompson & The Polynesian Voyaging Society, Dave Shoji, Jan Yanehiro, Chef Sam Choy, The Brothers Cazimero, and many others.

The gala will feature the presentation of the Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Lifetime Achievement Award and the HCCNC Foundation scholarship awards, live Hawaiian music, special guest appearances, plus incredible food, drinks, and of course tons of prizes and giveaways. Beyond celebrating our 20th anniversary and bestowing our Lifetime Achievement Award, this year is extremely special as we will surpass $100,000 in scholarships donated to deserving students, which would not be possible without our incredible sponsors, supporters, and community gathering for our galas.

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The 20th Annual Five Star Aloha Gala
Friday, May 27th, 2022 | 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square | Golden Gate Tap Room
Attire: Black-tie optional. This is a formal event.
Please make your best effort to arrive between 5:30-6:00pm.

5:30 pm
Arrival and Cocktail Reception
Live Hawaiian Music by Faith Ako

6:00 pm
Welcome by Emcee Derrick DeMotta
Mele Oli by Kumu Hula Shawna Alapa’i
Dinner & Live Hawaiian Music

6:45 pm
President’s Welcome & Message
Announcement of the HCCNC Foundation Scholarship Awards
Presentation of the Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Lifetime Achievement Award

8:00 pm
Prize Drawings and Giveaways

8:15 pm
Ceremonial Farewell and Singing of Hawaiʻi Aloha

Arrival and Parking:
We strongly recommend using Uber/Lyft or Taxi if possible due to traffic and parking If you do choose to drive and park, please note we do not have validation for parking. You can park at either The Westin (more info here - valet is additional) or the lower priced Union Square Garage (more info here) directly in front of the Westin.

Some Program Highlights

Patrick Makuakāne is the Director & Kumu Hula of Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu. He is a creative force in the hula world, and is well known for his innovative choreography. His work is grounded in the traditions and fundamentals of hula, and he labors to keep traditional dances intact as they have been for generations. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, Mr. Makuakāne began dancing at the age of 13 and went on to study with some of Hawai’i’s most recognized hula masters, including John Keola Lake and Robert Cazimero.

In 2000, he began intensive traditional studies with hula master Mae Kamāmalu Klein in Hawai’i and, after three years, achieved the recognized status of kumu hula (hula master). This achievement culminated in a traditional ‘uniki ‘ailolo graduation ceremony and connects Mr. Makuakāne to a hula lineage stretching back for generations. His studies were made possible by funding from a prestigious two-year Irvine Fellowship in Dance.

Mr. Makuakāne has received numerous awards for his choreography, including several Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (“Izzies”). In 2006, he received a lifetime achievement award from the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. He is the 2018 Artistic Legacy Grantee from the San Francisco Arts Commission.

There will be multiple award winning restaurant and local San Francisco Bay Area favorites including The Slanted Door, La Mar, Perle, Aloha Fresh & Beard Papas Cupertino. We’ll also have the classic Westin St. Francis food stations which will include the savory Whole Roaster Top Round of Beef with Roasted Garlic Aioli, complimenting items, and their Executive Pastry Chef’s assorted desserts spread.

We are excited to announce Petrified Forest Vineyards and Takahashi Market as our official Wine & Beverage Sponsors for the event. We will provide complimentary wine and beer at the event. In addition to the complementary beverages, there will be a cash bar available for additional drinks and beverages. There are currently two available spots left for F&B sponsors, including one Restaurant sponsor and one Beer & Alcohol sponsor. If interested in your restaurant or brand joining us, please reach out to us at gala@hccnc.org.

Five Star Sponsors

No E Ka Oi Sponsors

Aloha SPONSORS & Kamaʻaina TABLE SponsorS

We will be presenting our HCCNC Foundation 2022 Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu Scholarship awards per our annual program tradition. We are extremely excited to announce that this year we will pass $100,000 in total scholarship given to deserving students over the year. This scholarship program would not be possible without the support for the gala and from our sponsors, supporters, and community.

The three scholarship winners will be announced in early May and presented at the 2022 Aloha Gala! Past scholarship winners have included the likes of Kawika Shoji, US Olympian, Derek Nishikawa, HCCNC Board Member & Treasurer, and over 20+ deserving students over the past 15+ years.

We will feature a silent auction at this year’s gala. Past items have included tickets to popular sporting events, airline tickets and miles, hotel stays across the world, award winning wines and winery tours, restaurant gift certificates, clothing from world-renowned designers, show and performance tickets, and so much more.

We welcome supporters and sponsors via donations to the silent auction. If you are interested in supporting our gala, scholarship program and organization with a donation please send us a note at gala@hccnc.org, we’d really appreciate it!

Every year at our Aloha Gala we have a set of prizes and giveaways for attendees. These have included candies from world renowned Big Island Candies to assortments of wine to multiple pairs of roundtrip Southwest Airlines domestic and international flights. Each attendee is eligible for the prize drawings which we’ll announce in the coming months.

If interested in donating any giveaways to attendees, prizes during the event, etc, please send us a note at gala@hccnc.org, we’d really appreciate it!

We are currently sold out of tickets and tables for the event. If we have any additional capacity for the event, we’ll notify anyone on the waiting list. Mahalo nui loa for all your support and aloha. If you’d be interested in supporting our foundation and organization via a donation, please send us a note at gala@hccnc.org. We appreciate your kokua!