“Riceipe” Cooking Contest Competitors (2016)

Chef Andy Dalan (Uber Factory)
Chef Andy Dalan is our defending “Riceipe” champ and is the Chef and Owner of Uber Factory in Wahiawa, and Chef Consultant at Waimea Valley. A graduate of the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts program, he has worked for such places as Marriott Management Services (Waikele Golf Club, Kapolei Golf Course), Sake Street, Roy’s Waikiki, Formaggio Wine Bar & Grill, and YogurStory. Chef Andy invented the uber popular Uber Tart.

KITV4’s Brandi Higa
Brandi’s career in television started right after college as an associate producer at KITV. As a producer, she was tasked with launching the state’s only weekend morning newscast as well as Hawaii’s only hour-long 6pm newscast. Her passion in life is volleyball.

Johnny Kai (Treetops Restaurant)
Bio coming soon.

Hawaii News Now’s Lacy Deniz
Lacy was born and raised on the Island of Hawaii, where everyone waves at each other while passing on the street, and, instead of an alarm clock, she wakes up to sound of crowing chickens. A graduate of Kamehameha High School Kapalama, where she boarded for 4 years, she went on to graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications.

During her college career, Lacy was involved with pageants, becoming Miss Kona Coffee in the process in 2011 and going on to the Miss Hawaii pageant. Hula is one of her main passions in life and has taken her around the world, meeting new people and learning about other cultures. Most recently, her and her halau participated in the Olympics of hula, the Merrie Monarch Festival Competition.

Chef Maile Sengoura (Maile’s Thai Bistro)
Chef Maile literally grew up in the kitchen. As a child, she watched and helped her mother cook the family’s daily meals. Her first job was working as a prep cook at Thai Chef, in Lahaina, Maui. Then, from the ages of 16-18, she worked as a server at the former Mekong Thai Restaurant on Beretania, at her Uncle Boun’s restaurant, Paesano Ristorante Italiano in Manoa, and then became an operating partner at her Aunt’s restaurant, Assaggio Ristorante Italiano in Hawaii Kai. Maile is the owner of Maile’s Thai Bistro in Hawaii Kai and Bellini Bistro & Bar in Ward.

KHON2’s Kelly Simek
After falling in love with meteorology in her freshman year at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kelly decided to created her own “Broadcast Meteorology” degree, studying meteorology, journalism, communications and geography. Simek is no stranger to being in front of an audience. The former Miss East Oahu was also the University of Hawaii’s featured baton twirler and regularly performed with the band at football, basketball and volleyball games. If Simek isn’t tracking the weather, the outdoor enthusiast is most likely experiencing it first-hand – either at the beach or on a hiking trail.

Chef Robbie “Rbz” Acoba (Side Street Inn on Da Strip)
Chef Robbie is the former owner of Eastside Grill on University Ave. He is currently the Operations Manager of Side Street Inn on Da Strip. Chef “Rbz” has been featured on the Food Network and is a native of Moloka’i.

OC16’s Tiny Tadani
Armed with his ‘Tiny Cam’, Tiny travels around town meeting the interesting people and places of our islands… Including the 9th island, Las Vegas! He is the host and producer of the popular The D Las Vegas’ “Tiny TV” show, which airs on OC16, Mon-Fri @ 10:30pm, Wed @ 11am, and Thu @ 8am!