Faces of Hualālai

The wonderful Hualālai staff likely need no introduction—they’ve probably had the pleasure of serving you before, maybe you’ve known each other for years. So instead of an introduction, the following is a chance to catch up with a few members of our Hualālai family, or, as we like to say, our ʻohana.

Lisa Siu

Photo: Anna Pacheco

> The confections of pastry chef Lisa Siu are clear—and scrumptious—evidence of her culinary talent, as anyone who has devoured her vanilla-infused chocolate chip cookies with a French-pressed Kona coffee or savored her fluffy malasadas with their drizzling of caramel sauce knows full well. What they might not realize, however, is that the Hawaiʻi native has built her entire pâtissier career from scratch, without any formal training in the art of sweet baked goods. “I actually had no baking experience,” says Siu, who has been with the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai since 2006. “I was working in the kitchen as a pantry cook then. I just got thrown into the pastry department.” After just two years, in 2008, she was promoted to pastry chef. So, what is the secret to her success? “I’ve just worked on my craft for many years,” she says. “It was a difficult journey, but I really enjoyed it. The people on my staff are what make me enjoy my job. Hualālai really tries to invoke the aloha or ʻohana feeling—that’s what makes the resort so special.” When she’s not busy dreaming up the perfect dessert to conclude guests’ meals, Siu loves to read, paddle, swim, and spend time with her daughter.

Ralph Yawata

Photo: Anna Pacheco

> Teaching his coworkers to protect themselves is part of Ralph Yawata’s job, but for the experienced safety officer—he is also a retired assistant chief of the Hawaiʻi Fire Department and current chief of Hualālai’s volunteer fire brigade—it’s far more than a task to be checked off. “One time we did a CPR class—real brief CPR, no breathing, just what they call hands-only CPR—and one of the housekeepers did it [later] on her husband and actually saved his life,” says Yawata. “It’s stuff like that; they got to use it, and it made a difference. That’s the best part.” As someone who takes his work to heart, he also strives to make his lessons fun. “It’s not the most exciting topic,” he says with a chuckle, noting that the areas he covers range from extinguishing kitchen fires to preventing repetitivemotion injuries. Video-based trainings are counterbalanced with hands-on exercises and even crossword puzzles, to keep the mood light. Yawata’s commitment to the welfare of others extends from Hualālai to the rest of his life as well. He and his wife take care of her 87-year-old mother (they were also caregivers for her father and his parents before their passing), and he volunteers with state and local committees such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), sharing his disasterpreparedness know-how.

Gina Louise Keleimoku Gesling

Photo: Anna Pacheco

> For 18 years, Gina Louise Keleimoku Gesling has worked at the Members-only Hualālai Canoe Club, and in 2019, the resort recognized her as Employee of the Year. But to the Members and her colleagues at Hualālai, the self-described “people person” who loves “talking story” is so much more than an exemplary bartender with management expertise. She is a dear friend. “They call me Gina Fifty-Two Questions, because I kind of [know], especially with a new Member, how many questions I can ask without being nosy,” she says. “My highlight is getting to know these people. I’ve just met some great people that’ll be friends for life.” Case in point: “One of the [Members] is pregnant, and I’ve known her since she was in her mom’s stomach. It’s totally family.” Enhancing that sense of community, she says, is the Hualālai ʻOhana Foundation, a Members-supported nonprofit that benefits Hualālai employees. Through the foundation, she attended QuickBooks training in Honolulu, which has helped her manage the auto-body shop she owns with her husband. “It’s helped my husband, it’s helped me, it’s helped us pay our mortgage,” explains Gesling. While she clearly works hard, she also knows how to unwind. “I love the beach, and I love my yoga,” she says. And just this past winter, she was eagerly anticipating something—or rather, someone—new to love. “I’m having a grandson December 25, Christmas Day.”