Post #289910 by Volcano Girl on Mon, Mar 5, 2007 7:29 PM

OK, I just got off the phone with Mom. I just couldn't let that go by without asking her about it. Here's some clarification. Mom had told me before that Dad had a dry run with the whole restaurant staff before it was opened, and the invited guests were people from various nearby press outlets. I did have that event confused with the luau that was held at Cypress Gardens, which was also for the "Press Association". I thought she had meant that it was the same event, but they were two different things. Apparently, the luau at CG happened at a later time, and not before the opening of the restaurant to the public. I don't think it was necessarily the National Press Association, maybe it was the Florida Press Assoc. However, she was adamant that Dad (the Volcano) provided ALL of the food, and that, knowing my father and his many connections, he most likely had been the one in charge of getting the rest of the luau put together. Dad had a LONG standing relationship with Cypress Gardens, since his teen years (he had been one of the water-skiers there before he got married), and my understanding now is that CG was very excited to have Dad back in town. So...while the Mai-Kai people think it may LOOK like it was catered by them, it would NOT have been.

Mom would only go so far as to say that it's possible that the dancers may have performed at the Mai-Kai, that maybe they were a group with an agent, and may have been hired for the event by my father. Since some of Dad's ads and interviews talked about the ability to cater events up to 500, she is certain that he made the arrangements and knew how and where to get the required items to host a luau properly. It is possible he may have "rented" some equipment from Mai-Kai, but I can assure you that the china used was from the Volcano, and the volcano ice fruit centerpieces were one of Dad's signatures. I can tell you that it's within the realm of possibility that Dad had seen a luau set up at the Mai-Kai, or any other number of places (two that came to Mom's mind were Frances Langford's Outrigger, or the Tahitian Inn in Tampa). She also told me to talk with my oldest brother, because he may have had to "work" the event. Talking with him will give us an idea of when the CG luau was held, and whether he was privy to where Dad got any of the materials from, if they weren't owned by the restaurant. I will get back with you all further about that once I have heard from him. So for now, the food was completely catered by the Volcano, not the Mai-Kai. Any speculation on the part of the Mai-Kai people is just that, and that is likely because they didn't know that Dad had such a good relationship with Cypress Gardens. They should be content that they were able to sustain/grow their business, and not try to take anything away from the good work that my father did.