Post #675570 by babydoe on Thu, Apr 25, 2013 10:14 PM

Symposium Tickets go on sale next Monday!

I thought I would post some teasers here....

First up MARTIN CATE!!!

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The Third Man: The Incredible True Story of “Tiki Restaurateur to the Stars” Stephen Crane. A Tinseltown Tale of Mai Tais, Movie Stars, and Murder
Presenter: Martin Cate
Location: Grand Hanalei Ballroom, Crowne Plaza
Time: Saturday 3:30-5pm
Price: $35

Much has been written about the two founding fathers of the tiki drink craze Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic, but little discussed is the third man in the great historic tiki trifecta: Joseph Stephen Crane- Steve to his friends, and “High Talking Chief Stefooma” to the thousands of customers who walked through the door of his legendary Beverly Hills nightspot, The Luau. Crane came from humble beginnings to climb his way up the social ladder in pre-war Hollywood through a mixture of good looks, street smarts, and undeniable charm. It wasn’t long before the kid from Crawfordsville, Indiana found himself married to Hollywood’s biggest star, the incomparable Lana Turner. Crane opened his first restaurant in the late 1940s, but he cemented his place in history with the 1953 opening of The Luau on Rodeo Drive. It became the destination for Hollywood celebrities and was the start of a chain of successful restaurants nationwide. Crane took the Polynesian concept to a new level, with innovative new cocktails, food, and décor that had never been seen before.

Sit back, relax, and join Smuggler’s Cove owner Martin Cate for a rare look back into the amazing world of Steven Crane. Discover his talent for hospitality, mixology, and business through rarely seen images and artifacts and new interviews with his (and Lana Turner’s) only child, Cheryl Crane. Enjoy tastes of The Luau’s famous exotic cocktails while discovering a story so amazing, it could only have happened in Hollywood.