Post #798223 by Swanky on Wed, Oct 23, 2019 5:39 AM

Dave Wondrich does a great job uncovering the roots of the TV Scorpion recipe.

Article HERE.

I had dug up a good bit about Hugh and Lita Gantt's Hawaiian Pottery guild and even some current Hawaiian researchers looking into it. I knew where it was going when I hit that text.

Note the Manoa Rd. address.

I also had this article coutesy of Mike Skinner which he seems to be referencing.

August 19th 1939

Other articles show Donn had recently arrived back on Hawaii in August 10th, staying 2 months.

Donn arrives August 10th, 1939

Dave also muses that Vic and Donn may have been collaborating, but it would have been more likely that Vic was looking for a financial partner in Hugh, who had the money in the Gantt family.

It wasn't too much earlier that Donn sold Vic $800 worth of decor to transform Hinky Dinks into Trader Vic's. The extent of that empire was not in anyone's minds. So Vic was just a friendly contemporary Donn and perhaps Hugh had done business with. He didn't even merit mention in the luau. Another luau at Hugh's place just 4 days later, with Donn in attendance, was specifically referenced to celebrate a certain visitor.

Journalist Jimmy Fidler luau August 23rd, 1939

So Hugh served Vic a Scorpion. Then Vic put it on his menu... Was that the beginning of the rivalry? That rotten stinker!

"Mai-Kai: History & Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant" the book

[ Edited by: Swanky 2019-10-24 11:01 ]