ASB Stories
We're excited to share stories from our customers and teammates about how ASB has impacted their lives and how all dreams are possible when we work together.
Click the links below to learn more.
Making Dreams Possible
For Robynne Maii, Chef & Owner of Fête - maintaining her dreams in Hawaii was almost as hard as achieving them.
First-time homebuyers, This is HOMESM
With our This is HOMESM program, Chase and Hiʻilawe were able to move back from the continent and purchase their first home.
Making Dreams Possible
For Robynne Maii, Chef & Owner of Fête - maintaining her dreams in Hawaii was almost as hard as achieving them.
First-time homebuyers, This is HOMESM
With our This is HOMESM program, Chase and Hiʻilawe were able to move back from the continent and purchase their first home.
“It was definitely a dream that we never thought was going to happen, at least in the near future.”
- Chase and Hiʻilawe
First-Time Homebuyers in Hawaii
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“It was definitely a dream that we never thought was going to happen, at least in the near future.”
- Chase and Hiʻilawe
First-Time Homebuyers in Hawaii
Play video
Play video
“It was definitely a dream that we never thought was going to happen, at least in the near future.”
- Chase and Hiʻilawe
First-Time Homebuyers in Hawaii
“It was definitely a dream that we never thought was going to happen, at least in the near future.”
- Chase and Hiʻilawe
First-Time Homebuyers in Hawaii
Play video
Play video
Chase & Hiʻilawe's Story
Chase and Hi‘ilawe grew up on Oahu and Kauai. They met working in the baseball stadium at the University of Hawai‘i, where Chase was studying business and Hi‘ilawe was studying nursing. After graduation, there were no local nursing job openings, so they decided to move to Washington together to start their careers.
While they enjoyed the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, every time they came home to Hawaii, it was always so hard to fly back to Washington. So, when they found out they were going to have a beautiful baby girl, they had a tough decision to make - stay on the continent or move back home.
While it seemed like an easy decision, interest rates were high, prices were more expensive, and their dream of buying a small house to start their family felt like a fantasy. But Michelle at American Savings Bank told them they qualified for the “This is HOMESM” program as first-time home buyers. Crunching the numbers with the program’s lower interest rates, they were able to make the numbers work within their budget. Chase, Hiʻilawe and baby moved back, ready to start a new chapter in their new home.
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
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Play video
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
Play video
Play video
Play video
Play video
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
Play video
Play video
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
Play video
Play video
Play video
Play video
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
Play video
Play video
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
Play video
Play video
Play video
Play video
“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
“We look at everyone being in the service industry. Part of the reason why we chose American Savings Bank is because they do it better than anyone in Hawaii.”
- Robynne Maii
Chef & Owner, Fête
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Robynne's Story
For Chef Robynne Maii, maintaining her dreams in Hawaii was almost as hard as achieving them. In 2020, her Chinatown restaurant, Fête, was turned upside down by the pandemic. She was in a panic to get her PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan, but her bank wasn’t responding. She turned to a friend, Nelson Moku, at American Savings Bank for help. Thankfully, she got the loan, and soon after, she switched banks.
Fête went from powering through the pandemic and rethinking every restaurant process and relationship to winning big at the “Oscars” of the food world. In 2022, Robynne and her team won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Northwest Pacific.” It was the first James Beard Award given to a woman of Hawaiian ancestry.
Robynne has a new dream. She’s opening up a new Honolulu hot spot around the corner called Mille Fête. “Mille” means “a thousand,” and “Fête” means “party.” It’s a bakery, a bar, and a space where she can continue to take care of people and share the food and drink she loves.
More on Robynne's Story
Hospitality | Living the Dream
Testimonial
How does a dance major in college go on to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef? For Robynne Maii and her team at Fête, it all starts with hospitality – from the excellent service she provides for her customers to the bank she partners with to make her business run.
PPP Loan | Living the Dream
Testimonial
Like many local businesses and restaurants, the pandemic was extremely challenging for Fête. Unable to secure their PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan from their bank at the time, Robynne turned to ASB. This make-or-break moment allowed the Fête team to rethink their processes, their menu, how they supported their employees and how they did business - all for the better.
Real Dreams
:30 second TV Spot
Fête went from powering through the pandemic and rethinking every restaurant process and relationship to winning big at the “Oscars” of the food world. Robynne and her team won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef Northwest Pacific.” It was the first James Beard Award given to a woman of Hawaiian ancestry.
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