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.
“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
Play video
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
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.
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.
