ASB Stories

It all started with a dream. American Savings Bank was founded in 1925 to serve the community and build a stronger Hawaii. Today, ASB continues to invest in our community — one dream at a time.

From Robynne Maii’s dream to open Mille Fête, to Chase and Hi‘ilawe becoming first-time homeowners in the place they love, to Brandon Lam’s journey to make La Tour Bakehouse Hawaii’s bakery — American Savings Bank has helped to make their hard-earned dreams come true. ASB is proud to celebrate 100 years of uplifting Hawaii’s residents, businesses and communities. Mahalo to everyone who has been a part of this amazing journey.

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 HOME^SM

With our This is HOME^SM program, Chase and Hiʻilawe were able to move back from the continent and purchase their first home.

The American
Dream

For Brandon Lam, CEO of La Tour Bakehouse, his family's legacy has grown from humble beginnings to being “Hawaii’s bakery.”

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 HOME^SM

With our This is HOME^SM program, Chase and Hiʻilawe were able to move back from the continent and purchase their first home.

The American
Dream

For Brandon Lam, CEO of La Tour Bakehouse, his family's legacy has grown from humble beginnings to being “Hawaii’s bakery.”

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 HOME^SM

With our This is HOME^SM program, Chase and Hiʻilawe were able to move back from the continent and purchase their first home.

The American
Dream

For Brandon Lam, CEO of La Tour Bakehouse, his family's legacy has grown from humble beginnings to being “Hawaii’s bakery.”

“ASB was very important because they partnered with us to purchase this building. At the time it was just a pipe dream.”

- Brandon Lam

CEO, La Tour Bakehouse

Robynne Maii in Fete

“ASB was very important because they partnered with us to purchase this building. At the time it was just a pipe dream.”

- Brandon Lam

CEO, La Tour Bakehouse

“ASB was very important because they partnered with us to purchase this building. At the time it was just a pipe dream.”

- Brandon Lam

CEO, La Tour Bakehouse

“ASB was very important because they partnered with us to purchase this building. At the time it was just a pipe dream.”

- Brandon Lam

CEO, La Tour Bakehouse

Brandon's Story

Brandon Lam grew up running around the streets of Chinatown working in his father’s banh-mi restaurant, the first Ba-Le Sandwich Shop. Brandon’s father, Thanh Lam, escaped Vietnam at the end of the war on a small boat packed with 180 people. After landing in Malaysia with nothing but a t-shirt and shorts, Thanh’s journey eventually took him to Hawaii. But to grow his banh-mi shop, Thanh knew he had to start baking his own bread.

That dream grew to nearly 20 Ba-Le shops, a wholesale bakery, and an enduring family business. In 2011, Brandon, his brother Trung and his father rebranded their company to “La Tour Bakehouse,” a tribute to the Eiffel Tower on their original Ba-Le logo. And with American Savings Bank’s help, they purchased the Weyerhaeuser building, giving them 80,000 square feet to bake fresh bread, macarons and artisanal goods.

Today, Brandon continues his family’s legacy, launching La Tour Cafe with his brother to share his passion for food and growing the Bakehouse to ensure more food security in Hawaii. While Brandon still considers La Tour a small business, its impact couldn’t be bigger. Baking over 700 different items for restaurants, hotels, retailers, airlines and local shoppers, La Tour Bakehouse has grown from humble beginnings into “Hawaii’s bakery.”

“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

Robynne Maii in Fete

“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

“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

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 HOME^SM” 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.

“ASB has made the process very simple. And anyone who has applied for a home loan or business loan knows that it's not that simple.”

- Robynne Maii

Chef & Owner, Fête and Mille Fête

Robynne Maii in Fete

“ASB has made the process very simple. And anyone who has applied for a home loan or business loan knows that it's not that simple.”

- Robynne Maii

Chef & Owner, Fête and Mille 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

“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”

- Robynne Maii

Chef & Owner, Fête

Robynne Maii in Fete

“We're only going to work with people that we want to work with.”

- Robynne Maii

Chef & Owner, Fête

“ASB has made the process very simple. And anyone who has applied for a home loan or business loan knows that it's not that simple.”

- Robynne Maii

Chef & Owner, Fête and Mille 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

Robynne Maii in Fete

“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

“ASB has made the process very simple. And anyone who has applied for a home loan or business loan knows that it's not that simple.”

- Robynne Maii

Chef & Owner, Fête and Mille Fête

“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

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

Mom | Living the Dream

Testimonial

When Robynne told her mother she wanted to go to culinary school, her reaction wasn’t what she expected. But real dreams don’t ask for permission, and Robynne went on to become one of Hawai‘i’s most decorated chefs, opening her bakery, Mille Fête, with the help of American Savings Bank.

Hapa Child | Living the Dream

Testimonial

Sometimes, dreams can end up coming true in the most unexpected ways. When Robynne and her husband Chuck Bussler, managing partner at Fête, wanted to welcome their second restaurant and “hapa child,” Mille Fête, to downtown Honolulu, they turned to American Savings Bank for help.

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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