MICHAEL GINOR SCHOLARSHIP
FUND

In honor of the late, Chef Michael Ginor
1963-2022

Chef Michael Ginor was an award-winning chef, writer, and restaurateur best known for co-founding Hudson Valley Foie Gras and restaurant LOLA, hailed as one of Long Island’s best dining experiences with top ratings from the New York Times. An innovative chef who advocated for the safe and responsible production of foie gras, Ginor’s Hudson Valley Farm in Ferndale, NY revolutionized modern-age foie gras processing in the U.S. and is one of the largest producers of organic chicken, duck, and foie gras in America.

Born in Seattle, WA to Israeli expatriate parents, Ginor chose to return to Israel after pursuing a career on Wall Street and serve in the Israeli Defense Forces—first as a Captain in the Gaza Strip, then as a patrol commander and later as the Israeli Defense Forces spokesman. During his time there, he discovered Israeli cuisine, along with the production methods for high-quality foie gras that would shape his future endeavors. Decorated with awards from the James Beard Foundation, American Tasting Institute, Food & Wine magazine and Food Art, it was his experience in the Israeli Defense Forces that built the foundation for his understanding of culinary diplomacy. We are honored to establish the Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund to ensure his contributions to the culinary world will be remembered by generations to come.

MAHALO TO OUR DONORS

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$100,000Raised $94,588 towards the $100,000 target.$94,588Raised $94,588 towards the $100,000 target.
Sachit Ahuja $101
Allied Builders $5,000
Alli, Sarah, Larissa and Jayme $100
Cassidy Apo $100
Charles Beerman $1,000
G. Berg $50
Jonathan Bichoupan $126
Sharon Brown $1,000
Katy Carroll $5
The Cheese Shop, Inc. $5,000
ChefZone $5,000
Meredith Ching $5,000
Han Choong $500
Gwendolyn Chung $500
Pam Davis & Brian Farr $100
Tatyana Derevyannykh $100
Celestino Drago $1,000
Rachel Ehrlich $100
Dean Fearing $500
Evan Fiedler $200
Netanel Ginor $500
David Green $1,500
Gourmet Foods Hawaii $1,000
Troy Guard $250
Hawaii Executive Collaborative $5,000
Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Authority $1,000
Marisa Hayase $50
Colin Hazama $200
Jackie Higa $500
Hilo Fish Company $250
Michael Imada $100
Kamehameha Schools $5,000
Andrew Kamhi $18
Takeshi Kawasaki $500
K.K. Kazan $5,000
Kona Fish Company $250
Steven Kurlander $25
Daniel Kushel $118
Elyse & Robert Kushel $100

Kristen Lau-Grover & Debra Lenz-Lau

$550
David LeFevre $500
Brett Levine $100
Raphael Lunetta $200
Grant MacPherson $500
Teri Matsukawa $100
Gary Matsumoto $100
Aaron May $500
Bennett Medoff $100
Pablo Mellin $250
Gabrielle Messina $100
Jamie Tamanaha Miller $100
Tom Mishra $250
Iris Mizuguchi $100
Jeffrey Mora $1,000
Jason Morgan $500
Jeanne Murata $5,000
Thomas Muromoto $250
John Murphy $50
Ronald Nasuti $1,000
Max Novi $150
Jonathan Orr $180
D. Otani Produce Inc $5,000
Bernard Pilon $200
Ben Rakhman $50
Assaf Ran $1,000
Sarah Rapkin $100
Charles and Paul Reppun $100
Matthew Rosenfeld $100
Avery Rosin $180
Sam Schank $1,050
Jacob & Ellen Schwartz $118
D. Siegel $180
Stanford Carr Development $5,000
Jordan A. Stern $36
Wendy Suite $200
Brooks Takenaka $1,000
Mark Teruya $5,000
Tropic Fish Hawaii $250
Tropic Fish Maui $250
Tropic Fish Kauai $250
Jonathan Wagmeister $100
Jason Wong $5,000
Yee Ting Wong $1,000
Roy & Denise Yamaguchi $5,000

Every gift counts!
Help us reach our $100,000 goal.

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Support the Michael Ginor
Scholarship Fund

Michael Ginor was a generous supporter of the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival and participated in every festival since it began in 2011. Over the years Ginor became one of Hawaii’s greatest ambassadors, embracing the festival’s mission to spotlight Hawaii’s unique food culture and sharing the aloha spirit with everyone he met along his journey. He often shared his passion for travel with fellow chefs, inviting them to join his culinary adventures—both in Israel and beyond—and connecting them to different cultures through food.

In that spirit, the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival aims to continue his legacy through the Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund—a perpetual scholarship to provide annual opportunities for Hawaii’s culinary students to stage (intern) at Hudson Valley Farm or Restaurant LOLA in New York and other Hawai’i Ag & Culinary Alliance initiatives. 

Please consider a gift in Chef Michael Ginor’s memory to raise $100,000 for the Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund and provide opportunities for the next generation of Hawaii’s chefs to gain a global perspective on food.

Donate to the Michael Ginor Scholarship Fund today!

To make a donation by mail:

Please make checks payable to
Hawaii Food & Wine Festival
3538 Waialae Ave. #202
Honolulu, HI 96816

Hawaii Ag and Culinary Alliance (dba Hawaii Food & Wine Festival) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that benefits local aina-based and community organizations committed to culinary and agricultural education, sustainability, and cultural programs in Hawaii.

Hawaii Food & Wine Festival recognizes the use of diacritical markings in the modern orthography of Hawaiian language including the ‘okina [‘] or glottal stop, and the kahakō [ā] or macron. However, in order to ensure the best online experience for visitors to our website, these markings may be omitted throughout our site. We thank you for your understanding.