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
| 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.
Donate
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.
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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 visitors to our website, these markings may be omitted throughout our site. We thank you for your understanding.