ADRIAN KAMALIʻI communications strategist 

I love to cook. My Mom was amazing at taking regular recipes and adding her own spin to any dish. That really gave me my own confidence to try recipes on my own and eventually confident enough to add my own flare.

 

At the age of 13 I was given free range of the kitchen. Some nights I'd make dinner for our family, some nights dessert - a majority of the meals and desserts were delicious and others, well, absolute failures. I used them as learning lessons. If the disaster dish was at all salvageable, my Mother was a pro at turning it into something amazing, another learning lesson.

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With all of this and with growing up in a home that loved exotic flavors and ingredients and being raised on an island with some of the richest soil on the planet has allowed me to appreciate foods from around the world.

Martha Souza was a name given to me by an Aunt. Martha Souza is a play on Martha Stewart and her uncanny ability to create savory dishes with unique ingredients, my Aunt decided to use the name Souza to honor my Portuguese heritage. Until the age of six, I grew up with my Great Grandmother, an immigrant from Madeira, Portugal. We lived with her, in a small community on shores abundant with fish and sea life on the island of Maui. My Great Grandma’s home, her cooking and Portuguese heritage continues to give me inspiration.

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Martha Souza is an ode to all home cooks, gardeners, and people who love to nurture people the best way they know how!

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Use #MarthaSouza when you make your own creation or #MarthaSouzaEats when you find unique dishes!