Conrad Nonaka left an impression on Denise Wardlow — an impression that changed her life.
She worked with Nonaka at the Princeville Hotel, today known as the St. Regis Princeville Resort. Her memories of him are good ones.
“Conrad was a generous leader with a very positive and caring disposition,” she said. “In a business environment where not everything happens the way you plan, Conrad had a mindset of focusing on making things right and moving forward.”
But his influence went beyond professional.
“For me personally, Conrad played a big part in encouraging me to take advantage of career opportunities,” Wardlow said. “His encouragement gave me the confidence to make a career move that helped me achieve my goals in various leadership roles to my current position as a general manager. On a daily basis, he was always willing to set aside time for anyone that had questions or needed advice and would do it with a smile.
“His passion to do the right thing for others is reflected in his drive and achievement with the Culinary Institute of the Pacific that will have a positive impact on many future leaders in Hawaii. He will missed,” she said.
Nonaka passed away June 2 at the age of 68.
His connection to Kauai goes back to the day he was born, July 9, 1949, in Lihue. His parents owned and operated a Hanapepe restaurant that Conrad would later run in the 1980s and ‘90s.
The story goes that he was waiting to get into airplane mechanics school when his father said he should consider taking some culinary courses, as he had a knack for making the ordinary extraordinary when it came to food.
Conrad listened.
He went on to graduate from the Kapiolani Community College culinary program and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
For two decades, he worked for hotels in Hawaii, serving as an executive chef and food and beverage director. He traveled and worked in Boston and Taiwan, as well.
He helped launch Restaurant Week Hawaii, a week of special promotions by local restaurants that donate a portion of proceeds to the culinary institute, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He also helped developed the Kapiolani Community College Saturday Farmers’ Market.
He had served as the University of Hawaii’s director of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific since January 2001 and made sure UH campuses were fully accredited by the American Culinary Federation.
In 2016, Nonaka received a UH Distinguished Alumni Award. According to his bio, after earning his degree from UH Manoa and
receiving an honorable military discharge from the U.S. Army, he trained many in the hospitality industry.
His passion for culinary education and his generosity with people were his trademarks.
“We will miss Conrad dearly. He was a kind, generous colleague,” said Kapiolani Community College Chancellor Louise Pagotto in a statement from UH. “He went out of his way to make sure we were well taken care of at any of our public events. You could always count on Conrad to be gracious and to make guests to the college feel comfortable. His smile and laughter filled the room.”
Kauai’s Dirk Soma worked with Nonaka 30 years ago, in 1988 at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Hotel. He was the executive chef and Soma was the restaurant and bar manager and catering director.
“He was very gung-ho and we found ways to hold events on and off the property to serve all of our clients,” Soma said.
They next worked together at Kapiolani Community College where Soma was serving as the director for the Culinary Institute of the Pacific and Conrad was hired as a consultant.
Together, they laid the foundation for the CIP. Nonaka succeeded Soma as director in 2002.
“Conrad was a true food and beverage professional who could make anyone feel at home with his graciousness and aloha spirit,” Soma said.
Kauai’s Mark Oyama said Nonaka was a mentor for him when he started culinary school.
“I would come back to Kauai and call him to see if I would be able to visit his hotel to learn how they do various cooking,” Oyama said. “He would allow me to go visit the kitchen and actually work with the staff. He would then invite me to go help with banquets.”
Oyama said if he had questions, Nonaka was always there to answer them and offer advice.
Oyama recalled that when he moved back home from the Mainland, he applied for an instructor position at Kauai Community College, and was offered the job.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take it as I felt that I didn’t have enough experience in the field to teach yet,” Oyama said. “He somehow found out that I was contemplating about not taking the job and he called me and scolded me. His words were, ‘Mark, you have more experience than you think you have. Teach what you experienced with your travels of cooking. If you don’t like it after one semester, you can always leave. But if you don’t try, you will never know.’”
Oyama has been teaching for 26 years.
“He was a true friend, mentor and an all-around great person,” he said.
Nonaka is survived by wife Susan; sons Jayme and Corey; and several siblings. Services are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. July 13 at Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary, 2233 Nuuanu Ave., Honolulu. The family requests no flowers. In lieu of monetary donations, contributions can be made to UH Foundation — Culinary Institute of the Pacific, which can be made online at uhfoundation.org/CI forConrad
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
