Talent in the Family

I felt inspired to write about the subject of talent after watching America’s Got Talent last night on TV. Rick and I love this show! It’s full of heart and is empowering and entertaining to watch. We usually agree about our favorite and least favorite acts, and have a chuckle over the ones we miss, (like Boy Britney). We also recently heard that last year’s winner, Terry Fator, who was ours as well as America’s first choice, now has a $100 million contract in Las Vegas, with an option to extend for 5 years – amazing! One trait all the acts on America’s Got Talent have in common is their dedication to their craft and endless perseverance.

This got me thinking about the abundant talent that runs in our own family. On Rick’s side of the family, we have his mother Joan who makes the most beautiful quilts and who has taken an interest in Hawaiian quilt patterns. Or how about his brother Bill, who is not only a pastor of his church and a full-time father and husband, he also manages to write daily in his thought-provoking blog Provocative Church, which he has done for the past 3 years! I’ve also heard stories about Rick's grandfather who was a very talented Chef.

On my side, we have my mother who is an incredible travel photographer who specializes in Europe. Her company, Linda Lowry Photographics is one of the few non-wedding related links on cakelava.com. Her work has won numerous awards and receives regular acclaim and she takes some of the most beautiful images of Europe that Rick and I have ever seen. We have a couple of her photos framed in our studio that we enjoy daily.






Another talented artist also on our Links page is my step-brother, Chris Lowry, who co-owns Hot Island Glass a glassblowing studio and gallery in Makawao, Maui . Hot Island Glass brings together two of Hawaii’s leading glassblowers, Chris Lowry and Christopher Richards. Rick and I had the opportunity to visit the studio of Hot Island Glass when we were on Maui. The gallery is lovely and the work amazing, plus Chris is a really nice guy! Their glass is also on display at the Maui Ocean Center. Chris learned glassblowing from his father Bill and many other talented teachers. Bill now focuses more on carpentry and beautiful woodworking and we’re lucky enough to own a few of his handcrafted pieces.






As I write this, I look into the kitchen and see my talented husband Rick and think about his tireless dedication to his craft, and all the different influences and mentors who helped nurture and develop his talent. I think about the many talented chefs and business mentors I had the fortune to work with in my craft over the years . Without the presence of talent all around us we wouldn’t have our business. And we are so thankful.