While living and working on O‘ahu for the past 30 years, I often imagined what it would be like to share my work in Hawaiʻi with my childhood community in the South Bay. Our 2026 LA launch is a celebration of that dream—an offering that honors how these two communities have shaped the work I carry today.

For decades, I’ve been cultivating a life rooted in music, food, art, education, and community organizing. I’ve long hoped to find a way to share what has been growing on Oʻahu with my South Bay community, throughout Los Angeles, and beyond. These places have shaped me in different, yet deeply connected ways—a weaving that continues to guide my path.

My early childhood in Manila and growing up in Los Angeles formed my creative foundation, while Hawaiʻi has provided fertile ground for expression, expansion, and deeper connection to creative practice. Over time, I’ve come to understand that these places are not in competition—they are my inhale and exhale.

Surrounded by diverse cultures in LA, along with my time exploring New York City as a performing arts student, I learned to experience the world through my senses—through touch, taste, sound, scent, movement, and quiet observation. This way of perceiving continues to shape how I create, connect, and share.

The South Bay is where some of my early influences in music and art were first planted. Today, both Los Angeles and Hawaiʻi serve as creative womb spaces. Each place has taught me the importance of respect, community, creativity, and making genuine connections.

I am deeply grateful for the people, places, and experiences that continue to shape this journey—one that is rooted in devotion and service to a strong, thriving community.

We are honored to call Oʻahu and Los Angeles home, and to share a bit of that spirit with you through Atlas Tea + Apothecary.