Carrie was born and raised in Oklahoma. Her earliest culinary memories are of her mother canning winter vegetables from the large garden in the acreage of her back yard.
Carrie worked for Revco Drug Stores through her high school teen and young adult years, working her way up to Assistant Floor Manager; this was her first experience as an hourly supervisor. Carrie received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and worked in Mental Health and Human Services upon graduating from college, where she learned many life-long lessons as a Mental Health Therapist and Case Management Supervisor. She enjoyed this field and obtained her Master's Degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, continuing to work in many Human Resource related fields.
Carrie married her high school sweetheart. She and her husband, Dave, were engaged at Orchids Restaurant in the Halekulani Hotel while visiting Hawaii, only to return to wed on a sailboat a few miles off-shore from Diamond Head. Carrie and her family finally made the move to the islands in 2002. Carrie has continued to work in Human Resources in a management capacity, with more than ten years experience in senior management holding Director and Vice President positions, and joined Alan Wong's Restaurants in February 2008.
Carrie now has one pre-school age son. “Motherhood is a wonderful and an amazing experience. Patience and understanding are my daily mantras!”
“The love for the ocean brought me to Hawaii, and the delicious food and amazing people keep me here! I have a passion for helping to create win-win solutions in the workplace. I have learned many lessons over the last twenty-some years as a Therapist, Manager, and Human Resource Leader. However, I think it is quite simple: Respect, Trust, and Open Communication! If you do not have these three key elements you cannot form meaningful connections and positive relationships. I feel very fortunate to work with such a dedicated management team. I am very excited to mentor under Chef Alan on the business side of his operations. I look forward to providing our management team with support, guidance, and leadership”.
