To Dine For with Kate Sullivan

[Kate Sullivan] Welcome to the island of Kauai: a truly majestic place, home to beautiful beaches, stunning mountains, and remarkable people.

[Kate] Bethany!

[Bethany Hamilton] Hi!

[Kate] How are you?

[Kate] Today, a local hero, Bethany Hamilton, is taking me to her favorite restaurant on the island to eat what she loves and find out why she loves it.

[Bethany] Mmm.

That's delicious.

[Kate] Yeah.

[Kate] After losing her arm to a shark attack at the age of thirteen, Bethany did something remarkable.

She got back on her surfboard, becoming a surfing champion an inspiration to people around the world.

[Kate] Did you ever ask yourself why did this happen to me?

[Bethany] I feel like I never really dwell on that, thankfully, like I really thought, "I'm so grateful to be alive," and "What's next?"

[Kate] Over fresh seafood and a caviar topped sorbet, we talk resilience, hope, and how anyone can make an impact in their corner of the world.

[Bethany] Just by me being me, it's encouraging other people to be their best version of them.

[Kate] Then, Bethany takes me to the beach where she learned to surf, and shares how the ocean can be the ultimate master teacher.

[Bethany] I find that in life when we do our best version of ourselves, like that alone has a ripple effect and can do so much more than you even know.

[Kate] What's better in life than a bottle of wine, great food and an amazing conversation?

My name is Kate Sullivan and I am the host of To Dine For .

I'm a journalist, a foodie, a traveler, with an appetite for the stories of people who are hungry for more.

Dreamers.

Visionaries.

Artists.

Those who hustle hard in the direction they love.

I travel with them to their favorite restaurant, to hear how they did it.

This show is a toast to them and their American dream.

To Dine For with Kate Sullivan is made possible by... [Announcer] There are people in your life who count on you for what matters most.

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They'll help you find the right coverage for you, your family, even your farm and business.

You can learn more at americannational.com.

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Lavazza Classico can be brewed however you take your coffee.

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[Kate] Aloha!

Today, I am on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai, on my way into a local gem: Postcards Caf.

The woman who chose this as her absolute favorite restaurant is a true inspiration.

Her name is Bethany Hamilton.

[Kate] Bethany!

[Bethany Hamilton] Hi!

[Kate] How are you?

[Bethany] Good, thanks!

[Kate] It's so nice to meet you!

[Bethany] Pleasure to meet you [Kate] I made it to Kauai!

[Bethany] Yay!

Woohoo!

[Kate] Aloha!

[Bethany] Aloha!

[Kate] There aren't many places that can compare to the natural beauty of Kauai.

The Garden Isle is the fourth largest of the Hawaiian Islands, volcanic in origin and approximately five million years old.

A magical place that boasts fertile land for farming, along with breathtaking mountains, waterfalls, rivers and canyons.

Waimea Canyon: nearly three thousand feet deep, is often called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

But on the north side of the island, just down the road from Hanalei Bay, is Postcards Caf.

[Kate] Oh and it's a perfect day.

I was worried about- [Bethany] It's so nice out.

[Kate] -the weather.

It's spectacular!

[Bethany] I know I was kind of like, "Oh, I want to be at the beach right now!"

but... [Kate] (laughs) Thank you for being here!

[Bethany] Yes!

[Kate] I'm stealing a beach day away from you, I feel guilty.

[Bethany] I'll make it later- [Kate] Okay!

[Bethany] -with the family!

[Kate] Postcards Caf acts as both a gourmet restaurant and a lesson in Hanalei's history.

Originally a plantation cottage built in the 1860's by Chinese immigrants who found success as sandalwood traders, the building was destroyed by a hurricane in 1992, before owner, Joe Paskal, rebuilt it just the way it was.

[Joe Paskal] I just love the building.

It means something to me.

I like to save things, so when I did rebuild the building, I did all the windows the way they were.

I did everything that was historical.

[Kate] Now, it is a must try food destination, featuring the food of Chef Javier Melendez.

The dishes feature organic, in-season, local ingredients, and fresh seafood from the Garden Isle, while applying French and Japanese cooking techniques, with flavors inspired by Asian, African, Caribbean, and Spanish cuisine.

Guests enjoy dishes that serve as culinary postcards from around the world.

[Joe] The whole idea was to really introduce organic food to people, because I thought, "Hey, life is about eating," and that was the whole idea behind it.

[Kate] It is the perfect place to sit down with Bethany Hamilton to talk about her incredible journey and how her challenges and victories shape the woman she is today.

[Kate] Here we are, on this absolutely spectacular island.

You could have chosen any restaurant as your favorite, why did you choose Postcards Caf as your favorite?

[Bethany] I love Postcards.

It just feels like old Hawaii, and they make great food, more locally crafted, locally grown and yeah, it's just a good environment.

[Kate] Yeah, good vibes- [Bethany] Yes!

[Kate] -as they say, right?

I'm so curious because you grew up in this area of Kauai, right?

Hanalei area?

[Bethany] Mm-hmm.

[Kate] What is it like to grow up here?

I mean, what makes, as a kid being here, so special and so unique?

[Bethany] It is a really special place to grow up.

And, I would say for me um and my family and our approach to life, we're very outdoorsy- (Kate laughs) [Bethany] Um, as you may know.

[Kate] That's an understatement.

[Kate] Yes!

[Bethany] Um, my parents both surfed, so we are naturally at the beach a lot.

And my brothers and I all took a love for the ocean, and so, you know, my childhood was at the beach rather than the playground, so you're constantly in awe of the beauty and nature around you and it's humbling.

And yeah, it's just a wonderful place to be.

[Kate] How old were you when you first got on a surfboard?

[Bethany] I started surfing what I was about five, maybe a little bit earlier.

But I would say the love really took off around age eight?

Um, and I really got passionate about it.

I was- I think that was when I started asking my parents to take me all the time you know, the nagging, like, "Please let's go to the beach, let's go to the beach!"

Um... [Kate] What was it about surfing?

If you had to pinpoint, what was it- the sensation of being on the board, was it the athleticism, like, was it just being at the beach?

Like, what was it that you love the most?

[Bethany] I think it's the thrill and the challenge, and just the ultimate kind of, even playing field.

You know even at eight years old, the ocean wasn't gonna be easier on me than it was on my peers- [Kate] Or your brothers.

[Bethany] -yeah, my brothers.

So, and it's humbling too.

But then it's also like really um, inspiring and exciting and (chuckles) I don't know!

It just challenges you in ways that many areas in life I haven't found to challenge me the same way.

And so I think even at that young age, I just loved just, the challenge, and the beauty, and it's kind of an art too.

So your like, your creativity is flowing and... [Kate] You won a tournament when you were eight.

And you had a sponsor, I believe, when you were nine.

What was that like, so much attention on how well you were doing at such a young age?

[Bethany] I think I personally thrived in that environment.

I was very competitive, and I think I liked winning.

I didn't necessarily like attention, um I was more- I would say more shy by nature.

You know, not the like, loud, outgoing one.

But um, (chuckles) you know with time, I grew to like, embrace that, or work with it I guess.

[Kate] On October 31, 2003, everything changed for Bethany.

While going for a morning surf with friends, Bethany was suddenly attacked by a fourteen-foot-long tiger shark.

She lost her left arm in the attack and had lost more than 60 percent of her blood by the time she arrived at a local hospital for surgery.

Even after this traumatic event, Bethany was determined to get back on her surfboard.

[Kate] Twenty-six days after that shark attack, you were back on your board.

How did you do that?

[Bethany] I'm not really sure myself, (chuckles) um, but I remember being in the hospital and thinking, actually I don't know if I can surf.

I didn't know anyone else who surfed with one arm.

So I definitely went through a little window of time where I was like, what's my future gonna hold?

Like I don't know what my life is gonna be like, like this wasn't part of the plan.

And while I had a faith and trusted that God had more for my life, I was also was like "I don't know what's next."

But then I had this conversation with a friend, his name is Mike Coots, he's still a good friend to this day and, he had lost his leg um, to a shark like myself, and he came and visited me in the hospital and he said, "Hey, I think you can surf with one arm."

"I was paddling around out there, kinda messing around," and granted, he has one leg, so he's out there surfing with one leg, so he was my lightbulb of inspiration like- [Kate] So at the hospital, he planted that seed that you could do it.

That it was possible.

[Bethany] Yeah, and meanwhile, everyone around me, like no one could envision or dream of surfing with one arm.

He put that seed and that dreaming in me, and then, I was just- there was no turning back.

As soon as the doctor said I could get in the ocean, I was in the ocean.

[Kate] With no fear?

You didn't have any- I mean did you have any trauma?

Did you have any sense of, "Oh my gosh, this could happen again?"

[Bethany] Of course I was scared of sharks, yes, there was that.

But I think my greater fear was being... that I wouldn't be able to do it.

So, going into the water I was like really nervous you know, and just, especially when I laid down on the board and took my first few paddles, like everything felt weird and not normal, and I had now had half the paddling speed and so it was a big adjustment.

But once I stood up on my first wave and rode it all the way to the beach and I just had like tears of joy.

From that moment on, I knew I would be surfing.

I didn't know where I would take surfing, but I knew I would be enjoying my passion.

[Kate] What do you have here?

[Bethany] Oh!

[Kate] We are starting off with Chef Javier's crispy leek salad.

Cold soba noodles are mixed with fresh yuzu and asparagus, and topped with Pecorino Romano cheese, truffle oil, and tosazu for a unique and refreshing dish.

[Kate] Oh, this looks amazing.

You can smell the truffle oil.

[Bethany] It does smell really nice.

[Kate] Oh, that's delicious.

Flavors I haven't had before.

[Bethany] Mmh.

Wow.

[Kate] 26 days, you get back on the surfboard.

You're tentative, you're scared, but you go on to win championships.

Talk to me about the psychology of that.

Not just getting back on the board, because you get back on the board 'cause you love to surf, where was the point where you said, that's not enough, I'm- I'm gonna win.

[Bethany] Part of me getting back into competition, I think I just really wanted to get back to normal life, and my normal life consisted a lot of competing.

[Kate] Right.

[Bethany] And my very first event I made it to the finals.

And so, that was just so cool.

I feel like that was one of the coolest moments and memories of my comeback was just this little, amateur surf contest and, I didn't know if I'd even be able to like you know, make a heat but I ended up making the finals and that kinda just spurred me on to just keep going for it.

[Kate] What is it like, when someone comes up to you and says "I'm doing what I love" maybe it's not surfing, but something else because of you and your story?

[Bethany] Oh, it's so heartwarming and...you know, I definitely don't do what I do to simply be an inspiration, I just do it because I love it.

And that's me being me.

[Kate] Hmm.

[Bethany] But I find that in life, when we do our best version of ourselves, like that alone has a ripple effect, like, and can do so much more than you even know.

And so, I really didn't like being in the limelight, and I was very much thrust into it like, I just feel like everything I did naturally attracted attention and people just wanted to hear from me, and like see me and be a part of my life or be inspired by my life, and as a teenager that was really hard.

[Kate] Yeah, did a part of you say, "I want none of this."

[Bethany] Well- [Kate] Just let me surf.

[Bethany] -the part of me would just go surf.

(Laughs) And so the ocean was my escape and my happy place to kinda just be me, and kinda slow down and turn the noise off, and, you know, I had letters from people all over the world and my Mom always- she raised me to look at the world from a lens of like there's people who need help.

And so, I already had this like, idea that I was gonna go and help people and I didn't know what that would look like, but even my thirteen year old self wanted to go and like, help someone (chuckles).

And so, when I started to get the letters, which granted I did not read them all, because I was gonna go surfing.

[Kate] Right.

[Bethany] Um, but some of the letters I did read were just like, people saying "Hey, I'm getting back on my board because you got back on yours."

[Kate] Wow.

[Bethany] And so I knew right away, I was like, "Whoa, that's so cool, that just by me being me, it's encouraging other people to be their best version of them."

[Kate] Bethany's story was definitely encouraging.

In 2004, she won the Espy Award for Best Comeback Athlete, the same year that she published her autobiography "Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board."

The book would become a number one New York Times bestseller, and was adapted into a feature film in 2011.

But wait, a refreshing palate cleanser enters the picture.

This is a lemongrass cherry sorbet with finger lime caviar and a little bit of lemon zest.

[Kate] Wow.

[Bethany] Wow, interesting.

[Kate] Thank you, Javier.

Oh, wow.

The texture of the caviar and then the lemon.

[Bethany] Hmm.

Delicious.

[Kate] Oh, that is so refreshing, yeah.

Did you ever ask yourself, why did this happen to me?

[Bethany] I feel like I never really dwell on that, thankfully, like, I really thought "I'm so grateful to be alive" and "what's next?"

And so, no doubt at some point or another, I thought "Okay, why God me, like, this wasn't the plan that I had in mind," and so, kind of working through that and recognizing that.

In this world, we will have trouble, and to know that we can overcome those troubles along the way and trust that sometimes our troubles make us stronger and we can learn a lot from our hardest times.

[Kate] Yeah, it's hard to say, even though you believe it, isn't it?

[Bethany] Yeah, for sure.

[Kate] Yeah.

And still, to this day, there are many challenges, but I just tend to look at the bright side and be grateful for life and know that... some of us face more challenge than others and it all- it's up to us how we want to move forward.

[Chef Javier Melendez] Over here, we have a market fish.

[Bethany] Thank you.

[Kate] Now, this is your favorite dish.

[Bethany] This looks amazing.

[Kate] Okay.

(laughs) Bethany's favorite dish proves she has great taste.

Fresh grilled moonfish sits atop a wild mushroom fricassee with scallions, Pecorino, and a truffle kouzodashi broth.

[Kate] Oh, wow.

That is really good.

[Kate] Bethany has now embraced her role as an inspiration to people all over the world, especially those with limb difference.

Bethany and her husband run the Beautifully Flawed Foundation, a non- profit organization with the mission of helping people overcome the difficulties and challenges of life.

Their work involves holding conferences to inspire people with limb difference, working to empower girls around the world, and mentorship programs for mothers and daughters, especially teenage daughters.

[Kate] You now host conferences, uh, specifically for mothers and daughters.

Can you tell me what those are about, and what do mothers and daughters learn at your conferences?

[Bethany] So, it's more of a mentorship program, and it goes for about three months.

We start online, on Zoom, and we cover an array of different topics, one day a week for three months.

And so we're challenging both mother and daughter, and they're doing it together, and the idea is I believe ultimately, the mother is the leader in her daughter's life and lot of times life happens and maybe mom and daughter are not, you know, arm and arm together, they're at odds or something, or something in their life is feeling really challenging, or they're going through something, so they're coming to the program with like a need to heal or grow or overcome.

Um, we're continually working through our challenges in life and helping the girls find their confidence, their beauty, their worth, just a knowing that there's more for their life.

Um, I feel like young women are tacked in so many different angles nowadays, and so... just reminding the girls that they can choose their future how they see it.

[Kate] It's called the "Ohana Experience."

What does the word "Ohana" mean?

[Bethany] That means family.

So... it can be blood family but it can also be like kind of, adopted family or, you know, sometimes we have aunties bring their nieces through the program, or grandmas take their granddaughters because, maybe mom passed away, or, you know different situations happen.

But it's more than just family, it's, you know, all your people- [Kate] A community.

[Bethany] -Your community.

The people that love and support you, or you love and support.

And people coming together to cheer each other on.

[Kate] Bethany is a devout Christian and credits her faith for allowing her to navigate all aspects of her life.

Her foundation "Beautifully Flawed" helps those who have lost a limb navigate their new reality.

She says it's also part of her "Faith Walk" to help others realize that God has a plan for their life.

[Kate] What do you think your purpose and mission is now?

[Bethany] A lot of our work is to help others.

Um, I just wrote a book, it's a children's book, so it's to help children overcome their fears, "Surfing Past Fear," and we do different retreats for women with limb difference, and so, everything is directed towards just wanting to help others.

[Kate] I would think that... one of the amazing things to come out... of the attack is probably meeting so many people who have overcome such amazing odds.

And you are... you know, part of that team, part of that tribe of people, overcomers.

[Bethany] Yeah, it's been amazing meeting different men and women over the years, specifically a lot of women.

There's so many amazing stories out there, like, there's so many resilient humans who are defying the odds, you know, they're doing the- they've never seen someone else surf with one arm, but they're getting out there and you know doing their version of surfing, and it's really inspiring to see and be a part of their life.

(Bethany chuckles) [Kate] The term unstoppable is associated with your name.

What does unstoppable mean to you?

[Bethany] Unstoppable to me is not about being perfect and having together all the time, but it's being willing to keep going when times get hard, and adapt when you feel like you're stumped, or just be your best version of you.

I don't feel like it needs to be about me, but more about like, the essence of my story and that hopefully that can waterfall into their life when they face challenges and hard times.

Just live life to the fullest.

[Kate] Chef Javier had one more dish for us.

A chvre cheesecake with a butter cookie and coconut crust, passionfruit gel, and apple compote.

It was the perfect dessert to enjoy before heading to Hanalei Bay, Bethany's home beach where she first learned to surf.

[Bethany] Oh, this is my home beach, I come here all the time.

So I kind of learned how to surf in this area here, and now my children are learning to surf here.

[Kate] Aww.

Bethany's work with teenage girls allows her to share two things she loves: her faith, and her love of surfing.

[Bethany] Working with teenage girls is such a dream of mine, I'm so honored and I love it, and it's such a needed area to- [Kate] But it's hard!

[Bethany] It is really hard!

(Kate laughs) [Kate] It's no easy feat to handle teenage girls and their moms!

[Bethany] But when you get those teenage girls out there surfing, they are just- they let down all their guards, they're just as natural as can be!

They're being challenged... [Kate] What do you think surfing teaches them?

[Bethany] I think surfing is just a place where, maybe sometimes the girls are going into it thinking like, "Oh I can't do this" or they're just nervous and so... but then I get them out there and they surf and have an awesome time and they're like "Whoa, what else can I do in my life?"

[Kate] What do you know about surfing now that you didn't know twenty years ago?

[Bethany] Ooh, well, I mean, probably the biggest thing is just how humbling it can be.

Like, the ocean is just so big and challenging, and it always has you on your toes and one day you feel amazing and the next day you're like "Oh my gosh, I really like got put in my place so..." (Kate chuckles) [Kate] So, like life!

[Bethany] Yes!

[Kate] Surfing is like life.

This has been amazing, thank you for bringing me all the way to Kauai, what an amazing meal, thank you, thank you.

[Bethany] Thank you.

[Kate] I've enjoyed it so much.

[Kate] What a day with Bethany Hamilton.

It's not every day you get to finish a workday walking barefoot in the sand.

Bethany has devoted her life to a personal passion, a skill she has honed over thousands of beach days, a sport that has taken from her and given to her.

You get the feeling that Bethany's shark attack thrust her into a spotlight she didn't really want; it made her uncomfortable.

She lost a limb, but she gained grit.

Her arm gone, but her spirit strong.

A gift earned by continuing to show up when things don't look good.

Bethany Hamilton's life is a lesson to surrender, to have humility, and to embrace any chance you have to inspire.

[Kate] If you would like to know more about the guests, the restaurants, and the inspiring stories of success, please visit todinefortv.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram at To Dine For TV.

We also have a podcast, To Dine For the podcast is available on Apple podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

To Dine For with Kate Sullivan is made possible by... [Announcer] There are people in your life who count on you for what matters most.

American National agents are close to home and committed to our communities.

They'll help you find the right coverage for you, your family, even your farm and business.

You can learn more at americannational.com.

Lavazza has worked towards perfecting the art of blending coffee for four generations, celebrating coffee in all its forms.

Lavazza Classico can be brewed however you take your coffee.

Lavazza.

Devoted to coffee since 1895.