whodaguys

Moving to Hawaii at age 20 with the vision of getting into sailing, he found his place on Kauai as well as his first small boat which was the start of his sailing adventures in the South Pacific. In the meantime he continued developing his career in graphics and sign making, quickly becoming known around the island for his work. Unlike the technology used today, most signs were done with oil based paint and a quiver of brushes. A few of these hand painted examples that he and his peers produced are still evident on the island.

He meets all challenges with his legendary MacGyver mind and sometimes when appropriate, brings a quirky flavor to his work, thanks to being born in the Chinese year of the Monkey. His experience in working on and repairing sailboats has stood him in good stead because his signs are well crafted and built with the marine climate in mind.

In 1997, he sailed with his partner, Anita (they eventually got married, having survived sailing the high seas together) to New Zealand and over a period of 5 years flew back and forth to Hawaii annually for 3 months to make signs to fund the next leg of their sailing journey. His widespread clientele base on Kauai allowed for this. In fact it became a game to see how soon after disembarking he would run into someone who needed his services. Usually it happened within a day or two.
In New Zealand he studied a lot of cutting edge signage and advertising to learn about new and unusual techniques and materials. He created a few signs for businesses, cafes and private homes while there and many a boat throughout the Pacific has his handy work on it.

Tommy and Anita finally returned to Hawaii after selling the boat and put their energy into growing food and the business on 1 1/2 acres on the South side. Together they designed and built a house.

Anita, born and raised in South Africa, followed her dream of traveling at an early age. With an art and dance background at school and college she traveled and worked her way around the world for more than two decades, starting her journey in the Middle East.

She qualified in several bodywork modalities in Cape Town and Edinburgh, focusing her attention on Shiatsu and the study of Chinese Medicine. In Cape Town she had a successful home industry business creating hand made buttons, designed for the fashion industry and retail to the public. Always interested in health and nutrition she also spent 8 plus years learning to cook and working in kitchens with an emphasis on creating healthy food.

Her travels finally brought her to Kauai where she met up with Tommy and very bravely agreed to sail the high seas with him.

On their return to Kauai she has put all her energy into helping run the business which involves doing the books, scheduling and lining up jobs. When there is a lot of pressure, she’ll even put on an apron and pick up a paintbrush or help with color/logo decisions. The rest of the time is spent working the land and improving their property.

Both Tommy and Anita are passionate about dancing Argentine Tango.