TAMPA, Fla. — For people in Tamp Bay who have ties to Hawaii, watching wildfires ravish the island of Maui has been heart breaking. 

What You Need To Know

  •  Jennifer Byrd runs three restaurants in the area

  •  She says her recipes come from Hawaii

  •  She is working to help raise money to support the Red Cross in Maui

Jennifer Byrd, owner of Aloha to Go, serves up authentic Hawaiian BBQ at her three Pinellas County restaurants. Originally from Hawaii, Byrd said her recipes all come from family members.

“My mom and my aunties — they would call and I would say, ‘You have to show me how to make this,’” Byrd said. “And they would say, ‘I don’t have a recipe for this. It’s just a little of this and a little of that.’”

Fortunately, Byrd says she was able to perfect each dish and bring a taste of her native Hawaii to her customers. Now, Byrd said she is heartbroken to see parts of that home destroyed by wildfires.

“It’s horrific," she said of the fires devastating Maui. "It’s like watching Ian all over again. It’s absolutely heartbreaking."

Byrd is now fundraising for relief efforts.

She was already running a back-to-school special at each of her restaurant locations in Seminole, Indian Shores and Palm Harbor. Now, 10% of the proceeds from that special will go to the Red Cross in Maui. 

This includes the purchase of family style platters of Huli Huli chicken through the month of August. Visit the Aloha to Go website for more information.