History of See Ellauri
The Story Behind the Experience
My journey has always been about weaving art, plants, and community into living experiences. From stages in Honolulu to tea gatherings in California, each project has been a way to turn creativity into connection.
What I’ve built are not just places, but moments — unique, unrepeatable, and always guided by the desire to inspire, nourish, and bring people together.
If you feel called to create, collaborate, or simply share a cup of vision — let’s talk.
Creative Ventures
onG kiNg Arts Center, Honolulu
The story begins in Honolulu in 2005, the year I completed my MFA in Theatre Direction. That same year, I co-founded onG kiNg Arts Center in Chinatown — a space where creativity and community could thrive. For fourteen years, onG kinG pulsed at the heart of Honolulu’s arts scene, known for its First Friday art openings, cabaret performances, and a weekly Sunday Open Mic. The bar featured traditional Polynesian ʻawa (kava), and the walls showcased works from Hawaiʻi’s most visionary artists and beyond.
But the true alchemy was in the nights themselves: a single evening could shapeshift from live bands to original theatre, from slam poetry to burlesque — all woven together in seamless succession. This constant quick-change made every show feel like a one-night-only adventure, impossible to replicate.
onG kinG quickly gained recognition, being voted Best Open Mic and Best BYOB by Honolulu Weekly from 2005–2008. The stage gave rise to performers like Quadraphonix (often called “the sound of the space”), ukulele virtuoso Taimane Gardner (who first learned to jam here), Hawaiʻi’s Poet Laureate Kealoha, Travis T, Joel Spiral, and countless others who helped shape the island’s creative landscape.
Key Tea & Kava Lounge, San Rafael
From Hawai‘i, the journey moved to California. In 2011, Key Tea first appeared as a humble cart at local farmers markets, serving chai and herbal blends from Sonoma and Marin farms. By 2014, it had grown into the Key Tea House & Kava Lounge inside San Rafael’s Open Secret Bookstore.
Key Tea became more than a place for food and drink — it was a hub for community. Organic meals, cacao and kava, open mics, art nights, and live performances made it a crossroads where conversation, creativity, and connection could flourish.
Alchemyze Botanical Teas & Elixirs
The thread of plants and performance carried forward into Alchemyze Botanical Teas & Elixirs. Founded in Washington, D.C., Alchemyze introduced handcrafted elixirs and chai to the community. During the Covid years, it evolved into a bottled line carried in nine DMV-area locations.
Alchemyze also consulted for ESP Tea & Coffee in Alexandria, training staff in kava and Gong-Fu tea service while creating signature recipes such as High Res Chai, Golden Hour Latte, and cacao blends. Today, based in the Bay Area, Alchemyze continues through catering, classes, and tea lounge experiences — rediscovering powerful botanical allies as a way to nourish health, spark creativity, and weave community.
