Like many people, Ryan Reynolds picked up some new skills during the pandemic. But he’s not baking banana bread or gardening: The award-winning actor learned ice sculpting, nail art, ax throwing and more, including latte art from O‘ahu-born Melannie Aquino, for his new Snapchat series, Ryan Doesn’t Know. (Yes, Snapchat has original shows now.)
Aquino, who is from Wahiawā and graduated from Leilehua High School in 2005, moved to San Francisco for art school. There she began working at a coffee shop where she learned the basics of latte art. When a customer ordered a drink and she felt that the design didn’t come out right, she turned it into a little bear—something her co-worker said Japanese baristas do when they make mistakes. “The customer really, really liked it, which was awesome,” she says. So she kept experimenting and honing her skills. “And then all of a sudden, somebody emailed me … her opening line was something like, ‘I specialize in people going viral, and I’d like to help you,’ and I was like, OK, sure!”