Chefs


CHAI CHAOWASAREE Chai’s Island Bistro	Thai-born Chef Chaowasaree is the Chef/Owner of Chai’s Island Bistro (www.chaisislandbistro.com), serving Contemporary Island Pacific Rim Cuisine since 1999. His cuisine is as romantic and mysterious as the land in which it was born, incorporating only the freshest ingredients in the Hawaiian Islands with an imaginative blending of spices, herbs, roots and leaves, enhancing the natural flavors and textures of his dishes. Host of one of the most popular cooking shows in Hawai‘i (Dining Out with Chai and Two Skinny Chefs), Chef Chaowasaree looks forward to pleasing the palates of guests at the Paradise Grand Finale, with a deconstructed island beef tenderloin Wellington with merlot demi glace and foie gras mushroom truffle puff.


HIROSHI FUKUI Hiroshi’s Eurasion Tapas	Chef Fukui is the Executive Chef of Hiroshi’s Eurasion Tapas (www.hiroshihawaii.com), a collaborative effort with Chef “DK” Kodama and Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya. Born in Yokohama, Japan, Chef Fukui came to Hawai‘i at the age of 12 and grew up to train in the kaiseki (formal) Japanese cuisine method. He is now noted for his cooking style based on Japanese culinary techniques, foods and flavors with a contemporary twist that incorporates European methods. Guests at Kapolei Uncorked will enjoy his unique culinary fusion style when Chef Fukui serves his butter sous vide Kona lobster with lush local Island accompaniments.


KEVIN HANNEY 12th Ave Grill	Chef Hanney is the Chef/Owner of 12th Ave Grill (www.12thavegrill.com), known for its “Contemporary American Cooking”, emphasizing the use of the freshest local organic produce, Big Island beef, natural free-range chicken and fresh fish. He has traveled the world developing his innovative cooking techniques, influenced by stints in kitchens in the Mediterranean and California. In addition, he has been the house caterer for many of California’s premier wineries. Come savor Chef Hanney's crispy skin kampachi with saffron lilikoi curry at the Paradise Grand Finale!


ED KENNEY TOWN	Chef/Owner Kenney of TOWN sold all of his worldly possessions after a successful six-year stint in the commercial real estate field, and embarked on a year-long globetrotting adventure that resulted in a realization over a bowl of pho in Hanoi about the profound manner in which food unifies people and his desire to play a role in doing so. Following his philosophy of “Local first, organic whenever possible, and with aloha always”, Chef Kenney’s guests can dine with confidence that what is on their plates is the freshest product available and handled with love. His edible treasures are highlighted at the Paradise Grand Finale VIP Champagne Reception.


JASON KINA JW MARRIOTT IHILANI RESORT & SPA	Chef Jason Kina is the Executive Banquet Chef at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa (www.ihilani.com) where he serves as a maestro of varied culinary experiences for very special occasions. Chef Kina has orchestrated culinary events for groups as diverse as the NFL Pro Bowl and the Taste at Kapolei. Chef Kina joined the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa 15 years ago and is a graduate of the Kapiolani Community College’s Culinary Food Service Management program (a beneficiary of Hawaii Food & Wine Paradise). Your taste buds will sing when you sample Chef Kina’s creations at Kapolei Chef Showcase (Azul)…peppered big-eye ahi anyone?...and Kapolei Uncorked.


DAVE “DK” KODAMA Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar	Chef/Owner of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar (www.sanseihawaii.com) and six other restaurants on three Hawaiian Islands, Chef Kodama is as well known for his wry sense of humor as he is for his stellar cuisine. Travel + Leisure recognized his venue as one of “America’s Best Sushi Bars” and when asked about the slogan “Home of the Other Red Meat”, Chef Kodama explains “It’s the ahi, of course!” His sushi-making skills will be on grand display at Kapolei Uncorked for guests who will indulge in his Japanese Soup and Sandwich, a king crab ramen with truffle butter broth and Sansei special sushi!


TIM LOVE The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro	As the foremost pioneer of urban Western cuisine, Chef Love wears a cowboy hat in place of a toque, appoints nachos with kangaroo carpaccio and marries foie gras with chiles. A true Texan, the foundation of his cuisine is, naturally, steak and wild game, and includes huge cuts of Texas steer, buffalo, antelope, red deer and wild boar, supplemented by lingonberries from Sweden, Manchego cheese from Spain, and Quandong sauce from Australia for global flair. Chef Love’s flagship restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas — The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro (www.lonesomedovebistro.com)— has earned critical acclaim since it opened in 2000 and in April 2007, he opened a classic burger joint called The Love Shack. In May 2007, Chef Love appeared on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” in a victorious “Chile” battle against Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and was also featured on the Food Network’s “Challenge: Hawaiian Luau Beach BBQ.” Cooking with plenty of aloha (love), Chef Love is a featured chef de cuisine at the Kapolei Uncorked and Paradise Grand Finale.


JINJIE PRASEUTH LUANGKHOT JJ French Pastry	Chef/Owner “JJ” of JJ French Pastry (www.jjfrenchpastry.com) is known for truly creating works of edible art. With his mentor, patissier Jean Marc Burillier, he developed his signature creation—three inch high chocolate pyramids inspired by I.M. Pei’s glass triangle entrance to the Louvre. If you are one of the few who is not a chocolate lover, Chef “JJ” will have you swooning over his shiny green tea cakes, tarts of poached pears in red wine or apple Bavarian. Come to Kapolei Uncorked for a real treat…Chef “JJ’’s chocolate pyramid and a lilikoi mousse with haupia cake…yum!


RYAN LUCKEY Pineapple Grill at Kapalua Resort	Maui native and Executive Chef Ryan Luckey of Pineapple Grill at Kapalua Resort (www.pineapplekapalua.com) is responsible for its award-winning menu featuring Pacific Island Cuisine and of course, plenty of sweet Maui Gold pineapple. He is a regular participant in all of west Maui’s major culinary events, including the Kapalua Food & Wine Symposium, A Taste of Lahaina and Maui Chefs Presents. Chef Luckey and Maui Gold pineapple will be featured at Kapolei Uncorked where he will whip up plates of Maui Gold pineapple and proscuitto wrapped ahi with coconut-scented forbidden rice, Makawao oyster mushrooms and a soy-wasabi and Maui Gold pineapple emulsion.


THAD LYMAN Napa Valley Grille	Executive Chef and Co-Proprietor of Napa Valley Grille (www.napavalleygrille.com), Chef Lyman decided to forgo his dream of becoming an American President in order to follow his passions into the culinary world at the tender age of 17—taking culinary classes by day and working kitchen shifts by night. He worked diligently honing his culinary skills at notable restaurants including Simons & Seaforts in Anchorage, Alaska and Restaurant Viognier in San Mateo, California. Chef Lyman describes his food as a rustic approach to American cuisine and his motto is “Leave your inhibitions and diets at the door.” Guests at Kapolei Chef Showcase (Azul) and the Paradise Grand Finale will want to follow his advice as they enjoy the rich flavors of wild boar and a sinfully delicious “Snickers” dessert.


HIDEAKI “SANTA” MIYOSHI Tokkuri Tei	Japan native and Chef/Manager “Santa” Miyoshi of Tokkuri Tei left behind the study of law to follow his passion for “good food, good drink, good fun”. After cutting 200 pounds of sashimi a day for the buffet table at Kengo’s, Chef Miyoshi and a partner started a lunch wagon called “Munch Wagon” and a year later in 1989, opened Tokkuri Tei, the first “izaka-ya” type restaurant in Hawai‘i. Specializing in pupus (appetizers) and drinks, Chef Miyoshi is all about fun and so is the dish he’s presenting to guests at Kapolei Uncorked—“Fresh Hamachi 3 Ways”…as a carpaccio, tartare poke and California roll sans rice.


PHILIPPE PADOVANI Elua Restaurant & Wine Bar	Marseille-born Chef Padovani is Chef/Co-Owner of Elua Restaurant & Wine Bar (www.eluarestaurant.com) and one of the twelve founding chef members of the Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine (HRC) movement, celebrating the remarkable diversity and sophistication of food in Hawai‘i. He arrived in Hawai‘i in 1986 to oversee the award-winning La Mer at the Halekulani as Executive Chef, followed by opening of the Ritz Carlton Mauna Lani and Executive Chef service at The Manele Bay Hotel on Lanai. In February 2006, he launched Chocolates by Padovani, a chocolate retail shop selling handmade chocolates with notable Hawaiian flavors. The mouthwatering creations of Chef Padovani can be enjoyed at the Paradise Grand Finale.


PETER PAHK Silverado Resort	Executive Chef of Silverado Resort (www.silveradoresort.com) in Napa, California, Chef Pahk is an O‘ahu, Hawai‘i native (and avid golfer and surfer!). Upon graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Pahk joined the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company where he established an impressive following for his Asian-influenced California cuisine. He joined Silverado Resort in 1997 and has gained notoriety for his commitment to local, artisanal and sustainable cuisine having created one of the most progressive sustainable agricultural programs in the country. Organically raised lamb and California abalone are just two of the stars in dishes Chef Pahk will prepare at Kapolei Chef Showcase (Azul) and the Paradise Grand Finale. Click here to listen to Chef Pahk on the Mike Buck Show on KHVH Radio.


KELVIN RO Diamond Head Market & Grill	Chef Ro is the Chef/Owner of Diamond Head Market & Grill (www.diamondheadmarket.com), literally on the slopes of the world famous Diamond Head crater. He developed an interest in culinary arts early on from his family of restauranteurs and started a catering company and then restaurant in Hilo on the Big Island before opening the Kahala Moon Café which won him awards and accolades. In addition to his long hours at Diamond Head Market & Grill, Chef Ro puts in time as a chef/instructor at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College and as a participant in numerous community fundraisers and special events. His keen sensibility for local flavors with a healthy twist will be showcased at Kapolei Uncorked. Click here to see award-winning Chef Kelvin Ro demonstrate the art of mango marmalade for Hawai‘i Food & Wine Paradise!


DARRYL SHINOGI Roy’s Ko Olina	Chef Shinogi is the Executive Chef at Roy’s Ko Olina (www.roysrestaurant.com), having been promoted from the position of Executive Sous Chef after only a year at James Beard Foundation award-winning Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s Ko Olina resort restaurant. Chef Shinogi fine tuned his culinary skills working along side founders of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine (HRC) movement, including Chefs Phillipe Padovani and Amy Ferguson (Ritz Carlton Mauna Lani) and Chef George Mavrothalasitis (La Mer at the Halekulani). Look for Chef Shinogi’s pan seared scallops with tapenade and black mussel nectar at Kapolei Uncorked.


ROY YAMAGUCHI Roy’s Restaurant	James Beard Foundation award-winning Chef/Owner Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s Restaurant (www.roysrestaurant.com) is the inventor of Hawaiian Fusion cuisine, a tempting combination of exotic flavors and spices mixed with the freshest of local ingredients, always with an emphasis on seafood. His masterpieces have struck a chord with audiences around the world as attested to by the very successful multiplication of Roy’s restaurants globally (25 in the continental U.S., 7 in Hawai‘i and one each in Japan and Guam). The “Wolfgang Puck of the Pacific” as named by the New York Times takes a fortunate gathering of 50 guests at Kapolei Chef Showcase (Roy’s Ko Olina) on a memorable culinary journey, pairing great food and great wine.