James Beard Award-nominee, chef and cookbook author Lee Anne Wong introduces listeners to her restaurant, Koko Head Cafe. She shares what inspired her to launch the concept in Tokyo and Honolulu and the destinations’ appeal. The New York native spills unique challenges and advantages that come with running businesses in Hawaii and Japan. Then, she reflects on her unexpected family reunion while filming Top Chef on the island. She spills the personal reason she relocated and favorite moments from her 20+ years of experience competing on television. The proud mom shares valuable lessons she teaches her son while watching her shows together and favorite dishes to make with him. Determined to positively impact the environment, Lee Anne explains the key to filling her menus with locally sourced ingredients and the power of fresh food produced by humans who live and work in the area. She addresses ecological issues that importing ingredients cause and the lingering economic impact of the pandemic on her industry, offering an insightful take on inflated prices. She reveals her favorite local foods, goals for her guests’ experience and the reason she does it all. Post-Covid, numbed taste buds and concerning news from her doctor, Lee Anne shares how her diet has recently changed and what she’d put on her menu to have a perfect day of food.

Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/lee-anne-wong-on-her-hyper-local-approach-to-hawaiian-cuisine

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