Where Hawaii Eats

“Rigo SPANISH ITALIAN” is located on Kapahulu Avenue, one of Oahu’s best “FOODIES STREET”. The dining provides a relaxing atmosphere with the high ceiling and interior. You can enjoy fixed price tapas and wines, Spanish josper grilled main dishes, wood-fried pizzas and homemade pastas incorporating local produce. With a motto “No vague” ”Define”. Once again set the definition of Spanish-Italian.  

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#paella #kapakulu #spanish #italian #woodfriedpizza

In 1935, Taisuke and Katsuko Sekiya had the idea to open a restaurant that served a variety of okazu (Japanese delicatessen foods) and dessert delicacies. It turned out to be the idea of the century — well, nearly a century — as the Kaimuki eatery celebrates 85 years.  Consistency is at the heart of everything Sekiya’s does, and that’s exemplified when browsing the menu. Its beloved BBQ Sticks, for example, have been a staple for decades. Plate lunches, meanwhile, grew popular during World War II, when they were sold for just 10 cents a pop. Remaining a forever fan favorite, the Kaimuki Avenue storefront offers a variety of plate lunch specials.  

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#japanesefood #delicatessen #kaimuki

Aloooha! Danny Kaleikini, the Ambassador of Aloha (former Gov. John Waihee gave him the moniker in 1988), was born into a family of eight children. Raised in Papakolea, his humble roots taught him how to share the aloha. Everyone in their household contributed by doing their share. In fact, a 5-year-old Danny sold copies of The Honolulu Advertiser and also shined shoes by Hawaii Theatre to help his family.  The Kahala Hotel & Resort honored "Hawaii’s Ambassador of Aloha" Danny Kaleikini by celebrating his 30-year residency at the resort and dedicating its front drive in his name. We sampled his favorite dishes from Plumeria Beach House.   

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PHOTO: ANTHONY CONSILLIO

When you first walk into Waikiki Brewing Co., you see a big aloha sign and a feeling of warmth and cheer.  Being calorie-conscious, craft beer is somewhat foreign to me, so executive chef Nicholas Stewart and general manager Andy Flartey invited me to try popular items paired with their craft beer made by brewmaster Joe Lorenzen.With a wide array of menu items, including vegan/vegetarian food options, this brewery offers more than just handcrafted local beer.  

Waikiki was the first location and opened in March 2015. Joe Lorenzen, our brewmaster, worked with the restaurant as a line cook. The idea was pitched to the owners to make this a brewery. Being that there wasn’t a brewery in Waikiki, they loved the idea and Waikiki Brewing Co. was born.  We are the only actual, active brewery in Waikiki. On brew days, you can get all the sights and smells, authentic feel as you can see the product being made. Our brewmaster with his culinary background, creates each brew like a chef would create a dish.  

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#beer #craftbeer #hawaiibeer #wheatbeer #waikiki

Glenn Medeiros was born and raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. As a teenager, he began a professional career as a singer/songwriter. For the next eight years, Glenn travelled to almost forty countries, selling over seven million records, recording eight albums, almost twenty music videos and writing over 200 songs.  In 1994 Glenn moved to Oahu to reach for his childhood dream of being an educator. In three years, he attained a BA in History/Humanities from the UH-West Oahu. Several years later, he received a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix. After teaching for years as both an elementary and high school teacher in public, Catholic, and private non-denominational schools, Glenn became the Vice Principal at Maryknoll Elementary School. He was later offered to work in the same capacity at Maryknoll High School. After receiving his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California in 2014, Glenn became a full-time Assistant Professor at Chaminade University in its School of Education. Finally, in 2015, Glenn was offered the position of Head of School at Saint Louis School in Hawaii, where he is now in his fourth year at the helm.  

In his first year as President at Saint Louis School, Glenn was responsible for overseeing the creation of a new strategic plan that successfully led to the opening of an elementary school in August of 2016. In one short year, enrollment at Saint Louis School grew by over 20 percent. With a focus on building excellence in Academics, Athletics, and the Arts through the use of a blended learning model that balances personalized and 21st Century learning methods of instruction. This, in combination with an added focus on rigor, relevance and relationships, creates an environment conducive to learning for young men.  

Beyond his responsibility as School President, Dr. Medeiros is a board member of Saint Louis School, Saint Joseph School, the Marianist Center of Hawaii, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH), and the Hawaii Society for Technology in Education. He is also a member of the Committee on Culture and the Arts for the City and County of Honolulu, while also volunteering his time as a Major in the Civil Air Patrol as part of Saint Louis School’s 77th Squadron. Finally, Glenn is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Lay Marianists, and Maryknoll Affiliates.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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Garrett Mukogawa began his culinary career at Citrus in Hollywood under the tutelage of Chef Michel Richard while he attended the CSCA Culinary School in Pasadena California.  He then ventured out to Maui to complete his culinary schooling by attending an internship at Roy’s Kahana Bar & Grill.  Upon finishing his internship he was asked to remain on staff, thus beginning his Roy’s career.  After 5 years in Maui Garrett then did a short stint at Canlis in Seattle Washington.  Upon returning to California he returned to Roy’s and joined Roy’s La Jolla where he spent the next 5 years in the San Diego area.  Garrett then transferred up to the Roy’s Downtown Los Angeles where he spent a little over a year at the helm.  After his time at the LA Roy’s Garrett wanted to add even more to his repertoire and worked under Italian Chef Celestino Drago at his Enoteca Drago location in Beverly Hills.  Garrett then returned to his roots and joined the Roy’s Hawaii team.  Where he is now the Corporate Chef for all of Roy Yamaguchi concepts in Hawaii.        

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#csca #culinary #roys #RoyYamaguchi

Born and raised in South Lake Tahoe, California, Jeff Stewart is, not surprisingly, an avid skier. But it was a summer trip to France and an enthusiastic chemistry teacher that enticed him away from the mountains and into winemaking.“My summer in France was really my first experience with wine as part of the family meal. I was fascinated with the lifestyle and the importance of wine in that culture,” says Hartford Family Winemaker and General Manager, Jeff Stewart. “I knew I wanted to pursue a career in science anda er several conversations with my high school chemistry teacher, I was soon enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology program at UC Davis. The idea of combining agriculture, science and the creativity of making wine,something celebrated and revered in many cultures for thousands of years, was mesmerizing.”A UC Davis graduate with a degree in fermentation science, viticulture,and enology, Jeff has been making Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and old vine Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma County for over 25years. Jeff began to learn the character of the vineyards and the distinct subregions of the Russian River Valley in the early 1990s when he joined some of the earliest winemakers to study the region.  

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#Winemaker #PinotNoir #Chardonnay #Zinfandel

I basically worked in the family restaurant business and was a waiter and bartender through my college years. I opened Teddy's Bigger Burgers with Ted Tsakiris in 1998. We opened over 26 restaurants in 5 countries over the next 21 years. We opened the first TEX808 BBQ+BREWS in the Hawaii Kai Towne Center in 2019. Our 2nd store is a quick-serve version at Moanalua Shopping Center. We are moving the Hawaii Kai location to a location on the water in Hawaii Kai set to open in late 2020. TEX808 Waikiki opened at the Laylow Hotel this past Friday, Oct 29, 2020. 

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#TeddysBurgers #burgers #hawaiisbestkitchens #hawaiifoodie

When Halepuna Waikiki was in the infancy of its planning process, it was decided to add a touch of its sister property, Halekulani, to the destination. The result: Halekulani Bakery & Restaurant, the hotel’s first branded entity outside of Halekulani.  “We envisioned creating an outlet that would center around our one-of-a-kind pastries and exquisite baked goods,” states Bonnie Bise, public relations manager for Halekulani and Halepuna Waikiki. “With our baked goods, we could hone in our bread pairings with specialty sandwiches, and the concept eventually transformed into a separate plan for a bakery/café, in addition to a casual restaurant with an emphasis on local, indigenous foods.”  The eatery is helmed by an impressive culinary team comprising executive pastry chef Mark Freischmidt who has led the team at Halekulani for the past 11 years. 

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REY BAYSA is executive chef at the newly transformed Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort. Baysa oversees the operations of Kani Ka Pila Grille, the casual resort restaurant that services the property with breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service. Additionally, Baysa oversees the resort’s catering and its exclusive Voyager 47 Club Lounge.   Baysa was most recently executive chef at Hilton Waikiki Beach and prior, chef de cuisine at Kapolei Golf Club, while also assisting the Hawai‘i Convention Center with its culinary needs. He gleaned his food and beverage experience, including food production, purchasing, menu development, banquets and multi-restaurant operations, at Hard Rock Café Honolulu; Tommy Bahama Restaurant and Bar in California; Cal Hi Aspen, The Ritz-Carlton, Embassy Suites Resort, The Westin Maui and Intercontinental Hotel Wailea all on Maui; Hanalei Bay Resort & Suites on Kaua‘i and The Boca Raton Resort & Club in Florida.   Trained by chefs from Austria, Switzerland, Germany and France in the European-style of cooking during his apprenticeship with the Intercontinental Hotel Wailea Maui, Baysa enhanced his culinary knowledge in the cuisines of Hawai‘i and the Pacific Region over the years and is a Certified Chef de Cuisine through the American Culinary Federation.    

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#outrigger #outriggerreef #waikiki #hawaiian #hawaiianculture #livemusic #hawaiianmusic #kanikapila #kanikapilagrille #slackkey