For more than 15 years, held a special event, featuring a guest chef, at the on-campus restaurant The Pearl every semester as a capstone class for culinary students. Chef Robynne Maii, owner of Fête restaurant in Chinatown, had been scheduled for spring 2020 but the dinner was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in December, the students and appreciative diners were able to welcome Maii to the campus for the delayed Chef Dinner, this time as a 2022 James Beard award-winning chef.

The culinary arts instructors and students were thrilled to meet the distinguished chef, and were excited about the opportunity to work in The Pearl after such a long break.

Nearly 80 guests were treated to Maii’s five-course meal, prepared by the students:

• Course 1: Foie Gyoza—presented by Chef de Cuisine Alex Nii
  Banana jam, soy balsamic reduction (vegetarian option with mushrooms)
  Dr. Konstatin Frank Dry Riesling New York 2020
• Course 2: Kampachi Tataki—presented by Chef de Cuisine Janelle Butac
  Sea asparagus lomi, tomatillo salsa verde, crushed avocado (vegetarian option with pan-roasted hearts of palm)
  Craggy Range “Te Muna” Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2021
• Course 3: Local Oyster Mushroom Toast—presented by Chef de Cuisine Mark Luie Cafirma
  Brioche, poached egg, chives
  Red Car Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2018
• Course 4: Grilled Marinated Ribeye—presented by Chef de Cuisine Derin Pascual
  Maui onion rings, aligot potatoes, perigourdine sauce (vegetarian option with grilled aliʻi mushrooms)
  Domaine Rostaing “La Vassel” Syrah France 2019
• Course 5: Dorie Greenspan’s Chocolate Cake—presented by Chef de Cuisine Alec Parker
  Lāʻie vanilla ice cream, Mānoa chocolate sauce
  Villa Sarche Single Estate Coffee, Costa Rica

“Loved seeing the students in action! They executed our menu flawlessly!” Maii said.

Maii is a graduate of the culinary program. She has been a part of the restaurant industry since 1996 and is the owner of both ­Fête and HeyDay in Waikīkī. Her 2022 James Beard Award was for Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific Region. She is the first Native Hawaiian female chef to win, and it has been 19 years since �鶹��ý has won a James Beard Award.

“Our program has enjoyed a great relationship with Chef Robynne for a number of years. We appreciate chef’s approach to teaching her employees and her dedication to education,” said Assistant Professor Matthew Egami. “It was an honor to have chef take the time (especially after her recent James Beard Award) to work so closely with our students.”

Leeward CC also thanked their community partners for their contributions. Partners included: Ho Farms, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Honolulu Meat Company, Hamakua Farms, Mari’s Garden, Waialua Egg Farm, Sumida Farms, Laie Vanilla Company, Mānoa Chocolate Hawaii and Kona Coffee Purveyors.

Among those in attendance was Hayley Matson-Mathes, executive director of the �鶹��ý Culinary Education Foundation.

“This was an exceptional evening,” Matson Mathes said. “The food was well executed, thoughtfully presented, and the friendly service was knowledgeable. The experience was comparable to a fine dining experience at a top restaurant.”

Learn more about .

In the spring semester, The Pearl’s lunch service will run February 2–April 21. Visit for the schedule, menus, reservations and future events.

For the sixth year, fine dining restaurant is being recognized with a . The Pearl has been recognized for five years as “Rising Star” and one year as “Critic Choice” (2011).

The ʻIlima Awards, organized by the , recognize outstanding restaurants in �鶹��ý. The “Rising Star” award pays tribute to the ambitions of �鶹��ý’s chefs-in-training and the dedication of their teachers. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser states, “The student run restaurant offers upscale yet economical dining as it provides training for the next generation of �鶹��ý’s chefs and restaurant managers. We salute the ambitions of the students and the dedication of their teachers.”

“I am so incredibly proud of our culinary arts program,” said Chancellor . “This past summer, The Pearl was featured on a national segment of Island Explorers on the . The ʻIlima Awards’ continued recognition is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of the students, faculty and staff. It’s great to see them being acknowledged in this significant way.”

• Related �鶹��ýNews story: , June 28, 2016

Additional Information

The Pearl is open Wednesdays through Fridays for lunch. The menu changes every two weeks with entree prices $16 and under. Call (808) 455-0475 for reservations.

A Thanksgiving buffet is offered November 16–18. Also, occasional special event dinners are featured.

—By Kathleen Cabral

On Sunday, July 3, the Travel Channel’s premiere episode of includes a stop for lunch at , the fine-dining restaurant at . The episode was filmed in early April and featured a locally-sourced menu created by Chef-Instructor Ian Riseley. The New York-produced series starring Wendy and Jeremy Gilbert, goes beyond popular attractions to explore the island’s hidden treasures. It will air on the Travel Channel, July 3 at 8 p.m. HST.

Wendy Gilbert is a native of �鶹��ý, while her husband Jeremy is a transplant from the mainland. In each episode, the couple dives into one island, exploring its most spectacular sights, biggest adventures, best beaches and most enticing places to eat.

Wendy, who portrayed the role of Nina on Disney Junior’s , returned to �鶹��ý in 2008. She and her husband Jeremy are the owners/directors of located in Waipahu.

’s award-winning fine dining restaurant, , announces its spring 2016 schedule—the restaurant will be open for lunch service on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. through April 22.

Chef Instructor Ian Riseley and his contemporary cuisines class students will delight diners with their culinary artistry and distinctive style. Student menus will be featured on February 24, 25 and 26 and April 20, 21 and 22.

The Pearl will be closed for lunch service March 2–16 and March 23–25 and April 8.

Special events

• Culinary Arts Program Scholarship Brunch
  Sunday, February 14, 7:30–11:30 a.m.
  Leeward CC Uluwehi Café and Lion Courtyard
• The Pearl Buffet
  February 17–19
• Special Event Dinner
  April 8
  Five course dinner with wine pairings featuring Chef Ron DeGuzman of Stage and Leeward culinary alumni Emma Bello of Sweet Land Farm
  $70 or $85 with wine pairings
• The Pearl Spring Buffet
  April 13–15
• L’ulu, Leeward Culinary Arts Gala
  Saturday, May 7, 6–9 p.m.
  General Grazing $100 through April 29 and $125 from May 1

For more information including , visit .

For reservations, call (808) 455-0475.

—By Kathleen Cabral

The Chef Andrew Le works alongside the culinary students at to present a menu reflecting his unique perspective at the Chef Showcase Dinner on April 10 at .

The Chef Showcase Dinner is offered once each semester and provides Leeward culinary students the chance to work along side and learn directly from �鶹��ý’s finest chefs. The event is open to the public.

Chef Le’s eclectic menu is inspired by Mama Le’s home cooking and the rich culinary heritage of Vietnam, Asia and the Pacific. Chef Le keeps it agile and playful and serves foods that inspire him on a whim and help promote and support the local food movement.

The menu

• Salad of Sprouting Seeds: Seasonal fruit, chrysanthemum, otsuji farm lettuces, puffed rice and date vinaigrette
• Sashimi: Daily catch, citrus ice, smoked shoyu and wasabi greens
• Gnocchi
  octopus bolognese, saffron, crispy potato skins, pomegranate and fennel fronds
• Shinsato Farm Pork: Chorizo piperrada, olive oil potatoes, leeks braised in espelette and apple cider, hazelnuts, tomato seed vinaigrette and mustard greens
• Caramelized Avocado Cake: Local bee pollen, strawberries, pea shoots and corn gelato

Wine pairings by Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya

Event details

Seating begins at 6 p.m, with last seating at 7:30 p.m.

Cost for the dinner is $70, with wine the cost is $85.

Please call (808) 455-0298 for information and reservations.

About Chef Andrew Le

The term “family meal” takes on a different meaning for 2012 �鶹��ý Rising Star Chef Andrew Le. Born and raised in Honolulu to Vietnamese parents, Le had an American upbringing, but a strong connection to his Vietnamese heritage through his mother’s authentic food.

A 2001 graduate of St. Louis High School, he attended the in New York and completed the program in 2006. Le returned to �鶹��ý and immediately landed a job at , under the tutelage of George Mavrothalassitis and Kevin Chong. Soon after Le was named sous chef.

In 2011 Le explored a new restaurant concept that was becoming popular on the mainland—a pop-up. It’s at the that Le, along with Mama Le and the rest of the Le clan, cook up what is essentially a family meal in the truest sense. The Pig and The Lady farmer’s market stand is selling the family’s heritage for all to eat, exposing Honolulu diners not just to the family’s take on Vietnamese staples like pho and spring rolls but also fragrant chicken salads, vegetarian stews and French-inspired soups.

The Pig and The Lady has also found a permanent home in Chinatown.

—By Kathleen Cabral

of the award-winning joins the students of Leeward Community College’s for a special Chef Showcase Dinner on Friday, November 7 at .

The Chef Showcase Dinner is offered once each semester, providing Leeward culinary students the chance to work along side and learn directly from �鶹��ý’s finest chefs. The event is open to the public.

The menu

• New Zealand farmed king salmon crudo
  —calamansi, shiso sea asparagus pistou and black lava salt
  Wine: Birichino Malvasia Bianca
• Kauaʻi shrimp and day boat scallop sphere
  —Big Island avocado, green tea blini and uni butter
  Wine: Domaine Skouras “Zoe” White Wine
• Truffle scented polenta stuffed quail
  —Hamakua mushrooms, Nalo tatsoi and roasted grapes pignoli
  Wine: Domaine Fontsainte Corbieres
• Island steak and eggs
  —Kulana grass fed beef tenderloin, Sumida watercress puree, Yukon Gold potatoes and Peterson Farm sous vide egg
  Wine: Cyriaque Rozier “Les Traverses de Fontanes”
• Okinawan sweet potato ice cream with Waialua coffee tapioca

Cost: $70 without wine, $85 with wine

Seating is from 6 p.m. Please call (808) 455-0528 for information and reservations.

About Chef Ronnie Nasuti

Executive Chef Ronnie Nasuti developed his skills at the Les Dames d’Escoffier Society and completed a culinary apprenticeship at the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.

When he first came to �鶹��ý, he worked at Horatio’s (now Kincaid’s), before moving to the former Park Bistro location, learning every station including 24-hour room service and pastry. He then went to the flagship restaurant in �鶹��ý Kai where he trained further under Chef/Founder Roy Yamaguchi, Corporate Chef/Partner Gordon Hopkins and Corporate Chef �鶹��ý Jacqueline Lau. Nasuti went on to become sous chef at Roy’s Poʻipū Bar & Grill on Kauaʻi, then executive chef at Roy’s �鶹��ý Kai after fulfilling an opportunity as the executive chef at Chez Michel in Honolulu.

After a proven record of successful and distinguished accomplishments, Nasuti has chosen to hang his hat at Tiki’s Grill and Bar, steering this favorite destination for locals and visitors alike to a higher level of dining and excellence.

Nasuti, who believes in the farm-to-table movement, brings in island fresh produce, breads, local grass-fed beef and locally caught or raised fish every week. His delicious signature items and dinner specials fuse Hawaiian/Pacific Island with American cuisine are the result of his dedication to the craft and cooking with locally grown and raised food.

A familiar face in �鶹��ý’s culinary scene, Chef Nasuti is a frequent guest on Hawaiian Grown TV and regularly represents Tiki’s at charitable events. An effective and motivational trainer from both the front and back of the house, Nasuti continues to be inspired by working with the best chefs in the world.

and fine-dining restaurants were recognized by the dining and food writers with a special , the Rising Stars Perpetual Award, for consecutive years of outstanding student-run restaurants.

Kapiʻolani’s and Leeward’s restaurants were praised by the food writers for a superb dining experience with highly sophisticated menus and low prices.

“We’re delighted to be able to share the efforts of our culinary students with the public through our restaurant and thrilled to be recognized with an ʻIlima Award,” said Frank Haas, dean of hospitality, business and legal education at Kapiʻolani CC. “The multiple awards for the community college system bodes well for the future of culinary arts in the state.”

According to Leeward Chancellor Manny Cabral, The Pearl was the first UH campus restaurant to receive an ʻIlima Award in 2011–2012 and continues to receive accolades now for its sophisticated and quality luncheon menu offerings.

“I am so incredibly proud of the students, faculty and staff of our Culinary Arts Program,” said Chancellor Manny Cabral. “It’s wonderful to have their efforts in striving for culinary excellence acknowledged in this significant way.“

The Pearl

restaurant at Leeward Community College is one of the few options in fine dining available on the west side of Oʻahu.

The restaurant is open for lunch Wednesdays through Fridays and the menu changes every two weeks. The Pearl is offering a special Thanksgiving Buffet on November 20, 21, 22 and a special events dinner (five-course dinner with wine pairings) on November 15.

Ka ʻIkena Lauaʻe ʻIlima

Located on the east side of Oʻahu at Kapiʻolani Community College, the

The dinner is a four-course prix-fixe at $28 to $32, starting November 6, 2013.

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