In the world of gourmet cooking, critically-acclaimed Chef Alan Wong is well-known for his uniquecreative flair.A renowned master of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Chef Wong has made a highlysuccessful career out of marrying elements of different ethnic cooking styles using the finest Island-grown ingredients.As his Asian roots combine with his French culinary background, east and westcuisines do not merely meet--they meld.Completing his apprenticeship atThe Greenbrier Hotel, Chef Wong worked at Lutece in New YorkCity.It was there that his mentor, Chef Andre Soltner, emphasized the importance of being a “skilledcraftsman” and “cooking with two feet on the ground”.These words remain with Chef Wong inallaspects of his work as he guides and nurtures his staff.In 1989, he opened The Canoe House Restaurant at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows andsubsequently participated in every “Cuisines of the Sun” event held there for twelve years.1991witnessed the birth of Hawaii Regional Cuisine when he and eleven other chefs organized a groupdetermined to work with local farmers, fishermen, and ranchers.
The creation of HRC helped toestablish Hawaii as a sought-after destination to experience a uniqueblend of ethnic-inspired cuisinesmade with fresh, local products.In 1994, Chef Wong was named one of 13 Rising Star Chefs in America by the Robert Mondavi Wineryfor his culinary excellence.He is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef, Pacific Northwest 1996.Sante Magazine for Wine and Spiritsnamed him Chef of the Year 2001, and the Inaugural 2001Wedgewood Awards nominated him as one of 10 U.S. chefs for the title of World Master of CulinaryArts.In 2003,Bon Appetit Magazinerecognized Chef Wong among its culinary legends as the ‘Masterof Hawaii Regional Cuisine’.StarChefsawarded Chef Wong with the Mentor Chef award in 2012 intheir first-ever Hawaii revue.Alan Wong’s Restaurant opened in April of 1995 and in 1996 it received a JamesBeard Foundationnomination for the nation’s ‘Best New Restaurant’.It was honored inGourmet Magazine’sOctober2001 issue, ranking #6 of ‘America’s Best 50 Restaurants’ and in 2002 was inducted intoNation’sRestaurant News Magazine’sHall of Fame.Inits May 2006 issue,Food and Wine Magazineincludedthe restaurant among its ‘The Go List of 376 Hottest Restaurants in the World’ and in that same yearwas again the only Hawaii restaurant to be ranked among ‘America’s Best 50 Restaurants’ (#8) byGourmet Magazine.It has been recognized as the island’s Best Restaurant in Honolulu Magazine’sHale AinaAwards 18 times.
Voted by the Ilima Awards as Hawaii’s ‘Best Restaurant’ fora decade,Alan Wong’s Restaurant was inducted into its inaugural ‘Star Circle’ established for ten-time winners in2008.Today, the restaurant continues to receive top ratings inZagatandWine Spectator.In September 1999, The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong opened atthen Liberty House (now Macy’s)inthe Ala Moana Shopping Center, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner;offering banquet facilities andcatering services.The Pineapple Room was opened as Wong’s first expansion project, investing in his people, allowing his young chefs and managers to develop the confidence in runningtheir ownrestaurants.In its 18 years, The Pineapple Room was recognized foritsbusiness lunches and wonawards for “Best Burger” and “Best Loco Moco” by various localand international publicationsbeforeclosing in July of 2017.Chef Wongis the author of two cookbooks,“Alan Wong’sNew Wave Luau”(Ten Speed Press, 1999)andcookbook“The Blue Tomato-The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong”(WatermarkPublishing, 2010), which was recognized in 2011 with the Ka Palapala Po’okela Book Awardsfor theExcellence in Cookbooks category and in 2012 with the International Association of CulinaryProfessionals (IACP) Cookbook Award in the Chefs and Restaurants category.Chef Wong believes in giving back to the community and the profession.He serves on the boards forLeeward Community College andtheCulinary Institute of the Pacific’sfood service programs,as wellasthe HawaiiAgriculture Foundation.He was honored in 2001 by Kapiolani Community College andin 2002 by the University of Hawaii as its Distinguished Alumnus and for his contributions to the Stateof Hawaii.In 2012 Chef Wong was selected to be a part of the Diplomatic Culinary PartnershipInitiative, started by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Chef Alan Wong was inducted tothe American Academy of Chefs (AAC) Culinary Hall of Fame as itsCelebrated Chefin July2013 at the American Culinary Federation (ACF) National Convention in LasVegas, Nevada. Chef Wong is the first chef from Hawaii to be recognized with this honor. Theprestigious Celebrated Chef category recognizes individuals “for their outstanding achievements in theculinary industry”.Using fresh, local products whenever possible, pairing them with local flavors, Chef Wong defines hisstyle of Hawaii Regional Cuisine as the contemporary style of cooking that borrows from all of theethnic influences found in Hawaii today.Creating innovative dishes with a contemporary twist, his goalis to have his guests “Taste Hawaii”.His restaurants express a casual yet elegant ambience andwelcometheirguests with Hawaiian-style hospitality and the‘Aloha Spirit’.In 2015, Chef Wong and his two Honolulu restaurants were inducted into the Hawaii RestaurantAssociation’s Hall of Fame. He was honored to have been recognized for hisdedication to the growth,quality, and image of Hawaii’s restaurant and food service industry.Chef Wong’smost recentcollaborationwaswithpopular Kaka’ako fine dining restaurant,53 By the Sea, In Honolulu.
