Event Program 2009 Kulia I Ka Nu`u Award recipient
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Roy Yamaguchi, the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California's 2009 Kulia I Ka Nu`u Award recipient is a pioneer in Hawaiian cuisine." Based on childhood memories of the feelings and flavors of Hawaii, Roy invented what he refers to as "Hawaiian Fusion© Cuisine" -- a tempting combination of exotic flavors and spices mixed with the freshest of local ingredients, always with an emphasis on seafood. Born in Tokyo, Yamaguchi vividly recalls visits with his grandparents to Maui, where he had his first tastes of fish, crab, octopus and lobster bought fresh at Oceanside piers. Thusly inspired, he graduated the Culinary Institute of America in New York at the age of 19, where, after several years of intense training, he became a "Master Chef." Thoroughly imbued by this discipline, Roy found the confidence to tackle his first experience as executive chef at Le Serene in Los Angeles in 1979. This was followed by a few memorable months at the eternally posh Michael's in Santa Monica, working for California Cuisine originator Michael McCarty. In 1984 he opened his own restaurant in Los Angeles called 385 North. However, the desire to further expand his culinary horizons while getting closer to his roots led Yamaguchi to move to Hawaii in 1988 and open Roy's. Soon after the original Roy's opened in Honolulu, Food & Wine Magazine dubbed it the "crown jewel of Honolulu's East-West eateries," and it was named one of Conde Nast Traveler's "Top 50." Gourmet acknowledged Yamaguchi as "the father of modern East-West cooking" while the New York Times described him as "the Wolfgang Puck of the Pacific." Yamaguchi is now regarded as a pioneer who mastered a distinctive style, which brought his cooking to the forefront of contemporary gastronomy. As testimony to his success, there are now 35 Roy's, including 25 in the Continental US, 7 in Hawaii, 1 in Japan and 1 in Guam. Honored early in his career with the prestigious James Beard "Best Pacific Northwest Chef" award, Yamaguchi has hosted six seasons of the PBS-TV show, Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi seen on more than 300 stations in all 50 states, as well as in over 60 countries. Equally notable, he was a featured chef on the acclaimed TV Food Network program, My Country, My Kitchen which takes viewers back to his roots in Japan. Yamaguchi has also published three cookbooks, Roy's Fish and Seafood, Roy's Feasts from Hawaii and Hawaii Cooks: Flavors from Roy's Pacific Rim Kitchen. * * * Dean Okimoto’s father started the family farm in 1953 and he has continued that family tradition by starting Nalo Farms in 1983 to grows herbs and specialty greens. Nalo takes its name from the rural area on the island of Oahu called Waimanalo at the foot of the beautiful Koolau mountain range. Okimoto was born and raised on the farm. As a result, he says the work ethic of his father and mother and their love of the land was ingrained in him from an early age. Okimoto went to college and graduated from the University of Redlands with a B.A. in political science and an eye on a law degree. However, after graduation and lengthy soul searching, he came back to the family farm in 1983 to start Nalo Farms, Inc. Nalo Farms began growing herbs in 1986 such as basil, tarragon, thyme, and rosemary until it was hit by a soil disease that virtually killed their ability to grow large quantities. As Okimoto recalls, “This was a major turning point in my career and I had decided to leave farming. That’s when I met two pivotal influences in my farm career.” Roy Yamaguchi and Chuck Furuya, the Master Sommelier, took Okimoto under their wing. “Their advice, encouragement, and support kept me going,” he says. "This has allowed us to expand our customer base and to survive and thrive,” says Okimoto. “Today, we service over 110 restaurants on Oahu and Maui, including wholesalers and supermarkets." Okimoto says he has come to realize that his successes have been with the support of others and that it is important to give back to the community to sustain those successes. To this end, he is also involved with the State Farm Bureau since 1996 and has been its current President since 2004. “Since childhood and throughout my career, I have come to understand the motto of our State,” he says. “Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono: The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” Learn more about Dean Okimoto: |