By Mark Vieth, Special to the Star-Bulletin
Mark Ellman, chef and owner of Avalon Restaurant,
said he sold his eatery so that he could spend more
time with his family.

Maui restaurateur
sells Avalon

By Mark Vieth
Special to the Star-Bulletin

LAHAINA -- When chef Mark Ellman opened Avalon Restaurant and Bar on Front Street 11 years ago, there were only a handful of fine dining restaurants in West Maui.

Today, "there is new competition and the pie is getting smaller," Ellman said, and he is leaving the picture.

He sold his seafood restaurant, known for its wok-fried opakapaka and volcano salmon, to FlamCom Inc., a Hawaii corporation, for an undisclosed price.

A benefit for Punana Leo O Maui on Sunday will be his last night at the restaurant, at which he has worked about 75 hours a week since 1988.

Ellman said the new owners plan to keep Avalon's 30 employees, but he doesn't know if the concept will change.

"The new owners will keep it as Avalon, you would think," he said.

While the restaurant can be profitable, he said, the arrival of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Outback Steak House and other national chains on the west side cut into his business.

Ellman, 43, also said these days, spending time with his wife, Judy, and 13-year-old daughter, Michelle, is more important than competing in the restaurant business.

"When good friends are leaving this Earth, your priorities change," he explained, adding he wants more separation between his business and personal life.

But Ellman is still involved in Maui Tacos, a Mexican restaurant he founded that is growing fast in Hawaii and on the mainland.

With partner Shep Gordon, he opened the first Maui Tacos in Napili in 1993, with the concept of serving "restaurant quality" Mexican food in a fast-food setting.

It was an effective recipe, and by early 1998 Maui Tacos restaurants had opened in Lahaina, Kihei, Kahului, Hilo and Honolulu. New restaurants are opening in Mililani in January and Paia next summer.

Also last year Blimpie International Inc. created a company, Maui Tacos International Inc., which purchased trademark and franchise rights to develop the restaurant brand.

The franchise recently opened the first Maui Tacos on the mainland in Atlanta, and it sold 41 restaurants to Restaurant Concepts International, which will build the businesses in Atlanta in the next seven years. Another five Maui Tacos are coming to South Carolina.

Through the agreement, Ellman still oversees all recipes and food products served at Maui Tacos.

Along with Sam Choy and Peter Merriman, Ellman is one of the original 12 Hawaii regional cuisine chefs. His Pacific Rim cooking has been featured on the "Today" show and in Bon Appetit magazine.

He will continue to be part of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau's "Aloha Cities" marketing program with Jean Marie Josselin, George Mavrothalassitis and other Hawaii celebrity chefs. HVCB recently sent him to Germany, where he gave demonstrations to the media on Pacific Rim cooking.

Sunday's fund-raiser at Avalon will feature a five-course dinner, fine art auction and entertainment by Hapa and Punana Leo students.

He thinks the party will raise $5,000-$10,000 for Maui's Hawaiian language immersion schools.

"For us, that's going to sum it up," he said.