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Hawaii chefs stir interest
on mainland

Betty Shimabukuro,
Star-Bulletin

It's like "being ambassador of the opu," is how chef Mark Ellman describes it.

Carrying Hawaii's cuisine around the country means dealing with sophisticated eaters familiar with today's island specialties and others who think pineapple is as far as it goes.

But one thing unites them all, Ellman said. "Every time I go to the mainland there's sort of a Hawaii Envy Club."

Building on that name cache -- turning it into tourist dollars and convention business -- is the aim of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau's culinary tours.

Ellman, of Maui Tacos and Don Ho's Island Grill, traveled to Denver last year and is among the 25 island chefs who will make promotional visits to more than 20 cities this year.

They were introduced at a press conference yesterday at Starwood W, one of the sponsors that make the $175,000 program possible.

That amount covers expenses from airfare to specially designed chef coats. The chefs, besides the publicity value of the tour and their expenses, earn just a $50 per diem.

They will travel to cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, talking up island cuisine with food and travel writers, holding cooking demonstrations and preparing guest-chef dinners at landmark restaurants. The aim is to entice potential travelers as well as travel agents and meeting planners, by bringing a bit of Hawaii to their home turf.

"Our chefs are the best ambassadors we have of not only our cuisine, but also the aloha spirit," said Gail Ann Chew, vice president of marketing services for HVCB.

Three chefs -- Sam Choy, Beverly Gannon of Haliimaile General Store and Tom Wong of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel -- will also appear on the Food Network.

The touring chefs also include: David Boucher, Hyatt Regency Kauai; Gregory Gaspar, Maui Prince; Edwin Goto, Manele Bay Hotel; Jean-Marie Josselin, A Pacific Cafe; D.K. Kodama, Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar; George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro; Philippe Padovani of Padovani's Bistro and Wine Bar; and Russell Sui of 3660 on the Rise.

They will travel under three main programs -- "Chefs of Aloha," cosponsored by Bon Appetit magazine; "Master Chefs of Hawaii," cosponsored by Gourmet magazine; and quarterly visiting chefs presentations at the James Beard House in Greenwich Village, N.Y.

A separate "Experience Aloha! Hawaii on Tour" program will take chefs, entertainers and interactive and virtual reality displays to upscale shopping throughout the mainland.

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