Read show notes here:
Chef Roy Yamaguchi is the father of the Hawaii Fusion cooking style. In 2018 he celebrated the 30 year Anniversary of Roy’s restaurants. In 2020, he will celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. He was the co-founder back in 2010. Chef Roy Yamaguchi explains to us what Hawaii fusion is and how you came to create it.
What we covered in this episode
• Chef Roy Yamaguchi was born in Japan. His father was from Hawaii, his grandfather lived on Maui, and his mother was from Okinawa.
• He grew up on a US military base in Japan.
• Every other summer he spent time with his family in Hawaii and Chef Roy Yamaguchi discovered the flavors from Hawaii.
• Chef Roy Yamaguchi remembers two important dishes that he grew up with: Chicken Hekka and Beef Stew that his father would turn into a Japanese curry.
• His father would take them to the Tomashiro fish market in Honolulu.
• Chef Roy Yamaguchi’s inspiration to become a cook came from his father and his school counselor.
• He went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park in New York to learn the foundation of cooking.
• Out of school, Chef Roy Yamaguchi want to work at a French restaurant and went to Escoffier and L’Hermitage in Los Angeles.
• Chef Roy Yamaguchi first restaurant was 385 North where he started his own style which at that time was French-Japanese.
• in 1988 Chef Roy Yamaguchi created Roy’s restaurant that not only served the flavors of his past, which was French and Japanese but he wanted to add the local ingredients from Hawaii.
• 2020 is the 10 year anniversary of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival that Chef Roy Yamaguchi created with Chef Alan Wong.
• Link to the podcast episode on Apple Podcast