Celebrating 20 Years of Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine

As if crafting a delicious reduction sauce, chef Roy Yamaguchi has deftly distilled the diverse flavors of Hawai‘i into pure culinary delight. At 37 popular restaurants that bear his name in Hawai‘i, Japan, Guam and on the U.S. mainland, guests are treated to everything from Island-inspired sushi to tropical salads to signature entrees like roasted macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi and a mouthwatering molten lava chocolate soufflé. Each concoction conveys a taste of Hawai‘i, infused with the unmistakable taste of its creator.

Born in Tokyo, Yamaguchi has roots that stretch deep into the Aloha State. His grandfather worked in the supermarket industry here and owned a tavern in Wailuku, Maui, in the 1940s. The restaurateur credits his early appreciation of food to his Okinawan-born mother and to his father, a career military man who was Maui-born and -raised.

Even before graduating from high school, Yamaguchi knew he wanted to be a chef so he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in New York. There he learned European cooking techniques and graduated as a "Master Chef" at the age of 19. He apprenticed at L’Escoffier and L’Ermitage then moved to L.A. in the late ‘70s where he served as executive chef at Le Serene before opening his own restaurant, 385 North.

The success of that endeavor clearly whetted his appetite for cutting-edge, creative cuisine. A few years later he returned to Hawai‘i to roll out a new concept in dining. Drawing on his classical culinary training and childhood memories of Hawai‘i, Yamaguchi invented a style of cooking that blended the bold tastes of the Asian Pacific region with European style preparation. He calls the result his “Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine”…and by now he’s served it to millions of delighted diners.

In 1988 the first Roy’s Restaurant burst onto the culinary scene on O‘ahu at Hawai‘i Kai, where the results were quickly eaten up by customers and critics alike. Shortly after its opening, Food & Wine Magazine dubbed the restaurant the "crown jewel of Honolulu's East-West eateries," and Conde Nast Traveler's ranked it in the "Top 50." Gourmet Magazine acknowledged Yamaguchi as "the father of modern East-West cooking" while the New York Times described him as "the Wolfgang Puck of the Pacific." Then, in 1993, he was selected as Hawai‘i’s first recipient of the prestigious James Beard Award.

Success and kudos have continued to flow over two decades with the opening of each new Roy’s Restaurant but it hasn’t blurred Yamaguchi’s focus. “Since opening the original Roy’s,” he says, “I have always strived to create an alternative to the ordinary. It is deeply gratifying that the food I love to prepare has been embraced by so many throughout the world.”

Yamaguchi’s sensibility is also reflected in the design of each restaurant, which embodies casual elegance with spacious dining rooms and expansive lounges. Yamaguchi explains, “Because the food is the heart of each of our restaurants, our open Exhibition Kitchen is a priority within our interior design that provides a constant flow of energy, which permeates the restaurant.” The result is an eating experience that is pleasing to both eyes and palate.

His efforts extend beyond the restaurants. As part of his 20th Anniversary Culinary Tour, Yamaguchi has committed to donating a portion of the proceeds from the dinners to Food & Wine's Grow for Good campaign. The project is expected to raise $1 million for Farm to Table, a national initiative dedicated to supporting local farms and encouraging sustainable agriculture.

In addition to overseeing his restaurants and philanthropic works, Yamaguchi has published four cookbooks. He travels around the world as a guest chef for high-profile culinary events. After 20 years of groundbreaking culinary accomplishments, there’s no telling where his good taste will take him next. But one thing is certain: no one has done more to bring a taste of Hawai‘i to the masses. Twenty years from now, he says, “I would like to see Roy’s still representing Hawai‘i’s culture and products and continuing to represent Hawai‘i’s unique offerings.”

As if crafting a delicious reduction sauce, chef Roy Yamaguchi has deftly distilled the diverse flavors of Hawai‘i into pure culinary delight. At 37 popular restaurants that bear his name in Hawai‘i, Japan, Guam and on the U.S. mainland, guests are treated to everything from Island-inspired sushi to tropical salads to signature entrees like roasted macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi and a mouthwatering molten lava chocolate soufflé. Each concoction conveys a taste of Hawai‘i, infused with the unmistakable taste of its creator.

Roy’s Restaurants
www.roysrestaurant.com