Featured Chef Series
Chef Lee Anne Wong
Hobbies: Thrift store treasure hunting, and collecting drinking vessels
Favorite kitchen gadget: Vita mix
Favorite ingredient: Salt
Interview
What’s your favorite memory of food?
Spending time in the kitchen with my Chinese grandmother and my mom. My mom is a self-taught pastry queen.
What inspired you to become a chef?
Of all the people who have influenced me the most, I think both Nils Noren (my first chef de cuisine at Aquavit, my first job ... we later worked together again at the French Culinary Institute) and Andre Soltner (Alsatian culinary legend and Dean of Classic Studies at FCI) influenced my cooking style and ethos the most. Nils for his global approach and innovative ideas, and Andre for his resourcefulness and practicality, reminding me that classic techniques are the foundation for every great chef.
How would you describe your current style of cooking?
With both my current restaurants, I’d like to think we embrace food cultures and styles from all over, while keeping the vein of familiarity in what the dish actually is. It’s Modern Fusion Comfort Food.
Do you have a favorite junk food or guilty pleasure?
Potatoes! Fried potatoes, potato chips, baked potatoes, steamed, buttered, slathered in onion dip or sour cream or better yet, caviar.
When someone is visiting Hawaii — other than your restaurant, of course — where do you recommend visitors eat?
Pig and the Lady, MW, Mud Hen Water and Town, Naru, Mission by Pili (at the Mission Houses Museum), Restaurant Wada, Ono Hawaiian Food and Ono Seafood, and Fook Lam.
What is the biggest misconception about you? (What do you wish people would know about you?)
I have ohana here in Honolulu. I lived in New York all my life, but I didn’t just randomly decide to move to Hawaii ... I came to chase a dream and fall in love and rediscover family, all of which has happened. I am grateful every day for my new home and new ohana; friends, colleagues, employees, and blood relatives alike.
In your opinion, why is Hawaii such a great destination for food?
Hawaii is a melting pot and crossroad of the Pacific. Our culinary landscape has changed so much over the past 20 years and continues to expand and excite with the next generation of cooks ready to please both locals and tourists alike. With a renewed focus on sustainability in the face of a state that imports over 90 percent of its food supply, restaurants are supporting and showcasing locally raised meat, seafood, and produce that you can only find here in this uniquely precious environment… the best our ‘aina has to offer.
What will you be creating for Hawaiian Airlines’ in-flight meal?
It will include Breakfast Bruschetta, Mahi Poke Omelette, Miso Salmon Salad, Guava Hoisin Chicken, Cold Tomato-Basil Chukamen Noodle Salad, and Lemongrass Tomato Bisque. My menu reflects the local flavors and irreverent approach we take to food at Koko Head Cafe.
