Featured Chef Series

Featured Chef: Sheldon Simeon

Chef Sheldon Simeon

Restaurant: Tin Roof Maui
Hobbies: Playing the ukulele and guitar; collecting hats
Favorite kitchen gadget: Gesshin Ginga 180mm Stainless Wa-Petty knife
Favorite ingredient: Oyster sauce


What’s your favorite memory of food?
My grandma always made sure that there was kau kau (food) on the table. There would be some dish that she made with vegetables harvested from the back yard, steak or pork grilled over the fire. It was awesome, all of us sitting under a small makeshift hut under a tin roof.

What inspired you to become a chef?
We learned to cook at a very young age as our house was always the gathering spot, we were the family in the community that would cook for graduations, birthday parties...so cooking was always around us.

How would you describe your current style of cooking?
My cooking is of the community...Hawaii. My ingredients come from the people in my community, and that’s also the people that I am feeding, so it comes full circle.

When someone is visiting Hawaii — other than your restaurant, of course — where do you recommend visitors eat?
I always tell them to go to a legit spot where you can get real deal poke, like Suisan Fish Market in Hilo or Alicia’s in Kalihi.

What is the biggest misconception about you? (What do you wish people would know about you?)
With the notoriety I get from being on television (Bravo’s Top Chef), Youtube, and magazines, people may think that I let that all go to my head. But, in fact, all of that humbles me, keeps me grounded and is a constant reminder of how much of a blessing it is to have grown up in this paradise we call Hawaii.

In your opinion, why is Hawaii such a great destination for food?
Simply because you can have Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Puerto Rican and so much more and still consider it one cuisine. You can’t get bored with the food.

What will you be creating for Hawaiian Airlines’ in-flight meal?
It includes Smoked Ham Croissant with Jarsberg Cheese, Guava Tomato Jam, Basil Pesto; Roasted Beets, Lilikoi Aioli, Arugula; Kim Chee Shrimp Poke, Salted Cucumber, Pickled Maui Onions; and Mochiko Chicken Sandwich, Pepper Mayo, Sweet Miso, Hawaiian Sweet Roll.

I wanted to create a menu that was not about trying to be the most innovative dishes that I could come up with. I really wanted to put recipes together that was just comforting and delicious. You’ll taste flavors that soothe the soul, but excite your palate . . . and leave thinking, “I’ve had this before, but not necessarily in this combination.”

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