Filipino Flavors Aloha Style | A Culinary Journey Through Hawaii's Top FilAM Chefs
Written by Jennifer Redondo
Aloha, foodies! In the vibrant culinary tapestry of Hawaii, where Pacific flavors dance with aloha spirit, a delicious revolution is taking place. Step into a world where the traditions of Filipino cuisine collide with the lush landscapes of the Hawaiian islands. It's a fusion of heritage and innovation, where the magic happens in the kitchens of six extraordinary chefs who have embraced their Filipino roots while surfing the waves of modern American gastronomy.
In 2017, the late, great Anthony Bourdain prophesied the rise of Filipino cuisine, and today, we find ourselves in the midst of this flavorful uprising. Filipino food is not merely a trend; it's a culinary movement that has found its niche not only on the mainland but on the shores of Hawaii. Join us as we unravel the stories and flavors crafted by these talented Fil-Am chefs (this list is by no means exhaustive of course!) Here, in the heart of the Pacific, they take the rich tapestry of traditional Filipino dishes, infuse it with their personal stories, and serve it up with a side of modern Hawaiian and American flair.
1. Jojo Vasquez
Jojo Vasquez is the chef and owner of FOND in Maui. Vasquez grew up in Chicago, where he learned how to cook from his father. His father was an exceptional chef of Filipino cuisine and also ran a catering business. Through his father’s influence, Vasquez studied at the Culinary School of Kendall College in Evanston, Illinois. After graduation, he worked at Fuse Box in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2002, Vasquez was part of the grand opening team of The Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey. He served as the sous chef under his mentor, Executive Chef Troy Thompson. Five years later, Vasquez was appointed as Chef de Cuisine at The Banyan Tree restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. He was also the Executive Chef of Morimoto in Waikiki.
Vasquez has received many accolades, has cooked at the James Beard House, and appeared on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and Beat Bobby Flay. In May 2019, Vasquez took a leap of faith and opened FOND. At FOND, they aim to create “a stellar, culturally inspired and fun dining experience for the Maui community.” FOND features farm-to-fork, local, organic produce, where Vasquez infuses classic island pupus with traditional Filipino flavors. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are known for their fried chicken, adobo brussel sprouts, poke nachos, basque cheesecake, and cookie sundaes.
FOND is located in West Maui’s Napili Plaza. On the last Friday of each month, Chef Jojo and his wife, DJ Eliza, present Beats and Eats, a pop-up featuring chef collaborations, drink specials, combined with a soulful music and food experience.
2. Sheldon Simeon
Sheldon Simeon was born in Hilo, Hawai’i, and was raised on a guava farm. His grandparents on his dad’s side immigrated from the Philippines to work on the plantations. Growing up in a Filipino family, Simeon was surrounded by food and that’s where he acquired his love for cooking. While in culinary school, Simeon landed an internship at Walt Disney World. That’s where he met his wife and business partner, Janice, whom he followed home to Maui.
Simeon graduated from the Maui Culinary Academy. Upon graduation, he started his career as a dishwasher and prep cook at Aloha Mixed Plate and worked his way up to become the Executive Chef at Star Noodle, which is where he was discovered by the producers of Top Chef. In 2014, he was named in Hawaii Magazine’s top 5 Best Hawaiian Chefs and voted FOOD & WINE Magazine’s People’s Best New Chef for the Pacific and Northwest.
Simeon competed on seasons 10 and 14 of Top Chef, where he was a finalist and earned “Fan Favorite”. Later that year, Simeon became the Executive Chef at MiGrant at the Marriott Wailea, which he closed in 2016. Later that year, Simeon opened Tin Roof which is a new generation mom and pop shop, reminiscent of the sound of rain on a tin roof that reminds him of his hometown of Hilo. Tin Roof serves modern takes on the classic plate lunch like mochiko chicken, poke, or dry mein. Tin Roof works closely with local farmers, fisherman, ranchers, artisans, and purveyors to provide honest, ono (delicious) food to the community.
In October 2018, Simeon opened Lineage, a more upscale restaurant in Wailea. Lineage explores the ancestral roots of Hawaiian cuisine. The foundation was built around family get-togethers, celebrating the diversity of natural ingredients and cooking style that embodies Maui. In February 2020, Simeon left Lineage to spend more time with his wife and four kids.
Simeon is known to be “rooted” – he sticks to his roots. And it comes through in his cooking. He’s a proud Hawaiian, and he wants to share it out loud on all his platforms. On his Instagram bio, Simeon conveys: “To give and create with no intent of receiving a reward is the purest form of ALOHA.” In November 2018, Simeon published Cook Real Hawai’i. In his cookbook, Simeon celebrates the people and cuisine of Hawaii. If you purchase an autographed and personalized copy here, 100% of proceeds will be donated to a Maui non-profit whose mission is to feed the community.
In 2022, the Simeon family added to their dining portfolio with the takeover of Tiffany’s restaurant. After two decades in business, the Orite family was ready to hang up their chef hats. Over the years, Tiffany’s gained a very loyal following, including the Simeons. So they jumped at the opportunity to keep the local favorite alive. They’ve revamped the menu which features true Hawaiian classics heavily influenced by Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Portuguese flavors. Tiffany’s favorites include the honey walnut shrimp, steak bites and Kim Chee fried rice.
In an interview with Thrillist, Simeon shares that food “is based on ohana (family) and community… Food is a part of life and sharing with our families and gathering with our friends – that, to me, is cooking real Hawaii”.
3. Ria Dolly Barbosa
Ria Dolly Barbosa is the Executive Chef and Vice President of Culinary at Peso. Barbosa attended the California School of Culinary Arts. Barbosa has worked for prestigious restaurants in Las Vegas including The Mansion at MGM Grand, Lutèce at The Venetian, Michael Mina and Daniel Boulud Brasserie at The Wynn. After eight years in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, Barbosa made her way back to Los Angeles. Upon her return, she opened the unconventional brunch spot, Sqirl. Afterwards, she launched the lunchtime pop-up, WILD at Canelé, where she focused on fresh farmer’s market produce and infused Filipino flavors she grew up with. She then went on to open the Los Feliz branch of Go Get Em Tiger. She also worked at many other Los Angeles establishments including G&B Coffee, Forage, and the Paramount Coffee Project.
At the beginning of 2020, Barbosa teamed up with Robert Villanueva and Tiffany Tanaka to launch Petite Peso, a fast-casual eatery in downtown Los Angeles. They opened right at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have since shut down. Earlier this year, Barbosa moved to Oahu to help open Peso at the Ward Village.
Peso is Honolulu’s first modern restaurant serving elevated Filipino-American food. In an interview with Honolulu Magazine, Barbosa shares that Peso is “an accumulation of everything I learned and wanted to apply to what I’m cooking”. Peso is not only focused on food, but also the welfare of local farmers who provide fresh ingredients that they serve at the restaurant.
Some fan favorites are the ube pancakes, leche flan french toast, pork adobo, beef kare kare, fried chicken sandwich on pan de sal, and vegan pinakbet. They also offer Pinoymakase, an eight course menu with optional wine pairing, available on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you can’t make it to the islands, and you’re on the mainland, you can visit Petite Peso at The Sundry food hall in Las Vegas, Nevada.
4. Lanai Tabura
Lanai Tabura is named after the island where he was born. He is a man of many talents including a DJ, comedian, television host, actor, and entrepreneur. Later in his life, he decided to focus on his passion and mission of sharing aloha across the globe through food.
Tabura grew up on a plantation on Lanai. His grandpa immigrated to Hawaii from Cebu, Philippines. His grandpa taught him how to grow vegetables, and in the process he would talk story and share rich history and context, which would later come in handy for Tabura’s ventures. Tabura was raised by a single mother so he was forced to grow up quickly, and learned how to cook as early as 12 years old to feed his two younger brothers.
In 2013, Tabura and his brother, Adam Tabura, and buddy Shaun Felipe, won the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race with Aloha Plate. Lanai’s brother, Adam, is also a phenomenal chef! This show catapulted both of their lives down another trajectory. This experience gave them the opportunity to share Hawaiian culture and food on a much greater scale. Tabura has been teaching aloha through food, hosting pop-up dinners with different chefs in San Francisco, Manila, Jakarta, and throughout Japan. Food brings people together, and the menu that he put together is an opportunity for others to learn the culture and history of migration and plantation days including the Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Filipinos and Hawaiian experience. Aside from his pop-up dinners, Tabura continues to share the aloha spirit through his cookbook and show, Cooking Hawaiian Style. If you can’t make it to the islands, perhaps you may be able to join one of his pop-up dinners in a city near you.
5. James Martin
James Martin is Da Bald Guy II. Da Bald Guy I is his dad, Leonard Nombris. Martin comes from a big Filipino and Hawaiian family. Every weekend, his family got together for potlucks. Martin learned everything from his grandma, grandpa, and dad. His dad was a chef at Big City Diner. At the age of 14, Martin wanted to learn how to cook, so he followed his dad around work. His dad taught him to work hard and “always go to work” no matter what!
In 2013, Martin’s dad opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant, 2 Bald Guys, where the father-son duo worked side by side. After a brief separation, due to the old school versus new school way of thinking, Martin and his father rejoined forces with the Da Bald Guy food truck.
The restaurant is about family, and it’s run by family. That’s the same story that they portray on TV. Martin and his cousins, Missy Rabaina and Ali’i Pukahi, competed together on season 16 of The Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race. Martin and his father were also featured in volume 3 of Netflix’s Street Food series.
Da Bald Guy is located in Kahuku on the North Shore of Oahu. They’re best known for their local kine grindz with a personal touch, including fried ahi poke, braised boneless marinated kalbi ribs and blackened salmon.
6. Maleko (Mark) Lagmay
Maleko (Mark) Lagmay is the chef and co-owner of Minasa. Prior to starting his own business, in 2021, Lagmay joined Touch a Heart, a non-profit organization offering informal social services and meals to homeless individuals. He served as a chef and trainer for the Kupuna and Family Meals and food service training and apprenticeship programs. In 2022, Lagmay left to expand Minasa, which started out as a pop-up at food festivals and is now a brick-and-mortar located in a strip mall on the Leeward side, in the heart of Waipahu, Oahu.
Minasa means “to mash” in Tagalog. Lagmay created Minasa to pay homage to his grandparents who inspired him to cook. Minasa offers modern Filipino comfort food mashups, incorporating classic Filipino food and flavors with seasonal ingredients to bring dimension to local island food. Fan favorites are the lechon fries, steak rice bowl with calamansi glaze, adobo wings, and ube churros.
Your mouth must be watering like crazy by now! It’s time to escape the winter blues and book that trip to the beautiful Hawaiian islands. Enjoy the taste of the islands! Be sure to tag, save, and bookmark these chefs and restaurants. Until then, shakas up!
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