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Nancy Oakes (Boulevard + Prospect)

I’ve learned something every time I’ve come here. Maybe an ingredient, especially the ones that are more local and don’t even make it to the restaurant tables. Some things are fragile and don’t really last. For instance, we changed our abalone producer from a California producer to a Kona producer because we felt the abalone were such a beautiful size and quality. That’s what we learned last time, when we used the abalone, so we’re using it again. This time, we’re using cold lobster from Maui, and they’re fabulous quality. It’s interesting for me because the meat goes way far into the head, which is really unusual. For Maine lobster, or Nova Scotia, it just stops at the tail…All the different berries and fruits. I learned about dragon fruit. Now I can identify it. It’s growing in the hotel flora and fauna. The kids in the kitchen were explaining. It’s one fruit, one branch, and it’s kind of amazing. It’s nature’s miracle.

Dahlia Narvaez (Osteria Mozza Restaurant Group + Pizzeria Mozza Restaurant Group)

What I like to see is all the people that are starting to grow things, and people that are starting to make things locally. 10 years ago, you didn’t really see that, but now you do. You find a lot of local produce.

Art Smith (Table 52)

It’s hard not to eat anything on Hawaii that doesn’t have a story. Whether it’s a pineapple or a dish, there is such a culture of storytelling, and all the food has a great story behind it that makes it taste all the more delicious.

Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza Restaurant Group + Pizzeria Mozza Restaurant Group)

When I am in Hawaii, all I want to do is eat fish. I’m not saying fish is unique, but I can trust that when I’m eating it here, it’s fresh. I happen to be more of a meat eater, but here, it’s all about the fish. That’s what I like forward to, a simple grilled or pan-seared piece of local fish with some simple salad.