In this episode of Where Hawaii Eats, host Anne Lee sits down with Chef/Owner Keaka Lee of Kapa Hale located in Kahala. Inspired by Hawaiian, American, European & Asian flavors, Kapa Hale incorporates the stories of local farmers and fresh produce from our islands. After, Anne heads to Waikiki to enjoy a meal with the president and CEO of Outrigger Hospitality Group, Jeff Wagoner, at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. They indulged in a variety of Outrigger restaurant offerings – with dishes from Duke’s Waikiki, Hula Grill, Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, and Maui Brewing Co.
Keaka Lee uses the unique cultures of the Hawaiian Islands as inspiration to develop his craft. Hawai’i is a melting pot of Pacific and Asian influences that pushes him to expand his palate and challenge his creativity. His style of cuisine revolves around the community. He received his culinary and pastry arts degrees from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College in 2009. Keaka has worked for 3660 on the Rise & Alan Wong’s Restaurant in Honolulu. He continued his training and completed stage-internships at Benu in San Francisco, Le Bernardin in New York City, Eleven Madison Park in NYC, & Café Boulud in NYC. He moved to New York City to work for Michael Anthony at Gramercy Tavern, Untitled Restaurant and Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum. He returned home to join the Pig & the Lady restaurant as the Chef de Cuisine. He reconnected with the local farming community and learned more about Vietnamese sensibility. He combined what he learned in New York City with the fast-growing interest in Vietnamese fusion cuisine. For more information on Kapa Hale, visit kapahale.com
As Outrigger Hospitality Group’s president and CEO, Jeff Wagoner oversees all aspects of the company’s multi-branded, global portfolio of hotels, resorts, vacation condominiums, timeshares and retail operations while steering the direction, growth and strategic priorities for the iconic beach resort brand. Before joining Outrigger in 2018, he served as EVP hotel operations for Trump Hotel Group, overseeing global performance for all resort properties. Prior to this, he held several roles with Wyndham Hotel Group, including president of Wyndham Hotel Group’s management company and EVP of brand and customer services for Wyndham’s hotel brands. Wagoner was also president of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and SVP of operations at the former Wyndham International, where he oversaw more than 100 Wyndham and Wyndham Garden hotels. For more information on Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, visit outrigger.com
