Chef Sam Choy
“Hawaii’s Culinary Ambassador” is the official honorary title bestowed upon Chef Sam Choy by the Big Island mayor. In the islands where school kids rush up to give him bear hugs and the name alone “Sam Choy” is fast becoming an ingredient to the national branding of Hawaii’s image. Sam prefers to think of himself as “just a local boy who made good”.
Sam grew up in the small town of Laie on the North Shore of Oahu where he learned to cook in his father’s restaurant. Sam’s mother, Clairemoana enrolled him in the local Kapiolani Community College. He enrolled in the culinary arts program with food on his mind and discovered that he loved cooking. After honing his skills in major hotels and receiving increased recognition for his talent, Sam opened his first stand-alone restaurant in 1991 on the Big Island of Hawaii. Today, Sam Choy has 3 restaurants that bear his name, including one in Tokyo and one in Guam.
When he is not filming his weekly cooking show or traveling to make special appearances or cooking demonstrations, Sam oversees his talented team of chefs. Sam is a four-time nominee for the James Beard Best Pacific Regional Chef award and has authored eleven top-selling cookbooks.
Sam summarizes his success simply, “I think of my cuisine as a melting pot —- of gathering the freshest ingredients from every culture on these islands.” He is exuberant when talking about Hawaii, the local people, the aloha, “You heard that saying, ‘Lucky you live Hawaii’? I say that everyday!”
