The Hawaiian Islands have always been home to exotic and wonderfully flavorful produce, with colors and textures as rich as the islands themselves.

Initially, Hawaiian cuisine was defined by the classic luau dishes such as poi, laulau, kalua pig and lomi salmon.  Then, 12 of Hawaii's most talented chefs came together to develop Hawaiian fine dining in a way that it could not, or at least had not developed on its own. The outcome is cuisine that is authentically Hawaiian, only now with focus and flair that has put the Aloha State on the national and international fine dining map.

It's a wonderful and thoughtful collection of local seafood, poultry and beef, fruits, vegetables and spices, plus the local cultural techniques as well as those from all the lands whose trade routes brought them to these shores.

Peter Merriman, chef/owner of the Hula Grill Kaanapali was one of the dozen chefs who pioneered Hawaiian Regional Cuisine. No casual observer of Hawaiian food, Peter was used to climbing coconut trees to get just the right coconuts for his creations. He once talked a laundry truck driver into taking him to the rare but super sweet number 10 corn field on the other end of the island. Says Peter, "My passion is to serve great meals. The best way to do that is through the showcasing of Hawaii's farms and ranches and the food they produce. 'Fresh' and 'local' are the two words which guide every decision we make."