Leahi Concept Kitchen new restaurant boasting a partnership with a local culinary school, opened at the Waikiki Parc in May.
The hotel partnered with nearby Kapiolani Community College, giving students from its culinary program the opportunity to learn from and work beside the professionals at the Leahi Concept Kitchen.
As part of the partnership, the concept kitchen will host a rotating lineup of international chefs through the college's Guslander Distinguished Visiting Global Chef series. The chefs hail from the Pacific Rim, including Thailand, Japan, Korea and China.
Each visiting chef will spend two days in the classroom with students, offering a background on their cuisine and techniques. The students work with the guest chef to create a unique menu which will be available to order at the restaurant until the next guest chef arrives. The chefs will also host pop-up culinary experiences over the weekend, with proceeds going to support Kapiolani's culinary program.
Leahi Concept Kitchen's regular operations are directed by chef Eddie Mafnas, originally from Guam, who has worked at restaurants in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Cape Town. Mafnas and his sous chef Alex Quach are both graduates of the Kapiolani Culinary School.
"As a KCC culinary program alumni, I can attest to the importance of providing students with a truly experiential opportunity to learn about hospitality and leadership in the kitchen," Mafnas said. "The opening of Leahi Concept Kitchen offers students with a passion for cooking, the unique culinary experience in both a classroom and the kitchen that will allow them to become successful, next generation chefs and restaurateurs."
The regular daily menu at Leahi Concept Kitchen is a fusion of local Hawaiian flavors and Japanese influence, with such dishes as spicy ahi wonton tacos with local avocado, cherry tomato, and a fresh unagi sauce, and Kona coffee rubbed prime rib.
The spicy ahi wonton tacos at Leahi Concept Kitchen are served with local avocado, cherry tomato, and a fresh unagi sauce.
The concept kitchen offered an opportunity for both the college and the hotel, said general manager Julie Arigo. Waikiki Parc had vacant space, so Arigo approached the college about using it for an educational dining establishment. The concept kitchen will also be used in the development process of a new restaurant coming to the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, which unveiled its new Diamond Head campus earlier this year.