Hawaii's Only Relais & Chateaux, Hotel Wailea has a new Chef de Cuisine

Chef Sato brings this unique passion to The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea, presenting an ingredient-driven menu in a beautiful garden setting overlooking Wailea.

A graduate of San Diego Culinary Institute, Chef Sato joined Hotel Wailea’s culinary team in the summer of 2016 after spending more than a decade working for the acclaimed Peter Merriman. In this capacity, Chef Sato had the opportunity to lead kitchens in nearly all of Chef Merriman’s restaurant concepts including the craft-focused Monkeypod Kitchen.

Chef Sato brings to The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea a belief system derived in sourcing the finest available ingredients as a means of crafting exceptional cuisine. Chef Sato utilizes seasonal, island-grown offerings and ingredients from the hotel’s own farming operation, and has forged and fostered close relationships with Hawaii’s farmers and artisans – a favorite is the Big Island staple Hirabara Farms with which he works closely to craft season-driven dishes.

“I aim to provide guests with not only a special dining experience but also a meal heightened with flavor fusions that are unexpected and executed perfectly,” said Chef Sato. “I take great care to ensure each dish is intentional and thoughtfully created around ingredients that are fresh and in season.”

When he’s not honoring Aloha in the kitchen, Chef Sato can be found traveling to the corners of the world, soaking up a bevy of enriching experiences. Chef Sato is always drawn back to the beauty of his native island and is often found at Maui’s Port of Wailuku or Honolulu Bay with a surfboard by his side and the salt-dappled breeze in his face.

The first and only Relais & Châteaux property in the state of Hawaii, Hotel Wailea offers travelers a European-inspired elegance infused with relaxed island luxury. The independently owned and operated, all-suite hotel finished a $15 million renovation in January 2015, reimagined as an intimate adults-only escape with 72 oversized suites, new resort pool with residential style cabanas and an apothecary style pool bar. The ideal island escape for couples and recognized as the #2 Best Hotel in Hawaii in the 2014 and 2015 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards; Hotel Wailea boasts an unprecedented level of intimacy, privacy and exclusivity in Hawaii. Personalized guest programming is tailored to couples and centered on authentic island experiences that embody the spirit of Maui and laid back luxury. Hotel Wailea’s continually evolving culinary program boasts a unique take on seasonal dining with Hawaiian staples and Maui-grown ingredients, including from the hotel’s own organic garden.

For more information please visit www.hotelwailea.com.