Peter Merriman

Last updated
Peter Merriman
Born
Pittsburgh, PA
Culinary career
Cooking style Hawaii Regional Cuisine
Current restaurant(s)
    • Merriman's (Waimea, Big Island of Hawaii)
    • Merriman's Poipu Fish House and Downstairs Cafe (Poipu, Kauai)
    • Merriman's Kapalua (Kapalua/Lahaina, Maui)
    • Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman (Wailea, Maui)
Website www.merrimanshawaii.com

Peter Merriman is a chef, restaurateur and one of the 12 founding chefs of Hawaii regional cuisine. [1] In 2011, he and the other Hawaii Regional Cuisine chefs were inducted to the Hawaii Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. [2]

Contents

As a culinary expert in Hawaii for over 25 years, his restaurants showcase island grown and harvested foods through simple preparations that reflect the flavors of Hawaii's multiculturalism. He was called the “Pied Piper of Hawaii Regional Cuisine” by The Los Angeles Times. [3]

Biography

Merriman was born in Pittsburgh. His mother Woodene (Woody) Merriman, a Pittsburgh Post Gazette food writer, exposed Peter to the field at a young age. She got him a job at the H. J. Heinz Co, doing prep work for Ferdinand Metz, who later became president of the Culinary Institute of America. Merriman attended the University of Pennsylvania and studied political science. After graduation, he enrolled in a three-year Chefs Apprentice Program with RockResorts, under the direction of the American Culinary Federation, cooking in resorts across the United States and Europe, including a summer in the vineyards of France's Champagne region.

In early 1983, Peter was hired as a cook for the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. In 1985, two years after his arrival, he was appointed Executive Chef of the Mauna Lani Resort's new Gallery Restaurant. [4]

At his interview for chef of The Gallery Restaurant, Merriman was asked what type of food he wanted to feature. Thinking it was a rhetorical question, he answered “regional cuisine” and went on to explain how no other restaurants were serving the local fish and produce. When he got the job, he had to deliver on the concept but quickly discovered there were almost no local products available. Merriman launched a "guerilla marketing" campaign, by advertising in local newspapers and visiting local farms, ranches and docks to let purveyors know he wanted whatever they could offer. “We’re in this together,” he told them, “If you grow it or catch it, I’ll buy it, and we all succeed.” Pretty soon he had built solid partnerships and local producers would try to get or grow whatever he needed. [5]

As he began recruiting other chefs to focus on local foods “Hawaii Regional Cuisine” was created, with Merriman named as the founding president.

Restaurants

In 1988, Merriman opened his signature upcountry restaurant, Merriman's, in Waimea, Hawaii. He was proclaimed, "A gourmet in cowboy country" by Hana Hou. The New York Times raved “Everything at Merriman’s as one that features the freshest local ingredients paired in exciting ways,” and San Francisco Magazine exclaimed “His Wok-charred Ahi is to die for!”. [6]

In 1994, Merriman partnered with TS Restaurants to open Hula Grill on Maui's Ka`anapali Beach. Hula Grill, touted “the best fish house in the islands” by Honolulu Magazine, brought the concepts of Hawaii regional cuisine to a beachside setting. [7]

In 2008, Peter opened Merriman's Kapalua in Kapalua, Maui. Merriman's Kapalua was voted one of Trip Advisor's Top 10 Fine Dining Restaurants in the country in 2017. [8]

In 2009, Peter opened Merriman's Fish House in Poipu, Kauai. Downstairs from the Fish House, Peter offers casual dining at Merriman's Gourmet Pizza & Burgers. [9]

In winter 2011, Merriman launched a new venture in casual dining with restaurateur Bill Terry, Handcrafted Restaurants. Handcrafted Restaurants operates Monkeypod Kitchen in three locations across the islands. The restaurant features locally sourced menus with a focus on sustainable meat, fish and produce. [10]

Handcrafted Restaurants also operates Moku Kitchen in the Kaka'ako district in Honolulu, Oahu.

In 2015, Merriman debuted his first cookbook, Merriman's Hawaii.

Philanthropy

Merriman also supports Merriman's Culinary Scholarships for students entering or continuing in the field of Culinary Arts at either Hawaii Community College or the University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii.

Merriman also serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President for Hawaii Island Land Trust, a non profit organization dedicated to protecting land in Hawaii. [11]

Related Research Articles

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Hawaii:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Hawaii</span> Food and drinks from Hawaii

The cuisine of Hawaii incorporates five distinct styles of food, reflecting the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the Hawaiian Islands.[a]

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Yamaguchi</span>

Roy Yamaguchi is a Japanese-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and founder of a collection of restaurants, including 30 Roy's Restaurants in the United States and Guam, the Tavern by Roy Yamaguchi and Eating House 1849. He is one of the founding members of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poke (dish)</span> Hawaiian raw fish dish

Poke is a dish of diced raw fish tossed in sauce and served either as an appetizer or a main course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Choy</span> American chef, restaurateur, and television personality

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Alan Wong is an American chef and restaurateur known for his contributions to Hawaiian cuisine.

George Mavrothalassitis is a chef and restaurateur known as one of the cofounders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine in the early 1990s. Mavrothalassitis is particularly known for individual pairings of wines with each dish in a multicourse meal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Stores</span> Chain of convenience stores based in Honolulu

ABC Stores is a chain of convenience stores based in Honolulu. The chain operates 73 stores, 58 of which are located in the state of Hawaii, with the remaining locations in the Mariana Islands (1), Las Vegas (6), and Guam (8). The company now generates more than $230 million in annual sales and employs over 1500 staff, and is described as the 37th largest company in Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeril Lagasse</span> American celebrity chef and restaurateur (born 1959)

Emeril John Lagasse III is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regional James Beard Award winner, known for his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine and his self-developed "New New Orleans" style. He is of Portuguese descent on his mother's side, while being of French heritage through his father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gato Dumas</span> Argentine chef (1938–2004)

Carlos Alberto Dumas better known as Gato Dumas was an Argentine chef and restaurateur. He is considered by many the greatest chef in Argentina. He is also the founder of the largest culinary school in Latin America, the Gato Dumas Institute, with branches in Argentina, Uruguay (Montevideo) and Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Lee (chef)</span>

Christopher Lee is a chef who specializes in New American cuisine.

Michael Voltaggio is an American chef, restaurateur, and author. He is a Top Chef television series alum and the winner of season 6. His brother Bryan Voltaggio is also a celebrity chef. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Hale Aina Awards are Honolulu Magazine's annual dining awards. The Hale Aina Awards are voted on by magazine readers and subscribers and published annually in the January issue of Honolulu.

Paul Luna is a Dominican-American chef, restaurateur, author, and political activist. In Atlanta during the 1990s he opened and operated a number of successful restaurants featuring European, Mediterranean, and South American cuisine, including Luna Sí, Eclipse di Luna, and Loca Luna. In 2009 he opened a training kitchen for refugee women, Lunacy Black Market, in downtown Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nilesh Limaye</span> Indian celebrity chef (born 1972)

Nilesh Limaye is an Indian celebrity chef. He has successfully worked as a tv host, author and contributor to various magazines and a restaurant consultant. He is nicknamed "Sindbad the Chef" owing to his frequent travels. He manages his own entrepreneurial venture "All 'Bout Cooking" providing food and everage solutions to new entrants, entrepreneurs or existing restaurateurs. Zikomo (Pune), Trikaya (Pune), Gypsy Chinese (Dubai) and Tenzo Temple (Thane) are among the restaurant brands that he works with.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golf clubs and courses in Hawaii</span>

There are 75 golf courses in Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Gannon</span> Hawaiian chef and restauranteur

Bev Gannon is a Hawaiian cuisine chef, restaurateur and author. She is one of the dozen chefs credited with the development of Hawaii regional cuisine in the 1990s. Her restaurants on Maui include Hali'imaile General Store, Joe's Bar & Grill, and Gannon's. Several of her cookbooks have been published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Hill (chef)</span> American chef

Jon Hill is an American chef who was White House Executive Chef from October 1, 1987, to January 7, 1988. He was the first American-born chef to serve in the capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Katz (chef)</span> Israeli chef and food writer

Michael Katz is an Israeli chef and food writer. He is a former teacher at the Le Cordon Bleu institute and has opened his own restaurant in Israel. Before leaving in the fall of 2021, Katz was the head teacher of the professional gourmet chefs course at the Art Dan Gourmet culinary school based in Tel Aviv.

Pongtawat "Ian" Chalermkittichai, known in English as Ian Kittichai, is a Thai chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. He and his restaurants have earned acclaim from the New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure and other publications. One of his restaurants, Issaya Siamese Club, has been listed on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, a division of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, and ranked number 39 in 2018. Australian Traveller magazine listed Issaya Siamese Club as one of the world’s hottest restaurants in 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Henderson, Janice (1994). The New Cuisine of Hawaii: Recipes from the Twelve Celebrated Chefs of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Villard. p. 146. ISBN   978-0-679-42529-8.
  2. ↑ Engle, Erika (2011-02-27). "Hawaii's Changing Flavors". Star Advertiser.
  3. ↑ "Chef Branches Out - O❛ahu Dining | Travel | Entertainment | InsideOut Hawaii - March 2013 - Hawaii". www.insideouthawaii.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01.
  4. ↑ Murar, Katie (July 13, 2018). "A chef's connection". Pacific Business News. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  5. ↑ Peter Merriman | Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox. YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-09.
  6. ↑ Kayal, Michele (26 October 2003). "WHAT'S DOING ON; The Big Island". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "The Giving Chef". mauinews.com. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  8. ↑ "Best Restaurants in the United States - Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards".
  9. ↑ "Merriman's, Kauai". Travel Squire. 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  10. ↑ Moriki, Darin (October 23, 2015). "Large Business Winner: Handcrafted Restaurants". Pacific Business News. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  11. ↑ "Advisors and Island Councils". Hawaiʻi Land Trust. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
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