Now here’s some news out of left field: Hawaiian Airlines taps Top Chef finalist for executive chef role.
Since 2010, Honolulu chef Chai Chawasaree has held the position of Hawaiian Airlines’ executive chef. Chai is known for his namesake restaurants, with the first being at the Aloha Tower Marketplace, and the current one now at the Pacifica Tower. I’ve been to Chai’s at Aloha Tower once before and didn’t think it was all that great. I thought most of the dishes I had lacked creativity and were dull, nor did I think the experience was worth its price.
Even at Chai’s newer restaurant, many of the same dishes persist. This includes the crispy whole snapper dish. Last time I had it it was visually striking but had zero flavor or seasoning. It was pure *meh.* So it always made me wonder why Hawaiian chose Chai, especially when Aloha Airlines used to use Alan Wong, and even American has/had a relationship with Sam Choy.
The Top Chef
But the age of Chai is coming to a close. No announcement of his resignation has been made, however, on Thursday, Hawaiian revealed that a new executive chef would be coming aboard soon. And this new chef is none other than former Top Chef Finalist Lee Anne Wong.
A resident of Honolulu, Chef Wong is co-owner and head chef of the popular brunch spot Koko Head Cafe. And, Wong has also done in-flight menus for Hawaiian in the past as part of the Airlines’ Featured Chef Series. However, Wong’s involvement with the Airline didn’t end there. It continued on after the Featured Chef Series when she took over menu development for Hawaiian’s Japan routes in 2015. But soon, Wong will have complete control over Hawaiian’s in-flight dining programs.
Officially Wong is slated to take over on June 1, 2018. However, during the months leading up to that date, Wong and Chai will work together to ensure a smooth transition. Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya will remain Hawaiian’s sommelier during this time.
Hawaiian Airlines Taps Top Chef Finalist, Final Thoughts
To me, this transition is great news. As I said earlier, I’ve never been a fan of Chai and prefer Wong over him. Unfortunately, Wong’s dishes will only be available to passengers flying domestic first class, international business class, and international economy class. However, I question how much of an influence Wong has on the international economy meals. The Japan economy Domestic economy seems rather dull as is anyway. And, of course, domestic economy passengers will continue to suffer with Hawaiian’s new sandwiches. A review on that, by the way, is coming soon.