 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori and this is Beyond the Lines. We are broadcasting live from the beautiful Think Tech Hawaii TV studio in the Pioneer Plaza in downtown Honolulu. This show is based on my book also titled Beyond the Lines and it's about leadership, creating a superior culture of excellence and finding greatness. Today's special guest is the legendary chef and owner of one of my most favorite restaurants. He is Chef Alan Wong and today we are going beyond fine dining. Chef Alan, great to have you on the show today. Hello Rusty, thank you for having me. I love your restaurant. I mean, I absolutely love it. I mean, I can't wait to go to the restaurant every time and I mean, when you make that tomato appetizer dish, I mean, it's amazing how he, I mean, that's the best tomatoes I've ever had in my life. Awesome. First of all, you got to have a great product. Yes, yes. And the story with that is how do you take something that you grew up eating, you know, from your childhood and create a salad dressing and serve it simply with just a beautiful tomato. Yeah, I mean, it's phenomenal. I love it. Now I had no idea that you were born in Japan. I was born in Japan to date myself. I was born there in 1956. Okay. Grew up on an army base, Grand Heights in Tokyo and I moved to Hawaii when I was five years old. Wow. And then I know that you went to Lelehua. How was your experiences there? I had a public school right there. Yes, I did. Kipapa Elementary. By the time I went to Kipapa, that was my seventh school. Oh, wow. And I promise you, I was not kicked out of middle school in the sixth. While he went to mediate, then Lelehua High School. So how was your experience at Lelehua? I'm a mule. Yes, the mules. You know, looking back, I actually grew up in Waipio Valley. Okay. Long before, there was even one house on Menelani. And so when you're 15, you can work. I started as a dishwasher and Waikiki at Don The Beachcomber Restaurant. Yeah. But my friends gave me a lot of gas, you know? And I did not work the Pineapple Fields. So in the second summer, I worked in the Pineapple Fields. And all the outlying towns, Waipio Valley, Kunia, Whitmore Village, Pomoho, they all contributed to Wahewa. And so there was a time when everyone worked the Pineapple Fields. And so the idea of plantation community, that was it. So that when you met everybody working in the Pineapple Fields and then you went to school and you saw them again, you know, you were already kind of close and tight. And this is the idea of community. This was what Wahewa was. And I think, you know, I really enjoyed that, you know? It was hard work, but I'm glad I did that for $1.60 an hour. Oh. Now you mentioned that you were working as a dishwasher. That was like your first job. But what other jobs did you work at? I mean... Well, in the business, you can go either to the front of the house or the back of the house. And so from a dishwasher, the front of the house meant you can be a busboy, a waiter, a host, and that's the path I took. So as a dishwasher, you know, I try to teach this to the young cooks today. You know, I try to be the best, fastest, most helpful dishwasher. That got me out of the dish pit to be a busboy. Then I tried to be the same thing, the best, fastest, most helpful busboy. Then I got to be a waiter. And so eventually I actually was an assistant restaurant manager for that restaurant before I could even flip an egg. Wow. So what got you interested in cooking? It's obvious, you know, I like to eat. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Actually, I wanted to be a food and beverage manager. Okay. And someone gave me some great advice. He said, you see the guy behind the kitchen over there? So he can run circles around you, that chef, because you know nothing about food. You know nothing about the kitchen. So after that advice, I enrolled at Capulani Community College in the food service program. And it actually was entitled Food Service Management. I was wanting to go to school to become a better food and beverage manager. And in the first class, I was enrolled in cold food pantry and baking. Wow. Okay. And it's a good thing I went to school because I actually grew up thinking that bread came out of a package and salad dressing came out of a bottle. So in my first class, I'm baking breads, making cakes and pies, and making that, we used to buy tropics French dressing. Oh yeah, I remember that. And all of a sudden, I'm making that. You know, so it was a big awakening, a big aha moment for me that, you know, all these things can be made from scratch. Yeah. And so that was the beginning. So I kept on going, you know, through culinary school. I actually did a culinary apprenticeship at the Green Bride in West Virginia. Oh, wow. And spent three years in New York City thinking that I would go back into becoming a food and beverage manager again. Wow. But then the kitchen was so exciting and so new and so much exploration and discovery, I never went back. Ha ha ha ha ha. Alan, I had your wife, Alice, on my show a couple weeks ago and you guys are just the perfect couple. I mean, you guys are so great. I want to know, how did you guys meet? Well, first of all, you know, I really enjoy spending time with her because she's probably the most positive, most optimistic, happiest person you'll ever meet. For sure. For sure. But we actually met in a spin class at the Honolulu Club. Wow. And, you know, when the class was over, you know, you got to go to the water fountain. And that's how we met. And I told her I flipped hamburgers for a living. Ha ha ha ha. The rest is history. Ha ha ha ha. Well, you know, I love seeing you at the Honolulu Club. I mean, you're like, I mean, you're in great shape. I mean, you're the leg press king, for sure, when I see you there. But I'm going to hang out at the water fountain, at the Honolulu Club a little bit more now. Maybe my future wife, I'm going to meet her there. Ha ha ha ha. You got to take the spin class first. Ha ha ha ha. Now, let's talk about your amazing Alan Wong's restaurant. I mean, it opened in April 1995. You've won tons of awards. I mean, tons of not, I mean, not just local, but major national awards. And you're also going to be receiving the Big PBN Award. Yes. We opened on Tax Day, April 1995. And a short story. In the first year, we were lucky, fortunate, that the Haleina Awards bestowed upon us the best new restaurant and the best restaurant. And so, because of that, the bar was kind of set high. And so I went back to the team and it says, you know what? I want to prove that this was not a fluke. You know, let's do it again. Then I reminded them that it wasn't about coming to work for the awards. It was about if we put ourselves on this path to strive for excellence, to be better tomorrow than today, I would be very happy. Second year came, no longer best new restaurant, as we're not new anymore, but best restaurant again. And so I said to the team, OK, let's continue this. And I reminded them it's not the award, but we have to continue this path in trying to be better, to be the best we can be. In the third year, we didn't get it. So I said to the team, I want it back. So in the fourth and fifth year, we actually were the restaurant of the year again. But the whole point is that you have to always not rest on your laurels and just continually strive for improvement. Yeah. No, I like hearing that. And you sound like a coach. I mean, I'm speaking the same language as you with my teams in the past. And I want to know, Alan, why have you been able to sustain success for all of these years with your amazing restaurant? You know, like with the PBA and award coming up, or culinary achievement, our saying in the restaurant is, your success is our success. And so this is a tribute to every employee that has worked for Alan Wang's restaurant on King Street from that first day, that first year, until now we're on a 2050 year that have been successful, that have worked hard, and some have gone on to become their own success story But it's really because of them. All the people that I've worked with, that really truly is a success of the restaurant. Totally. Totally agree. And when the restaurant gets recognition, or I get recognition, I accept it only because I can thank them. But it also validates why I make them do what I did. From day one, I was driven. I was ambitious. I was still 37 years old when we first opened. And I probably was not the easiest to work with. And so it validates why they had to do what they did. So I feel, I hope they felt happy that we achieved this because now it's part of their resume, too. I'm sure. You have such a high standard that you said. I mean, everybody knows when they go to Alan Wang's, it's going to be at that highest level. So that's awesome. Now, you also got invited to the White House to do the congressional luau. How was that experience? President Obama was coming to the restaurant when he was a senator. And then you'd hear that's going to be the next president of the United States. So he's been coming for a dozen years now. And so finally, in his first year in office, he decides to throw some kind of a luau, almost like we make a first birthday luau. So it was his first birthday. So he brought us up there. And we did provide a new wave luau for all the members of Congress and their families. So it was like about 2,300 people there. Wow, that's big. Now, see, President Obama, he's one of your friends now. That's why, right? We appreciate him coming to the restaurant all the time. Now, one of the best Hawaii events is the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. And you're such a big part of that every year. Why do you love that event so much? I love that event because it puts a spotlight onto Hawaii. Our culture, our food, the ingredients, what we eat, how we eat, you know what I mean? And putting the spotlight onto Hawaii is like us finally getting a chance to make news. When Hawaii beats Washington, or when we beat Alabama, that's news, right? So in a food sense, we're making news. We ask over 120 chefs that come from all over the world to cook with local ingredients. And it makes me really happy when they walk away and say, wow, I didn't really know you guys had all these ingredients. And then there's the other thing. It has generated over eight years now, over $2.4 million and is being given back to a lot of the local culinary schools and to the farmers. I love it. And it seems like you guys have such great respect among each other, among you chefs, I mean, together. Why do you guys have such great camaraderie? It's like Roy and I, right? We're friends. We're friends outside of work. And we know that if we make Hawaii better, and we want to make Hawaii a better place, all of us, right? If we can make Hawaii a better place, whatever it takes, we know that more people will come to Hawaii, more people will understand the food in Hawaii. I mean, one of my objectives, my mission, is before I leave, is to change the perception of what food is in Hawaii, what we eat in Hawaii. So most times, somebody would ask me questions and I would ask them a question. What do you think we eat in Hawaii? And they pause and I say, OK, let me guess. I get it. You think we put pineapple on a burger, pineapple on a piece of this Hawaiian burger, Hawaiian piece of it? Exactly right. So change that misperception. I mean, just because you eat in a restaurant in Hawaii doesn't mean that you're eating Hawaiian food. The Hawaiian people have their own culture, their own race, and their own food. So just because you eat in a restaurant in Hawaii doesn't mean that you went to a Hawaiian restaurant. And so this is also making Hawaii a better place. We're known for our beach, our surf, our sunshine, and whatnot and the people. But now you can come to Hawaii and enjoy the foods of Hawaii, modern-day Hawaii, that pays tribute to the immigrant, the plantation past. That's why we have all these ethnic influences in Hawaii today. Well, now, while you came out with two cookbooks, you came out years ago with the New Wave Luau cookbook. And then your most recent one is the Blue Tomato. Tell me about the Blue Tomato. Well, let's go with the New Wave Luau. Before you do New Wave Luau, you got to know what O-Wave is. Yeah, the O-Wave. You have to go back and learn what the Hawaiians ate back then. That's how you create New Wave, the homage to the past. The Blue Tomato is interesting. Well, we didn't have a name for the book. And so I went to Hilo with our tomato farmer. And we went to a Hawaiian immersion school right outside of Hilo. And so we're doing a tomato demonstration. There's a whole bunch of different tomatoes in the background. And so I stopped my demo. I actually was doing a tomato salad with the lehimo dressing. Oh, yeah. And I picked up a red tomato and I said, this is where ketchup comes from. And so someone else, another kid, says, can you make yellow ketchup out of that yellow one over there? He says, you can. Another kid raises his hand and says, can you make green ketchup out of that green one? He says, of course I can. Another kid raises his hand and says, can you make blue ketchup? So I said, you give me a blue tomato, I make you blue ketchup. Right? But that kind of stuck. Because if this next generation of keiki or our youth were up thinking that nothing has to be what it should be. The ketchup does not have to be red. Soy sauce doesn't have to be black or brown. Yeah. Right? A lumpier or an egg roll doesn't have to look like what it is. In fact, one of the first recipes is an ahi lumpier, but it's the shape of a golf ball. Oh, wow. Right? So imagine the next generation of kids thinking that the creativity level of the next generation is endless, endless opportunities, endless possibilities. So the blue tomato actually represents anything is possible. I love it. I love talking with you, Alan. We're going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we're going to continue going beyond fine dining. OK. You are watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii with my special guest, Chef Alan Wong. We will be back in a quick minute. Hi, guys. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick, from Lillian's Vegan World. I come to you live every second Friday from 3 PM. And this is the show where I talk about the plant-based lifestyle and veganism. So we go through recipes, some upcoming events, information about health regarding your health, and just some ideas on how you can have a better lifestyle, eat healthier, and have fun at the same time. So do join me. I look forward to seeing you. And aloha. Aloha. My name is Wendy Lowe. And I want you to join me as we take our health back. On my show, all we do is talk about things in everyday life, in Hawaii or abroad. I have guests on board that will just talk about different aspects of health in every way, whether it's medical health, nutritional health, diabetic health. You name it, we'll talk about it, even financial health. We'll even have some of the Miss Hawaii's on board. And all the different topics that I feel will make your health and your lifestyle a lot better. So come join me. I welcome you to take your health back. Mahalo. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. My special guest today is the legendary chef and owner of Alan Wong's restaurants. He is the one and only chef Alan Wong. And today we are going beyond fine dining. Alan, a lot of people take bees for granted, but you don't. And you actually help with a scholarship program for adopt a beehive. Can you tell me about that? The program is called Adopt a Beehive with Alan Wong. OK. And bees are responsible for over 90% of the world's food supply, whether they directly pollinate something or they pollinate something that animals eat. And so they're disappearing. They were on the cover of Times Magazine about a couple years ago because they're disappearing and people are worried about that. Now we have the veroamide, small-high beetle. The bees don't like cell phones and those electromagnetic waves. All the fertilizers and pesticides, they don't like that stuff. And so I simply wanted to bring awareness to the plight of the bees. So aim the program with Lorna Tutsumi from UH Hilo. Great. And so right now we are in our ninth year. You can adopt the beehive for $300, $500, or $1,000. At three different levels. And the person, the student taking care of your hive that you adopted, keeps in touch with you. And you may receive some samples of honey pursues from your hive that you adopted throughout the year. Great. And so in the end, it's like the private sector, us, the public sector, UH Hilo. And we produce $3,000 scholarships for students to continue their education in entomology. And so that's been a great experience. The other thing is what used to happen naturally in the wild does not happen anymore. So there's a farm, Wilea Ag, that has a lot of citrus trees. The production was down. So Lorna put two hives onto the farm. And their production is back up again. So we have to do that now. In addition, the recent volcano eruption that happened recently. People don't think about the displaced animals. So we have a new equine program. So we take care of the horses now from the Adopted Beehive Program. Actually, Lorna's daughter actually takes care of them. So they had adopted 10 horses. And one horse came with a donkey. And so the donkey's name is Babba. So we've actually been to Hilo and generated some one-time make bentos, raise funds for these animals. And I just went there recently. And I saw Babba and this is a symbol. Babba was a donkey. I'm a mule. So one of some wonderful things have happened because of the Adopted Beehive Program. And think about it. When they're responsible for the world's food supply, a big part of it, if they disappear, the world's food supply changes. When the world's food supply changes, as a chef, the menu's got to change. So that was the original idea for the Adopted Beehive Program. And I knew Lorna when I was at UH Manoa. And so she does all the work over there, takes care of all the students, and whatnot. It's a wonderful program. I like hearing that. And Alan, you know, in my book, Beyond the Lines, you definitely go beyond the lines. I mean, you're like a coach at your restaurant. I mean, I can see why you're so successful and how you've really helped so many other people become successful. So in the book, I talk about creating that superior culture of excellence. And you definitely have that. How do you keep maintaining your superior culture of excellence? I'm a double Scorpio like you are. Yeah, yeah. We're kind of extreme people. Yeah, we are. All or nothing. Yeah. You know, I like to make analogies. And I like to make sports analogies. So I'll take Alabama. Yeah. Okay. There's two of us there. Of course. In college, you'll always have a graduating senior class or some leave at junior year. You'll always gonna have a freshman year. So if I was to be a coach, I would love coaching at the college level because you're always into that graduation change thing and it's great to see the incoming freshmen all bright-eyed and eager and willing to learn, right? No, you always want that. But you gotta have a good program. You have to have a good successful program. And you always gotta reload. I mean, when Jaylen Hertz was at Alabama, Tua came along, took his job. Yeah. And so when Tua leaves, they got the brother coming along, good programs always reload. So in order to reload and attract all these recruits, you gotta have a good program, a successful program. And sometimes it's not the easiest program. It probably is tough, rigorous and demanding, right? I mean, even if you wanted to play for Alabama, you might not be able to make it onto the team because you gotta qualify. You gotta prove that you have what it takes. Sure. And so all these analogies are kind of true in any successful business in coaching and is no different in the restaurant. That's why I always say about beyond the lines because it doesn't matter if it's sports, business or life. I mean, it's just, it's a culture that we strive for every day individually and as our, you know, with our team. Now, in terms of having superior discipline details, every elite team in sports or business have superior discipline details. And you do too. How do you build those types of habits with your team members? Everything starts with you. Everything starts with me. Yeah. You know, I have to lead by example. And so when I'm doing stuff with food, with cooking, with managing, that's what they emulate. You know what I mean? Yeah. It's not just about the restaurant and just cooking too. You know, part of our responsibility is helping these younger people make better decisions in life. No different than a football coach or a tennis coach, right? You get into their lives, you get into their dreams, you get into their goals and you actually help them achieve what they want to achieve. And so this makes a big difference too. Yeah. You know, it's not just about the business. It's about caring for them as individuals. You're so right, because it's about empathy and like for me with my teams, I would really be looking out for my players' well-being or their personal goals. We wouldn't even talk about tennis a lot. We'd just be talking about what they want to achieve and you're doing the same. And for me with my players, yeah, they would want to perform because of that on the tennis court and same with your team members with your business. Now, Alan, great leaders build other great leaders and you've done that. Who was a mentor to you and what did you learn? You know, I've been very fortunate. I've had many, had various parts, points in your life. Yeah. You know, from back when I was in culinary school, you know, there was a Joe Kiena, an instructor. When I went to the Greenbrier, it was Mark Erickson, who later became the youngest master chef in the United States. Wow. In New York City, Andre Saltner, the chef owner of Lutess, that I worked there for a few years and I was really proud when the restaurant was voted number one in America. Yeah. And so you, you know, I appreciated playing the game at a high level. Yeah. And these individuals that were mentors or major influences on me, played the game at a high level and I was the one that was a student kind of emulate what they did and what they accomplished. You know, so I always feel like, you have to be a good student before you can be a good teacher. Yeah. And a lot of times, you know, when you're working in the industry, you know, I like to say too, hey, when the student is ready, the teacher appears, which means, you know, there are a lot of people that, you know, they may not buy in or they may not put in the time or the work and dedication and commitment that's necessary. And when they do, it's amazing the difference you see in somebody because now they're ready to take it in now. Yeah. You know, humility is probably the most important thing for me. Humility, trust, honesty, and integrity. Yeah. You know, some people say, adversity brings out the best. Well, I think adversity reveals a character. I agree. Big time. Yeah, now someone like Chef Wade and Michelle, I mean, they were, you know, they're the owners of MW restaurant and you're very proud of them because they were team members of yours. And I mean, now they're having success and that must make you feel awesome. Well, especially when you think that Michelle came from the team program. Yeah. As an extern and initially in the front of the house and wanted to come into the kitchen. And I said, okay, go turn on the stove and boil some water. You're going to blind some broccoli. Yeah. I'll come back later on, the stove's not on. She didn't know how to turn it on. And Wade came from a recommendation and he was cooking at zippies. Wow. And so when you come with the right attitude, that willingness to learn, you're enthusiastic and you have what it takes when it comes to taking what comes to you. Today it's about resiliency. It's how much you can take. Can you bounce back after the adversity hits you? That's a really, really big thing today. Each decade has produced different kinds of workforce. And today, resiliency and the ability to persevere, they are so important because the opposite is fragile, right? They can't take it. You got to talk to them a certain way. It's a very, very different time. And so we have to adjust to these times today. Alan, I love your insights. I could talk to you for hours and hours. I mean, I love how you brought up adversity and challenges and resiliency. And you definitely go beyond the lines, Alan. I want to thank you for joining me on the show today. Thank you for having me. I mean, it's awesome. And best of luck to your future. I mean, your future is always looking bright. Thank you. Thanks, Alan. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com and my book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that Chef Alan and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.