Chefs in the Spotlight

Colin Sato, Devynne Fuga Ah-Mai,
Matt Vidusek, & Adam Wade

Colin Sato

Restaurant: Mugen
Website: mugenwaikiki.com
Email: colinsato1782@gmail.com
Instagram: @chefcolinsato
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Trained: Kapiʻolani Community College, restaurants, and hotels on Oʻahu
Favorite Dish: My favorite dish on our menu is our Kona Kampachi. We serve it with a green apple ponzu, sea asparagus, smoked trout roe and a wasabi nasturtium pesto.
Favorite Ingredient(s): Fish from Japan

“I love that through food you can brighten and bring joy to someone’s day. At the end of the day I cook to make people happy.
I envision Hawai’i becoming a top destination for food lovers. A lot of young amazing talented chefs that went away to train are starting to return home, bringing their experiences with them”.

Devynne Fuga Ah-Mai

Nonprofit: Mānoa Poke in Boston, Samoa Food Security in American Samoa
Instagram: @HungrySamoan
Hometown: Olosega Island, Manu’a, American Samoa
Trained: Harvard University
Favorite Dish: Oka Iʻa
Favorite Ingredient(s): Coconut Milk

“Feeding people is about sharing my love and for fostering community. My advice to future culinary leaders is to learn where your food comes from, plant your own food if you can, catch your own seafood if you have the opportunity. Let’s return to our roots and strengthen our food security.”

Matt Vidusek

Restaurant: Off the Wall
Website: Offthewallhawaii.com
Instagram: @radioactive_chef
@otwhawaii
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Trained: Culinary Institute of America
Favorite Dish: My favorite dish on my menu is the Lomo Saltado. It is something that I have never had before, and took a long time to get right. The owners grew up eating this dish, and trying to get the right flavor profile was a very difficult challenge that was really exciting for me.
Favorite Ingredient(s): Local ingredients are always my favorite.

“The feeling of making people happy through my food combined with a welcoming atmosphere and catering to their needs is unmatched to almost any other feeling I have experienced. I also really love connecting with local farmers and telling their story through my food. As a chef, I think it is important to make sure we know where our food comes from.”

Adam Wade

Food Truck: Eighty Chicken Sandwiches
Email: eightychickensandwiches@gmail.com
Instagram: @Eightychickensandwiches
Hometown: Hauʻula, HI
Trained: New England Culinary Institute as well as Kitchens all over the U.S.
Favorite Dish: Tempura anything
Favorite Ingredient(s): I love cheap, tough pieces of meat others leave behind that with time and patience and skill and technique become something magical.

“The thing I love most about feeding people is that food is a way to connect people from different places. We may all have different views, but if you sit us down at a table with a nice meal, understanding and friendships will undoubtedly blossom.”

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