To get to Mauna Lani, an Auberge Resorts Collection property, first you have to cross miles and miles of lava fields. It looks like the surface of the moon, field after field of jaggged black lava grazed by clusters of very cute goats, before you finally turn into the verdant oasis that is the hotel. The original building presided over the Kohala Coast, a fixture for three decades, before a recent 200 million renovation majorly changed up the vibe.
San Francisco architect and landscape planner Hart Howerton and interior designer Meyer Davis found their way into this luxury five-star resort by inserting an intricate wooden framework inside the soaring original lobby. They also redesigned the focal points of the property to showcase this gorgeous slice of the coastline, with its humpback whales, ancient petroglyphs and Kalāhuipua‘a Fishponds dating back to 1200 AD, while treating its royal Hawaiian roots and traditions with the utmost respect.
There’s Hale I’iike, a Talk Story cultural corner, with Danny Akaka, their homegrown “Minister of Aloha,” a fullblown ecological program, a daycare for juvenile turtles, and the strong sense that the employees—the majority of them who’ve worked there for over twenty years—are stewards of this very special land. And, of course, one of the jewels of the place is CanoeHouse, the iconic restaurant first helmed by one of the legendary founders of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, Alan Wong.
Chef Matt Raso now runs the kitchen while Yuka, his joyful wife, takes care of the front of the house. Matt first fell in love with cooking when he was in the Marine Corps, stationed on a ship and feeding packs of hungry marines. After that, he got his start in one of Nobu Matsuhisa’s restaurants in Dallas where, together with Yuka, Chef Matt got to watch the whole spectcular ascent of the empire of Nobu. Now, at CanoeHouse, he visibly revels in the local seafood and ingredients from the nearby farms. According to Matt, the pandemic also changed the why of service.
“Before it was ‘this is what we do, and this is how we do it,’” he said. Now it’s all about creating an environment for people coming together. “I want it to feel like I’m inviting you over to my house.”
When the hotel was shuttered during lockdown, he, Yuka and a crew of seven held dinner parties at CanoeHouse for the locals.
“It was apocalyptic seeing the building so empty and dark,” he said. “We lit it with lanterns so people could find their way to the restaurant.”
In the spirit of coming together and those dinner parties, Chef Matt recently invited Michelle Bernstein, a James Beard Foundation Award-winner and spitfire Miami chef, for a night of Japanese/Hawaiian/Latin fusion. It was the first of Matt and Yuka’s MY dinners, a series of collaborations-to-come at CanoeHouse.
In the panel before the meal, Matt and Michelle talked about working within specific cultures and using indigenous ingredients. A pretty and ebullient woman, her smile reminsicent of Goldie Hawn’s, Michelle spoke of the difficulty of working her way up as female chef, as well as her family roots, both Jewish and Argentinian, which inform her food. With their easy rapport, there was an obvious synergy betweeen Matt and Michelle, a riffing off each others’ innovations and tecniques. Both said they were loving the exchange of ideas.
The dinner itself was a conversation and a revelation. Michelle’s ceviche starred head-on Kauai prawns and Okinawa sweet potato. A Hawaiian bouillabaise was enlivened by a very Latin sofrito. A perfect asada of Wagyu steak sported its own little crown of salsa criolla, or creole salsa. And the tres leches cake was made uber-local with lilikoi (passion fruit) and Hawaiian mango from just down the way.
The next Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection collab is with New York based Japanese restaurant, Nami Nori, from February 11-24th. It promises to be extra cool with a Temaki dinner experience and cooking class. In the meantime, check out Chef Matt’s spectacular recipe for Kampachi and Ali’i Mushrooms is featured on our website as well.
