Robynne Maii, along with her husband Chuck Bussler are the owners of Fête, which is a restaurant in Honolulu’s Chinatown. Maii is also the chef.[1]
Biography
editMaii graduated from Iolani School, then attended Middlebury College, where she studied English and modern dance. She returned to Hawaii to attend the culinary program at Kapiʻolani Community College, turning down a job offer in the process. She worked for a pastry chef after graduating but left to get a master’s degree at New York University. While in New York, she worked for two years at Gourmet (magazine) before moving on to develop a culinary program at one of the community colleges in Brooklyn in the City University of New York system. Maii returned to Hawaii and opened Fête in 2016.[1]
Awards and honors
editShe is the 2022 winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific.[2] She is the first woman of Hawaiian ancestry to win and the first Hawaiian since 2003.[1][3][4]
Publications
edit- The New American Mosaic Cookbook for Students , 2013
References
edit- ^ a b c Hanson, Kait (August 3, 2022). "Meet Robynne Maii, the first female chef from Hawaii to win a James Beard Award". Today. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Robynne Maii on Bringing the James Beard Award Home". Honolulu Magazine. June 17, 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ George, Tom (June 18, 2022). "Fête Chef Robynne Maii gets back in the kitchen after groundbreaking Beard award win". KITV 4. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ Hitt, Christine (June 25, 2022). "Hawaii's Fete restaurant wins best chef James Beard Award". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 1 September 2022.