Sheldon Simeon: 4 Key Influences on Hawaii's Food Culture

In today’s episode, I welcome Chef Sheldon Simeon of Maui’s Tin Roof restaurant. After his success on Top Chef as a two-time finalist, he decided to commit his kitchen skills towards bringing the flavors of Hawaii to the masses. Through his restaurant and his cookbook, Cook Real Hawai'i, his passion for these uncomplicated cultural staples reveals itself while introducing cooks around the world to the unique flavors of his homeland.
You’ll hear about his experiences on the TV show Top Chef and how he was inspired to open his own restaurant in Maui. He also talks about his experience blending together several cultural influences from China, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, and how those blending cultures have influenced Hawaiian cuisine. He shares his culinary inspirations and influences from childhood to today, and his experience putting together a bestselling cookbook.

What you'll learn with chef Sheldon Simeon

Defining the aloha spirit (4:14)
What to expect from the book (5:56)
How he’s helping feed his local community (6:29)
Legends from the 90s era of Hawaiian cuisine (9:25)
Misconceptions people have about Hawaiian food (11:04)
Why so many cultures helped shape the food culture of Hawaii (11:58)
Dishes from a changing cultural lens (15:29)
The origins of poke (18:12)
How to make a great poke at home (20:12)
Traveling the islands through various tastes (23:19)
Where the name Tin Roof came from (25:05)
Inspirations that make up the menu (26:47)
Why it’s important to support small, community restaurants (29:07)
Upcoming changes to expect from Tin Roof (30:25)
His spur of the moment decision to return to Top Chef (31:33)
How his second Top Chef experience was different from his first (34:10)
The smell that reminds him of childhood (35:19)
An important Hawaiian condiment (36:32)
What and where to eat the next time you’re in Maui (37:53)
The guilty pleasure he can’t stop eating (40:08)
Cookbooks to add to your collection (40:46)
Condiment must-haves (41:50)
Series of rapid-fire questions.
Link to the podcast episode on Apple Podcast

Links to other episodes in Hawaii

Conversation with chef Roy Yamaguchi

Conversation with chef Jean-Marie Josselin in Kauai

Links to most downloaded episodes (click on any picture to listen to the episode)

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That is the basis of all things in Hawaii is respect the land, respect your community, respect your neighbor. Respect each other, that's the aloha spirit. And Aloha goes both ways, in order to reach Aloha, you gotta give Aloha. 

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Cook Real Hawaii is my experiences from when I was born until now. I wanted to represent our food to the fullest. The realness comes from the feeling of putting my heart into this book and sharing my history. That is just as real and raw as it gets. 

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Today, we have the opportunity as chefs to showcase the food of our grandparents and the food of our community and the things that we want to preserve. 

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The media has painted Hawaii as this paradise of tropical goodness, but when you peel back the layers, there are moments of dark history and humble times. 

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That's a big thing for me and for Hawaii cuisine, being one of the chefs, alongside many others, who are uplifting our cuisine and trying to move it forward, think progressive about it, but equally as important is preserving it.

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