Award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi is set to bring a new, oceanfront dining experience to the Outrigger Kaua‘i Beach Resort & Spa in Līhu‘e.
Ocean House by Roy Yamaguchi is scheduled to open in June. Executive Chef Samual Taganeca will lead the kitchen day-to-day.
"We share a common vision of celebrating culture through food, and this felt like a great opportunity to tell the story of Kaua‘i through what we put on the plate," Yamaguchi told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions. "Partnering with a brand that genuinely respects and supports local culture — and the ocean — was an easy decision."
Yamaguchi, who won the James Beard award for Best Pacific Northwest Chef in 1993, was born and raised in Tokyo, his website notes. His restaurant concepts, which can be found on O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island, include the namesake Roy's, Eating House 1849, Beach House, Goen Dining + Bar; and Humble Market Kitchin.
With the new concept, Yamaguchi says, "Our goal is to create a menu that exists only in this space. It's a dining experience you simply can't replicate anywhere else."
According to a recent announcement from Outrigger, Ocean House will serve breakfast and dinner.
Hungry? Signature dishes on the dinner menu include the "Kaua‘i Bag & Boil," which includes Kaua‘i shrimp, fresh daily catch, clams, Portuguese sausage and corn in a brown butter coconut sauce; a selection of fresh sashimi and "creative" sushi rolls; a lū‘au plate "celebrating the full flavors of the Islands;" and hand-crafted noodle dishes.
The chef says that the Kaua‘i Bag & Boil is his favorite item on the new menu.
"It's a dish that speaks directly to Kaua‘i through its ingredients and its sense of place."
"Chef Roy Yamaguchi is a true culinary icon and it's an honor to have his vision anchoring the dining experience at Outrigger Kaua'i Beach Resort & Spa," Sean Dee, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Outrigger, told ASD in an emailed response to questions. "His pioneering role in Hawai'i regional cuisine, his commitment to local farmers and fishermen, and his ability to create experiences that feel both refined and approachable made him the natural partner for Ocean House."
Dee says that Outrigger's relationship with Yamaguchi runs deep.
The chef's signature Roy's restaurant in Waikīkī "sits on the corner of Waikīkī Beach Walk, a development Outrigger spearheaded more than 15 years ago and continues to manage today, and we've further built that connection through collaboration on Hawai'i Food & Wine Festival events," he explained. "When the opportunity arose to bring his vision to Kaua'i, it felt like the natural next chapter."
When asked how the opportunity came about, Yamaguchi says that knowing Dr. Richard Kelley, the son of Outrigger founders Roy and Estelle Kelley, was the start. But when Dee reached out about an opportunity to collaborate with the Garden Isle resort, "I jumped on it immediately."
"I want guests to feel genuinely connected to the ocean, the island and the place itself, as well as to the farmers, fishermen and ranchers who supply us, and the people who made the entire experience possible," Yamaguchi says when asked what he hopes people will take away from a dining experience at Ocean House.
Dee says Ocean House is the is the "dining centerpiece of a much broader transformation rooted in a sense of place vision that touches everything from architecture and art to programing and dining."
All guest rooms and suites, along with two meeting rooms have been completely renovated and by early next month, guests will experience a "fully reimagined arrival with a gorgeous, updated lobby," Dee told ASD. A new Kawelo Cultural Center, fitness center and Voyager 47 Club Lounge will follow in late summer or early fall.
"The design draws on two foundational Hawaiian legends: the story of Pele, the fire goddess, and the ocean journeys of Kawelo Lei Makua, a native hero born in Hanamā'ulu, directly adjacent to the resort — with original works throughout the property by local artists, including Allegra Scribner, Noah Harders, Dane Ishikawa, Shianne Schorr and Garret Kojima," Dee says. "Beyond the physical spaces, guests can join the E Ala E sunrise ceremony, the weekly E Komo Mai cultural celebration, hands-on hula, lei making and ukulele lessons, and our Malama Nukoli'i beach cleanup program — all designed to connect guests more deeply to the island."
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
