Beach to Table: Nobu Opens in Maui With Flair and Fire

The grand opening of Nobu in Maui on May 3 got hotter and hotter as the Saturday evening progressed, starting with a sake toast and chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s signature yellowtail jalapeno and ending with an over-the-top Hawaiian fire-dancer performance.

Matsuhisa, flanked by Nobu co-founder Meir Teper, was there to celebrate and hold court with guests like talent manager Shep Gordon and Top Chef Masters champion Chris Cosentino. He was there to take in the stunning sunset views at his 13,000-square-foot restaurant designed by the Rockwell Group, which crafted the original Nobu in Tribeca that opened in 1994. He was there, of course, to dazzle the senses with dishes like his beloved miso black cod. And Matsuhisa was also focused on ways to weave Hawaii into his menu at his new restaurant at the oceanfront Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort.

So earlier that day at 10:30 a.m., Matsuhisa and Teper hit the beach to meet a canoe delivering a longtail red snapper.

“It’s called onaga,” Matsuhisa told Observer. “It’s a great tender whitefish. I want to try tiraditos with it and also a sashimi with dry miso. And maybe the next day, we can serve it marinated with our umami paste. There are so many different ways we can use the fish.”

At a press conference moderated by Observer in the afternoon, Matsuhisa told the crowd that it’s important to “support local communities.” He’s excited about getting local fish as well as produce from Kula Country Farms and other Hawaii suppliers. Desserts exclusive to the Nobu in Maui include a Kona coffee tres leches cake and a coconut lilikoi semifreddo. 

This restaurant is a beautiful full-circle moment for Matsuhisa. The idea for yellowtail jalapeno was born after service for a charity dinner he collaborated on in Maui 35 years ago. That night, he looked around the kitchen to see what ingredients were left. He found some yellowtail, cilantro and serrano chiles and made his first version of the umami-rich and pleasantly spicy dish that would change his life. Then he took this idea back to his Matsuhisa restaurant in Los Angeles and tinkered until he came up with what he calls his “million-dollar dish,” a term that might be an understatement when you consider that there are now nearly 60 Nobu restaurants and 20 Nobu hotels.

Even after all these years and accomplishments, Matsuhisa continues to find joy in dreaming up recipes. As Saturday’s press conference wound down, he came up with an idea for a new dish.

“There are very good vegetables here,” he said. “We have a signature dish—baby artichokes and baby spinach, vegetables with a dry miso salad. I’d like to use fresh romaine lettuce with a dry miso salad.”

“That’s marching orders,” Nobu corporate executive chef Gregorio Stephenson said with a smile. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

The opening reception of Nobu Maui was starting in a few minutes when Stephenson said this. It was clear that this is a hospitality group that is always thinking about what’s happening now and also what’s next. At the press conference, Teper and COO Hiro Tahara discussed how they look at daily reports from all of their restaurants while they simultaneously make plans for future locations.

Another Nobu will open at the Hotel del Coronado on the San Diego Bay this month. Teper tells Observer that this debut will be followed by a new Nobu in Rome this summer. Then it’s off to open Nobu in destinations including Cairo, Hamburg, Montecito and Dubai.

“We don’t go out looking for deals,” Teper said. “We’re very choosy about who our partners are going to be. We have to choose because we get a lot of requests. People ask, ‘How do you grow? How did you manage to be where you are after 30 years?’ I think it’s because we have chosen the right partners.”

For example, Nobu partner Blackstone owns the Grand Wailea, which just underwent a $350 million renovation, and also the Hotel del Coronado. And the original Nobu in Tribeca was a career-defining statement for designer David Rockwell, whose firm has since designed Nobus all over the world. There’s a lot of history here. But Matsuhisa, who’s also expanded into Nobu residences, has more chapters of this story to write.

“I never want to retire,” said Matsuhisa, who recently spent time with fellow empire-building chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten in Doha, where they both have restaurants. “What does ‘retire’ mean? Finish work. Finishing work means my passion is gone. I’ve been cooking all my life. I’m still working, still growing the business. I still touch the fish and look at the colors of the vegetables. I’m a chef. It’s my world. I like to see people happy. It’s still in my life. I’m still trying my best every day.”