“He sticks to his roots; there’s no changing that,” adds Pittman. “Sheldon’s food is fluent in Hawai'i.”
As I drove down the Pi’ilani Highway to Wailea, I saw serene cul-de-sac hotel entrances, perfectly manicured lawns, and white tourists in the midst of a vacation fantasy. Locals avoid this area at all costs, and I wondered why Simeon kept returning to this particular stretch of Maui again and again. It seemed like the exact opposite place where you’d want to showcase food that’s an homage to residents.
This is the crux of Simeon’s mission, and it belies his special power. He can make food that invites tourists in while also transforming this place where locals never really felt welcome into a home, even for a wannabe local like me. I began to understand Simeon a little better. He’s just like me, a relentless hype man for Hawai'i.
“I did a weeklong stint cooking at the James Beard House and I planned it around Sheldon. What made me excited was that he was going to put a Hawai'i mix plate on the menu: mochiko chicken with mac salad and rice. It was wild. People loved it because people loved Sheldon. We had about five or six of us from Hawai'i, all there to help Sheldon with this event. We shed a tear at some point. It was super emotional. This is the food that makes me happy. This is the reason why I cook.
and he does it with a smile and also curiosity. Bravo
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