Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at your favorite restaurant? Well, much credit goes to the many chefs, owners and managers who work diligently day in and day out to make sure Hawaii’s diners have a top-notch dining experience. This week, Dining Out got the inside scoops from Wahoo’s Hawaii partner Noel Pietsch Shaw, who gave us a little taste of what Wahoo’s has to offer.
Name: Noel Pietsch Shaw
Title: Partner at Wahoo’s Hawaii
Training/Education: Executive MBA, University of Hawaii
Who or what inspires you as a chef/manager/owner?
My family has always been an inspiration to me. We grew up in a family business, so now running one of our own, my sister/partner and I strive to grow our business and run the operation as a team/family. I think our employees notice the difference working for a family-run operation versus a larger corporation.
What is your favorite dish on the menu? Why?
The Outer-Reef Burrito wet with the Green Sauce! Our green sauce is so yummy and delicious … and surprisingly it’s fat free! I also always sub out the white “ahee” rice for our brown rice option, which makes the meal even more healthy!
What is your favorite ingredient to work with? Why?
Our fish is extremely high quality. I am really proud of the flavor and consistency we are able to maintain in the product, even in our higher volume store. We always serve Pacific caught Ono as our fish — it’s delicious!
Is there a dish that you create that’s not on your menu, but available upon request?
My sister created the Wahoo’s 7-Layer Salad. It is finally on the menu, but was a special for many years. It is a layered salad with brown rice, black beans, cheese, lettuce, cabbage, fresh salsa and guacamole topped with grilled meat and homemade dressing of your choice. Now it is one of our most popular dishes! Both of us always order it with our marinated tofu instead of meat.
What are your culinary goals? What do you hope to improve on?
We hope to expand our restaurant operations to new locations across the island while still maintaining the highest possible quality and using as many local ingredients as possible. People are often surprised to find out how many of our products are local, starting with the tortillas and fresh salsa!
Wahoo’s Fish Taco
WARD
940 Auahu St.
591.1646
KAHALA
4614 Kilauea Ave
732.9229
11 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily (Sunday Breakfast at Kahala)
Honolulu, HI 96814
Honolulu, HI 96816
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