Chef Jon Matsubara has been featured at the James Beard House in New York City and on the Food Network, Travel Channel, Zagat and the Today Show. He was chef de cuisine at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach’s Japengo, and executive chef at the Royal Hawaiian’s Azure, where he helped the restaurant win Honolulu Magazine’s 2010 Hale ‘Aina Award for Hawai‘i’s Best New Restaurant and the 2010 ‘Ilima Award for Hawaii’s Best Restaurants Critics Choice. Prior to Azure, Matsubara was the opening executive chef at Stage Restaurant, which also won the Hale ‘Aina Award for Best New Restaurant in 2007.
Matsubara began his culinary career as a dishwasher at Honolulu’s acclaimed Alan Wong’s and Roy’s restaurants. After honing his culinary skills, he served as chef de partie in the famed New York kitchens of Restaurant Jean-Georges, Tabla, and Bouley. Closer to home, he was chef de cuisine of Canoe House Restaurant in the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. Matsubara attended the French Culinary Institute in New York and graduated with distinction and also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Native American History from the University of Puget Sound.
