{"id":5416,"date":"2025-05-05T16:24:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T16:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/nobu-matsuhisa-opens-new-nobu-restaurant-in-maui-at-grand-wailea\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T16:24:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T16:24:33","slug":"nobu-matsuhisa-opens-new-nobu-restaurant-in-maui-at-grand-wailea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/05\/nobu-matsuhisa-opens-new-nobu-restaurant-in-maui-at-grand-wailea\/","title":{"rendered":"Nobu Matsuhisa Opens New Nobu Restaurant in Maui at Grand Wailea"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nobu Matsuhisa opened a new restaurant in Maui. Courtesy Parker Burr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The grand opening of <\/span>Nobu<\/span><\/a> in Maui on May 3 got hotter and hotter as the Saturday evening progressed, starting with a sake toast and chef Nobu Matsuhisa<\/a>\u2019s signature yellowtail jalapeno and ending with an over-the-top Hawaiian fire-dancer performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Matsuhisa, flanked by Nobu co-founder Meir Teper<\/a>, was there to celebrate and hold court with guests like talent manager Shep Gordon<\/a> and <\/span>Top Chef Masters<\/span><\/i> champion Chris Cosentino<\/a>. 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 <\/span>Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Meir Teper and Grand Wailea executive chef Ryan Urig securing the longtail red snapper. Marcos G. Godoy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So earlier that day at 10:30 a.m., Matsuhisa and Teper hit the beach to meet a canoe delivering a longtail red snapper.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s called onaga,\u201d Matsuhisa told Observer. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At a press conference moderated by Observer in the afternoon, Matsuhisa told the crowd that it\u2019s important to \u201csupport local communities.\u201d He\u2019s 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 c<\/span>oconut lilikoi semifreddo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What better way to celebrate than a Hawaiian fire dancer performance? Courtesy Parker Burr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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 \u201cmillion-dollar dish,\u201d a term that might be an understatement when you consider that there are now nearly 60 Nobu restaurants and 20 Nobu hotels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even after all these years and accomplishments, Matsuhisa continues to find joy in dreaming up recipes<\/a>. As Saturday\u2019s press conference wound down, he came up with an idea for a new dish.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The new Maui restaurant is a full circle moment for Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Courtesy Parker Burr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere are very good vegetables here,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have a signature dish\u2014baby artichokes and baby spinach, vegetables with a dry miso salad. I\u2019d like to use fresh romaine lettuce with a dry miso salad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s marching orders,\u201d Nobu corporate executive chef Gregorio Stephenson<\/a> said with a smile. \u201cI\u2019ll be in the kitchen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s happening now and also what\u2019s next. At the press conference, Teper and COO Hiro Tahara<\/a> discussed how they look at daily reports from all of their restaurants while they simultaneously make plans for future locations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Taking beach-to-table to a new level. Courtesy Parker Burr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another Nobu will open at the Hotel del Coronado<\/a> 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\u2019s off to open Nobu in destinations including Cairo, Hamburg, Montecito and Dubai.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t go out looking for deals,\u201d Teper said. \u201cWe\u2019re very choosy about who our partners are going to be. We have to choose because we get a lot of requests. People ask, \u2018How do you grow? How did you manage to be where you are after 30 years?\u2019 I think it\u2019s because we have chosen the right partners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>, whose firm has since designed Nobus all over the world. There\u2019s a lot of history here. But Matsuhisa, who\u2019s also expanded into Nobu residences, has more chapters of this story to write.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never want to retire,\u201d said Matsuhisa, who recently spent time with fellow empire-building chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten<\/a> in Doha, where they both have restaurants. \u201cWhat does \u2018retire\u2019 mean? Finish work. Finishing work means my passion is gone. I\u2019ve been cooking all my life. I\u2019m still working, still growing the business. I still touch the fish and look at the colors of the vegetables. I\u2019m a chef. It\u2019s my world. I like to see people happy. It\u2019s still in my life. I\u2019m still trying my best every day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Beach<\/p><\/div>\n