Longtime partner of CTAHR and local farmers Peter Merriman has been named “Restaurateur of the Year” for Honolulu Magazine’s Hale ‘Aina awards, as a creator of delicious food and pioneer of the Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine Movement.
“I’m super optimistic about the future of farming and ranching in Hawai‘i,” he says. “One thing that has been true and continues to be true is anything that’s grown in Hawai‘i can be grown elsewhere—but almost everything grows better in Hawai‘i. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, CTAHR professors James Brewbaker and Kent Fleming and I went to all the islands to promote purchasing local,” he explains. “James had developed #10 sweet corn. Kent and I set up workshops to teach farmers and chefs how to partner with each other. It was really successful.”
Today, as the founder and owner of Merriman’s Hawaii Restaurants, he continues to move forward, estimating that 90% of all the food offered in his restaurants comes from local farmers and ranchers. “Hawai‘i produce is known around the world as super fresh, super high quality,” he says. “When crops-for-export slowed in the ’90s, Hawai‘i was phenomenally successful at developing locally produced food by small farmers. From a chef’s point of view, it’s fabulous.
“I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to work with all the local farmers and ranchers. Hawai‘i farmers are intelligent and humble—that’s a rare combination. I am just so fortunate to have that interaction on a regular basis.”