One of Maui's Top Chefs: Beverly “Bev” Gannon
Hali‘imaile, Maui, HI—Beverly “Bev” Gannon is Maui’s favorite chef – bar none. There is no arguing with the 2007 tally of votes by readers of The Maui News and Maui no ka oi magazine’s own write-in votes from chef colleagues awarding Bev “Best Chef on Maui.”
As chef/owner of Hali`imaile General Store in Upcountry and Joe’s in Wailea, and owner of the longest running catering company on the island (Celebrations Catering, founded 1985,) Bev is perhaps best known to foodies as one of the 12 original founders of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement which took local food to new heights in the 1990s. Bev creates stylish, down-home menus bursting with island-fresh ingredients and flavors that define her particular style and personality. “Her food is as fun as she is,” say many of her customers. A testament to her success, Hali`imaile General Store celebrates 20 years in October 2008.
The recognition that Bev has gained for her island-influenced dishes, has built a following of critical acclaim across the country. In 2004, Bev was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef Award: Hawaii and Northwest Region,” and as Executive Chef of Hawaiian Airlines, her food was named “Best Food in the Air in North America” by readers of Conde Nast Traveler (2003, 2004, 2006.)
She has appeared on Food Network’s Best of, The Food Hunter and Food Network Challenge; NBC’s Today Show; CBS’s Early Show; nationally-syndicated PBS series Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi, and was honored as one of the Great Chefs of Hawaii on the Discovery Channel.
Her first book, The Hali`imaile General Store Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, 2001,) is in its fifth printing, and Bev is developing a second cookbook for Ten Speed Press due out Spring 2009. Her recipes also appear in Anthony Dias Blue’s America’s Kitchen (1995,) and she’s the only Hawaii chef included in Women of Taste, a cookbook that showcases 30 of America’s best female chefs (1997). In 1994, Bev and the 11 other founding members of Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine included their recipes in The New Cuisine of Hawaii by Janice Wald Henderson, a tribute to the concept of using fresh local ingredients in island menus rather than importing ingredients from out-of-state.
She has landed numerous awards for her culinary accomplishments, including Honolulu magazine’s coveted “Hale ‘Aina Award,” Maui No Ka Oi magazine’s “ ‘Aipono Award for Best Hawaii Regional Cuisine Restaurant,” “Best Fusion Cuisine,” “Best Desserts (Hali`imaile General Store,)” “Best Kept Secret (Joe’s,)” and selected by her peers as “Chef of the Year;” and The Maui News’ “Best Restaurant (Hali`imaile General Store,)” “Best New Restaurant (Joe’s,)” and “Best Chef.”
A Dash of History
Bev was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in the Jewish tradition of eat, eat, eat. “It’s what really got me interested in food and its preparation,” says Bev. “I think it’s still what people want: the kind of warm, comforting food that came out of Mom’s kitchen, provided, of course, that Mom was a good cook!”
“I think about food all the time. I am constantly searching out new creative ways to put ingredients together,” Bev continues. “I guess my reality is that food is my life.”
Before embarking on her culinary career, she was road manager for Liza Minelli, Joey Heatherton and Ben Vereen. “It was so much fun, but after five years, I realized it was time to get serious and follow my passion for cooking,” says Bev. She enrolled in London’s Le Cordon Bleu and took classes with Marcella Hazan and Jacques Pepin. Returning home to Dallas, she worked briefly for a caterer then started her own company.
Marrying Joe Gannon on Maui in 1980, the couple later moved to the Valley Isle and in 1985 Bev started her popular catering company Celebrations Catering which caters Fortune 500 companies to baby lu`aus. She opened Hali`imaile General Store in 1988 featuring Hawaii Regional Cuisine and Joe’s (named for her husband) in Wailea in 1995 featuring comfort food with a gourmet streak. Hawaiian Airlines solicited Bev to be their Executive Chef in 1999, and she changed the expectations of airline food with innovation and flair. In 2007, Bev was hired by her friend Mary Charles of Lana`i Hospitality Partners to design the menu and oversee the quality and integrity of the food for Mary’s new restaurant Lana`i City Grill (in the former Henry Clay’s Rotisserie location) on the Island of Lana`i.
Bev Gannon Restaurants’ corporate headquarters is located at 900 Hali‘imaile Road, Hali‘imaile, Maui, Hawaii, 96768; Telephone (808) 572-2666; Fax (808) 572-7128; or visit www.bevgannonrestaurants.com.