Bio

George Mavrothalassitis is chef/proprietor of Chef Mavro restaurant in Honolulu and a founding member of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. He holds the prestigious James Beard Foundation award as the Best Chef in Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. The restaurant earned the Five Diamond rating from AAA (American Automobile Association) for 2009.  The prestigious Gayot restaurant critics bestowed their only “18/20” rating in Hawaii, and also named Chef Mavro as the only Hawaii restaurant in their Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. 2008-2009. 

Mavrothalassitis was born on the port in Marseilles, the capital of sunny Provence, surrounded by the passionate calls of fishmongers and the farm-fresh flavors of southern France. His award-winning French-Hawaii cuisine is also rooted in training with numerous masters of contemporary French cuisine and his experience as owner of the Restaurant Mavro in Marseilles and the Restaurant La Presqu'ile in the seaside village of Cassis.

Current influences are from his life in Hawaii and he loves to tell the story of his first morning in Honolulu. “At sunrise I looked out over Waikiki Beach to Diamond Head and I said to myself - That’s it! I’m home!” Ever since that day 1988, Chef Mavro has embraced the multi-ethnic people and foods of Hawaii and become close friends with dozens of boutique farmers and specialty fisherman. On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Chef Mavro restaurant in December 2003, he gathered his longtime purveyors around a Chef’s Table to honor them as the foundation of his success.

One example among so many is Mavro’s partnership with Island-born vanilla farmer Jim Reddekopp and their launch of the Hawaiian vanilla industry in Honolulu and again in New York. His dedication to quality is legendary. As his fresh fish buyer, Don Leong of Honolulu’s Wing Sing Seafood, comments “Chef Mavro is picky picky picky!”

“Sometimes buying local means the cost is higher and sometimes it takes more time but the reward is huge. Local farmers succeed and my guests enjoy fresh, regional ingredients and a dining experience they could have only in Hawaii,” explains Mavrothalassitis.

This may be the only restaurant of its caliber in the world completely dedicated to food and wine pairing. Instead of a wine list, every menu selection is presented with a wine pairing offered by the glass. The selection process created by Mavro makes this even more unique. Four times a year on Mondays when the restaurant is closed, he convenes a committee of twenty five including his cooks, wait staff, and food and wine media. Together they carry out a blind tasting of a variety of wines with each of his recipes. The winning pairings, to be enjoyed by guests for the following three months, are selected based on a democratic vote.

Mavro continues as an advisor to Hawaii culinary programs and always finds time to meet with young chefs seeking his guidance. On numerous occasions he has created advanced cooking classes for his staff and has given master classes at various culinary schools. His charitable activities are focused on the arts with a special dedication to Hawaii Public Radio (HPR). Twice a year, he turns the restaurant over to HPR for fundraising dinners that have become signature events in the community.

In 2004 he began offering “Food Network-style” cooking classes at his restaurant.  Reservations for his 2008 classes can be made through Gourmet Cooking Hawaii. “Cooking for the Love of It!” offers a rare up-close experience with Chef Mavro and includes demonstrations, tastings, a gourmet lunch with wine pairings and, as always, entertaining stories!

GOURMET Magazine’s veteran restaurant critic Caroline Bates noted, "Honolulu has never had a chef like George Mavrothalassitis…his creative cooking and high standards have given the city a dining experience comparable to a three-star restaurant's in France.” Gourmet editors also singled out Chef Mavro as “where we would eat if we had only one night in Honolulu.”

He has made numerous appearances at The James Beard Foundation in New York, including the annual Editor’s Dinner. He has appeared on CNN, numerous shows on The Food Network, PBS "Great Chefs in America,” Discovery Channel’s “Home Matters,” the Travel Channel’s “The Tourist,” NBC’s Travel Café, and many others.

Mavrothalassitis was recognized as one of “America’s Top Six Chefs” in a Wine Spectator cover story on the masters of food and wine pairing. The New York Times veteran food critic R.W. Apple gave “the top mark” to Chef Mavro restaurant, and Bon Appétit food writer Martin Booe summed it up as “Hawaiian cuisine meets a master’s technique.” Travel & Leisure writers Ted and Matt Lee concluded, “at Mavro we found our culinary Valhalla.”

This restaurant was the first in Hawaii to use streaming video to offer an online cooking lesson. The video on the restaurant website www.chefmavro.com features Chef Mavro preparing his Onaga Baked in a Hawaiian Salt Crust while standing in the waves of Waikiki.