Hawaiianology

Michel Martin (1907-2008) was the original Chef and Owner  was born April 3, 1907, and grew up in Nice, France. He was exposed to many fine foods as a child and that would give him respect for the food and the people behind it, but on the other hand he had also experienced the deprivations of World War I. It would be the beginning of understanding foraging and looking for berries and chestnuts. Bread salad was wartime food and it would really need a good dressing to call it dinner. He would move to the United States and make his way to San Francisco where he would catch a boat to Hawaii where he would end up working at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. That is until World War II began, he went to work for the Army to feed the troops. Michel had lived right, Mauna of Leilehua High School, on Uluwehi street.  Chez Michel Cafe (Wahiawa), in 1942 he opened up a small place that started as a burger joint on Wilikina drive. He would share cooked dishes with the nearby business owners like W...

Canlis Restaurant (1954-2004) “Most beautiful restaurant in the world” Canlis was located at 2100 Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki, Oahu. It was a High-class restaurant that was up there with the big boys: Michels Colony Surf, Yacht Harbor (Spencecliff), Rex & Eric’s, Nick’s Fish Market, and Mateos Italian. Opened by Peter Canlis in 1954-1987 Origins Famed restaurateur Peter Canlis’ first Waikiki restaurant was The Broiler Restaurant Waikiki (1947) on the mauka (inland) side of Kalakaua Avenue between Kaiulani and Uluniu Avenues. Was a small little place that said “The Broiler” and things were greasy and tasty and not too bad on the wallet. It was closed during construction of the 1955 Waikiki Biltmore which took over the block.  Hawaii had a Foster Freeze and it was at the location that Peter had in mind when building Canlis Restaurant. The Fosters lived on Anela Drive on the slopes of Diamond Head until they would end up selling to Spence Weaver who bought the house and turned it int...

The Tahitian Lanai (1956–1997) a iconic restaurant that was located in Old Waikiki (1956 circa) and where it was at the Iconic Waikikian Hotel overlooking the Lagoon with a open kitchen where people could see where their food was coming from with a swimming pool with tables all around and a bar with a dining area that would be full of great times day or night. Spence Weaver had a love for Tahiti where he would go for vacation and eventually run a hotel out there and fall in love with his wife in Tahiti where it is said that he got the name for the Tahitian Lanai. The South Pacific experience would be brought over as an authentic “South Seas” experience according to the brochures and ads, so to add to its authenticity there was decor flown in from Tahiti. Spence would ignore the old proven ways for a more regional solution based attitude in establishing things that were regional for Hawaii and that wouldn’t just be for the restaurant itself, but this went to the treatment of the people ...