You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
In late March, the chef Sheldon Simeon gathered friends at an oceanfront home in Honolulu to celebrate the publication of his second cookbook, “Ohana Style.” Here, Simeon takes a break from cooking before his guests arrive.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Skip to content
Skip to site index
Ir
Home
U.S.
World
Business
Arts
Lifestyle
Opinion
Video
Audio
Games
Cooking
Wirecutter
The Athletic
U.S.
International
Canada
Español
中文
Entertaining with
A Dinner in Honolulu That Included an Impromptu Ukulele Jam Session
The chef Sheldon Simeon celebrated his new cookbook with a low-key feast at an over-the-top venue.
In late March, the chef Sheldon Simeon gathered friends at an oceanfront home in Honolulu to celebrate the publication of his second cookbook, “Ohana Style.” Here, Simeon takes a break from cooking before his guests arrive.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Share full article
By
Martha Cheng
April 24, 2026
Despite having spent two seasons in front of the camera on “Top Chef,” Sheldon Simeon, 43, looked a little self-conscious as he greeted guests on a recent March evening in Honolulu, where he was hosting a party to celebrate the launch of his second cookbook, “
Ohana Style
.” “I’m very grateful that you’re staring at me,” he joked, as he stood in front of a group of people on the lawn of a beachfront home that’s frequently the site of upscale weddings.
Image
The venue, a midcentury home that’s often rented for weddings, was a last-minute pivot, after back-to-back storms flooded the original location.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Image
Palms encircle the property’s lush grounds.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Simeon is more comfortable in less formal settings. He named Tin Roof, a former okazuya (Japanese-style deli counter) and one of his two Maui restaurants, after the corrugated-metal roofs typical in his hometown, Hilo, on the Big Island — he grew up cooking and gathering with friends and family beneath them in carports. Tiffany’s, Simeon’s other spot, was a dive bar before he bought it in 2022. With both places, he retained the original atmosphere, serving low-key favorites like fried mochiko chicken (a local-style Japanese recipe that uses glutinous rice flour in the batter) and garlic noodles alongside items like hamachi sashimi with ponzu and finadene (a salty-sour dipping sauce from Guam).
To celebrate his new book — the title of which translates to “family style” — he cooked a similar combination of homey and elevated fare, including hot dogs simmered in shoyu, their ends fringed to resemble octopus tentacles; a tomato-rich Filipino-style tripe stew; fried chicken; and pohole (fiddlehead fern) salad. The setting for the dinner was actually the result of a last-minute pivot. When back-to-back storms flooded the original location, Justin Panoke, 46, and his wife, Mirasol, 47, who are friends of friends of Simeon’s, offered their venue, Kaimea Estates, as an alternative.
Image
Simeon’s former chef de cuisine, Nolan Gonzalez, making shoyu hot dogs (hot dogs simmered in soy sauce) with Redondo’s red sausages, a local favorite.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Image
A friend on Maui, where Simeon lives, heard he was flying to Oahu and met him at the airport to give him a bunch of just-picked pohole (fiddlehead fern), which Simeon served in a salad.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Image
Simeon wore a shirt by Sig Zane Designs. He and Kūha‘o Zane, the creative director of the company and a guest at the dinner, grew up together in Hilo.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Image
The chicken was steamed before it was fried to ensure a juicy interior and crunchy edges.
Credit...
Cole Barash
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and
log into
your Times account, or
subscribe
for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber?
Log in
.
Want all of The Times?
Subscribe
.
Related Content
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
댓글
0