Robby Valdez

Robby Valdez

Apr 23, 2025

Robby Valdez is the Executive Chef at Leilani’s on the Beach. He has extensive experience in the scratch kitchens of multiple award-winning restaurants and is extremely ambitious and highly skilled in a wide variety of cuisines with a strong understanding of flavor...
James Babian

James Babian

Apr 23, 2025

James Babian was born into a large family of talented cooks and food-lovers—Sicilian on his Mother’s side and Armenian on his father’s. One of his first memories in the kitchen was the traditional Sunday dinner, handed down by ancestors from Campofelice di Fatalia, in...
Masa Gushiken

Masa Gushiken

Apr 23, 2025

Masa Arnaldo Gushiken spent the better part of his youth growing up in Argentina. After years learning Italian and French cuisines in kitchens around Tokyo, Gushiken went on a life-changing trip exploring the foods of Spain. There he worked in Barcelona, Galicia and...
Peter Abarcar, Jr.

Peter Abarcar, Jr.

Apr 23, 2025

Peter Abarcar, Jr. is the esteemed Executive Chef at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, overseeing the award-winning resort’s menu development and operations across the hotel’s restaurants, catering and renowned specialty buffets, and expertly blends local flavors and...
Mills Stovall

Mills Stovall

Apr 23, 2025

Mills Stovall was born in East Texas and originally studied performance art and opera at Centenary College of Louisiana, before deciding to focus on cooking. He attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and worked with many of the city’s great chefs,...