Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronnie Nasuti. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Executive Chef Ronnie Nasuti has been working in restaurants since the age of 13 when he started from humble beginnings as a dishwasher. At the age of 17, he became a kitchen manager at a Classical Northern Italian restaurant, where he assisted the Chef/Owner on a daily basis and continued to hone his craft. He finished four years of culinary arts at the high school level and further developed his skills at the Copley Plaza Hotel as a culinary apprentice in Boston sponsored by the Les Dames Escoffier Society.
When Chef Ronnie came to Hawaii, he first worked at Horatio’s/Kincaid’s, where he held various positions in a very regimented and high-volume kitchen. After hearing about the buzz surrounding Roy’s restaurants and about an exciting, new style of cuisine known as Hawaii Regional Cuisine, he knew he wanted to work for Chef Roy Yamaguchi and learn everything he could about this new dining concept.
He started at the Roy’s Park Bistro location, he trained further under Chef/Founder Roy Yamaguchi, Corporate Chef/Partner Gordon Hopkins and Corporate Chef Hawaii Jacqueline Lau. He went on to become the Roy’s Poipu Bar & Grill Sous Chef, followed by Roy’s flagship location in Hawaii Kai as the Executive Sous Chef. After fulfilling an opportunity as the Executive Chef at Chez Michel in Honolulu for five years, he returned to Roy’s Hawaii Kai as the Executive Chef for the decade.
Since 2011 Chef Ronnie has hung his hat at Tiki’s Grill & Bar as Executive Chef and continues to enjoy his time employing his talents at this fun, popular, and exciting high-volume restaurant. He is supported by his talented Sous Chefs, Chef Jason and Chef Mikey.
One of his roles as Tiki’s Culinary Leader is in giving back to the community by organizing and working with volunteer teams made up of Tiki’s employees in the form of live chef stations at various charity events. In his career, he has supported many of Hawaii’s charities by supporting golf tournaments and other events around Hawaii, including The Hawaii Foodbank, HUGS, Aloha United Way, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Honolulu, among many others.
In his career, he has had the opportunity to cook and eat in places around the world, including New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, Portland, Seattle, the Hawaiian Islands, Korea, Malaysia and Italy.
Fun Facts: Chef Ronnie owns and rides Harley Davidson motorcycles, a jet ski, and a power boat, and like a true pirate, has a pet parrot named Bunky.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have to say being a chef is so much fun, at least for me, it sucks you in. I knew in 8th grade I would be one and took Culinary Arts in highschool for four years and then apprenticed at the Copley Plaza Hotel back in the 80s. Even knowing then that it would be a life of working nights, weekends and holidays didn’t deter me. As I grow older, it still doesn’t bother me! I feel as though we are (chefs) kind of a dying breed of people because of the personal sacrifice it requires of us. What people don’t realize is that kitchen employees are PIRATES, the fringe of society, reformed drug addicts, alcoholics and gang members. They are people that society kinda pushes aside. As chefs, we take them in, take them under our wing, give them a family and a purpose, something to belong to, they are fiercely loyal to the chef and each other. As a chef, you become the gang leader!
But again, the fun, creative outlet, high energy & blood and guts going into battle serving scratch-made food for hundreds of people in a few hours every night for decades is the reward, the adrenalin rush, the sense of accomplishment, it’s the drug that keeps me in the industry. Although it’s probably not for everybody. I kind of feel like chefs are like racehorses because of how demanding the job can be but I’m not ready to be put out to pasture yet!
Also COVID. This put so many out of business in our industry and others. But I feel as though it was exponential for the restaurant business. We opened and closed three times! We are fortunate to be as busy as we are but the casualties are many. We all watched dozens of restaurants close permanently in Hawaii. The other thing is because of that, there was an exodus and that left the labor pool heavily depleted. Tikis is fortunate to be successful and we owe it to our great ohana. Our loyal staff & loyal patrons have gotten us through the toughest period in the hospitality business since 9/11.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m currently the executive Chef at Tiki’s Grill & Bar in Waikiki. I oversee daily operations among other aspects such as workflow, menu design, and recipe development. Above all making sure the needs of my staff are number 1. We are a team and have a big ship to steer. Without the team element, the dishes and flare and purpose of going out to eat is irrelevant. Savor the moments with the people you build with, regardless if it’s in a kitchen or any other type of job.
I also design dishes for a multitude of charity events and always like to participate in allowing our community to try new things both on O’Hau and other surrounding islands. Teaching cooking classes for middle school, high school, after school programs has been one of my favorite past times. Whenever I feel tired or drained, the smiles on the kid’s faces who are thrilled to see what they’ve created put the fuel right back in me. It could warm even the coldest heart. Lot’s of live TV spots for holidays, charity, farm to table & buy and supporting local awareness for anyone involved in the culinary world and more on the island.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I essentially mentored under Chef Roy Yamaguchi as well as his previous Chefs Jackie Lau & Gordon Hopkins. As the executive chef for the original Roy’s restaurant for ten years, I worked with & did themed wine dinners and charity events with a large array of chefs from all over America & Japan. It was an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.
As far as advice for aspiring chefs: You need to get into the most cutting-edge kitchen you can and spend a couple of years learning and cooking. There will be failed dish after failed dish, but that’s okay, it’s a repetition thing. After that, move on to the next kitchen of your choice and do a few of these. Different cuisines and styles are always a plus, you never want to stick with just one. This is the old-fashioned way of “cutting your teeth,” but sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
I stayed as the executive chef at Roy’s for so long because of the sheer exposure I was surrounded with. No chef is the same, and at Roy’s, every type of cook was there. Celebrity chefs, upcoming chefs, independent and restaurant group chefs all were invited to Roy’s to showcase their cuisines from all over the United States as well as Asia. Like mentioned before, would never be possible without the team 🙂
Pricing:
- Macadamia Nut Crusted Fish Catch of the day with a crunchy coating of macadamia nuts & panko, lemony cauliflower risotto, Kahumana Farms organic carrots, edamame & Parmesan cheese. $38
- Venison Bolognese Island moringa pappardelle, tender Moloka’i axis deer, pork, Marzano tomatoes & pecorino romano. $32
- Braised Lamb & Jumbo Shrimp Fork-tender lamb shank, garlicky shrimp, housemade mustard gnocchi, Kahumana Farms braising greens, lilikoi mint sauce. 39$
- Teppanyaki Pacific Pink Snapper Moloka‘i potatoes, Kahuku sea asparagus poke, citrus ube sauce, kabayaki. $35
- Truffle-Yaki Salmon Teriyaki grilled, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, Kahumana baby bok choy & rice wine nori sauce, ginger coral. $34
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tikisgrill.com/chef-ronnie/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tikisgrill/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tikisgrillbar/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tiki’s-grill-&-bar/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tikisgrill?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tikisgrill?app=desktop
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tikis-grill-and-bar-honolulu
Image Credits
Tiki’s Grill & Bar
