James Beard eloquently reveals “the secret of good cooking is, first, having a love of it”. You will be hard pressed to find someone who loves cooking more than Tylun Pang, executive chef at Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. If you ask Chef Pang what he loves about cooking, “it’s about the relationships, the community” he will tell you. With 21 years as the executive chef at Fairmont Kea Lani, Chef Pang has built the resort’s dining program around those relationships and the community.
As a boy growing up on Oahu, Chef Pang recalls making frequent visits to the market with his father and grandmother. He loved walking through the street, past the vendor stalls and picking out the fresh produce, meat and fish for the family’s evening meal. Back in the kitchen, learning the art of cooking, seasoning, plating was equally enchanting.
Flash forward years later and you will still see the excitement, passion, and love come through in each dish. Through his relationships with the island’s farmers, fishermen and ranchers, Chef Pang has found a way to share their stories with visitors and locals alike. In addition to supporting local agriculture, Chef Pang has mentored many rising chefs in his kitchen and through his work with Maui Culinary Academy. He encourages cooking from the heart and telling the story of one’s family, culture and heritage through each dish.
Ko–, the signature restaurant at Fairmont Kea Lani is inspired by the vast collection of ethnicities brought together during Maui’s sugarcane plantation era. Through a masterful combination of the freshest ingredients, recipes that have been shared through generations and Chef Pang’s ability to take the flavors to the next level, Ko– has made its mark as a ‘must visit’ spot for travelers and locals alike. The restaurant has been repeatedly recognized across the island for its unique and exceptional preparations of seafood, beef, lamb and pork, earning the restaurant the distinction of best Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, Restaurant of the Year, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award for Chef Pang.
Some of Chef Pang’s personal Ko– menu favorites include ‘Ahi on the Rock appetizer which features seasoned cubes of shashimi grade ‘ahi with an orange-miso sauce along with a hot ishiyaki stone set to sear the ‘ahi to the individual’s delight. The Ginger Steamed Makai Catch highlights fresh catches by our local fisherman prepared with Chinese sausage, Shiitake mushroom, scallion, cilantro, soy sauce, sizzling oil and a side of jasmine rice. With over 90% of fish, beef and produce sourced locally, the flavors of Ko– are as authentic as they are sustainable.
