Awards & Winners

Sam Choy

Date of Birth 27-January-1952
Place of Birth Laie
(Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States of America)
Nationality United States of America
Profession Chef
Sam Choy is a chef, restaurateur, and television personality known as a founding contributor of "Pacific rim cuisine". Choy is an alumnus of the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts program. One of his first jobs as a chef was at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. He would then return to Hawaii, where he eventually opened a chain of restaurants. In 1991, Choy founded the Poke Festival and Recipe Contest. In 2004, Choy was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award America's Classics Award for Sam Choy's Kaloko in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The award recognizes "beloved regional restaurants" that reflect the character of their communities. Choy has appeared in several Food TV programs, including Ready.. Set... Cook! and Iron Chef America. He is good friends with Emeril Lagasse, who has appeared on Choy's TV show Sam Choy's Kitchen on KHNL. Lagasse has also mentioned Choy by name several times in his TV shows; one of those times he was making Poke on his live TV show, and added peanut butter to the Poke - Choy's secret ingredient. Choy has also very recently designed special Hawaiian inspired dishes for American Airlines first class passengers to and from Hawaii.

Awards by Sam Choy

Check all the awards nominated and won by Sam Choy.

2004


James Beard Foundation Award for America's Classics
Honored for : Sam Choy's Kaloko

Nominations 2004 »

Award Nominated Nominated Work
James Beard Foundation Award for America's Classics Sam Choy's Kaloko

1999


Nominations 1999 »

Award Nominated Nominated Work
James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest Sam Choy's Diamond Head Restaurant

1998


Nominations 1998 »

Award Nominated Nominated Work
James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest Sam Choy's Kaloko

1995


Nominations 1995 »

Award Nominated Nominated Work
James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest Sam Choy's Kaloko","Kaspar's Restaurant","A Pacific Café","Rover's","The Ritz-Carlton