Perfectly Paired at Orchids: A Taste of Imperial Guest Chef Collaboration
An exciting culinary collaboration promising to be the highlight of the season. Halekulani’s Executive Chef Christian Testa teams up with Imperial Hotel Tokyo’s Executive Chef Yu Sugimoto to craft a unique dining experience at Orchids. Indulge in a meticulously designed five course tasting menu created by the two chefs, each bringing their signature styles and influences to create a fusion of tastes. This menu will be available starting May 30th through the entire month of June.
For more information about the Tasting Menu or to reserve a table at Orchids, call (808) 923-2311 for Reservations.
About Yu Sugimoto
The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo’s Executive Chef Yu Sugimoto is one of the youngest Executive Chefs in the 134-year history of the hotel. He oversees all the hotel’s outlets including Parkside Dinner, Imperial Biking, and all of the catered hotel events.
He started his career with Imperial Hotel, Ltd. in 1999. In 2004, he left Japan for France and the UK to study French culinary and worked with famed culinary greats such as Alain Ducaase and Yannick Alleno. He worked as the head chef at Michelin-star restaurants such as Restaurant L’Esperance in Burgundy and The Square Restaurant in London before rejoining The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo in 2017. He was promoted to the Executive Chef in 2019.
Chef Sugimoto inherits the tradition of the hotel’s 134-year-old French cuisine with his global experience and is working on the hotel’s stainability progress through French cuisine.
About Christian Testa
Executive Chef Christian Testa brings a creative eye and a passion for the finest ingredients to Halekulani’s dining venues including Orchids, House Without A Key, Lewers Lounge, Halekulani Bakery, In-Room dining and our catered events where guests savor award-winning cuisine and gracious service.
Born and raised in Genoa, Italy, his love of cooking started at a young age. Spending time in the kitchen with his grandmother, Chef Testa learned to make clean, healthy meals with the best ingredients – exquisite seafood, fresh produce, and an abundance of herbs infused into every dish.
His training at internationally acclaimed hotel kitchens such as the Splendido Hotel in Portofino and La Coquille in Bermuda has allowed him to harvest techniques to create elegantly simple and flavorful dishes using the finest locally-sourced ingredients. Chef Testa still handmakes his pastas daily and incorporates delicacies like lobster and truffles to produce the most decadent courses.