When he’s cooking for groups, Prince Waikiki’s award-winning Executive Chef Jeremy Shigekane is passionate about making sure that just as much thought goes into the preparation of plant-based dishes as the ones that are centered on meat or fish. So, for example, if Shigekane is preparing a catch of the day that comes with a chickpea and tomato fondue, he can replicate the dish in a vegetarian format, substituting a tender heart of palm for the fish.
“If you and I order the same dish, but one of us is vegetarian, it should still look the same, minus the protein,” Shigekane says. He accomplishes this by designing recipes with vegetarian ingredients at the forefront—like a beet and fennel compote or a miso-eggplant puree—making it easy to customize the dishes for groups with different dietary preferences and restrictions.
This kind of thoughtful menu planning is just one of the many ways that Prince Waikiki, Oahu’s upscale oceanfront resort, is prioritizing sustainability and hospitality at its meetings and events. The efforts also include numerous partnerships with Hawaiian farms, zero-waste culinary initiatives and a partnership with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a local nonprofit that cares for the ecosystem with beach cleanups.
Fresh vegetables from Hawaiian farms that are highlighted on the menu get guests excited about eating local. And, when there’s imaginative vegetable-forward dishes on the menu like the ones prepared by Shigekane, diners naturally gravitate towards them.
The customization is on par with changing culinary preferences. Last year, Gallup findings showed that about 4% of Americans are vegetarians and 1% are vegan. But a growing number of people consider themselves “flexitarians,”—they’re consciously eating more plant-based meals. In fact, a survey from Sprouts Farmers Market found that 54 percent of respondents aged 24 to 39 have flexitarian diets.
Ahead, discover more ways in which sustainability is a focal point at Prince Waikiki’s restaurants and bars, and prioritized at meetings and events.
Thriving Partnerships with Local Farms
Prince Waikiki understands its role in sustainable tourism. The hotel is a past winner of the Hawaii Green Business Award, which recognized the hotel for its commitment to sustainability, conservation and clean energy.
As part of this commitment, Prince Waikiki is all about fostering local partnerships, many of which are with small farms that are less than an acre in size. When you look at the 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar’s menu, you’ll notice a curated list of the various Hawaiian farms and purveyors the culinary team works with, from Kualoa Ranch to Ho Farms, Laie Vanilla Co. and Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate.
The property also has a long-standing partnership with Sumida Watercress, says Shigekane. The local family business has grown watercress for nearly a century on the Kalauao Springs’ land on Oahu, and the natural spring provides pure water that gives the plant a fresh, bright, and bitter flavor, he says.
“We take partnerships very seriously,” Shigekane says. “It goes beyond just working together—it’s for the love of the island, too.”
For a good sampling of Hawiian farms’ bounty, guests can try something like the Garden Vegetable Melange, which features veggies from a handful of local farms and is served with a pomegranate and lilikoi vinaigrette.
In addition to sourcing from local farms, Prince Waikiki’s food and beverage team harvests greens and citrus from the hotel’s rooftop urban aquaponics garden. The closed-loop agricultural system yields crisp lettuces, herbs, and more and support of the hotel’s overarching mission to use local and high-quality ingredients wherever possible.
In tandem with its sustainability efforts, Prince Waikiki is also elevating its group meetings and events with creative breakout sessions that can also strike up partnerships with local businesses—whether that’s a fresh juice bar, breathwork led by an elder, or yoga with ocean views.
Creative Zero Waste Initiatives
Prince Waikiki’s culinary concepts also divert food waste by donating to Aloha Harvest, which is the largest food rescue and redistribution organization in Hawaii.
The group collects high-quality excess food and then donates it to homeless shelters, social services, and food pantries instead of letting it go to waste in landfills.
“I don’t like to waste food,” Shigekane says. “Someone has taken the time to grow it, and there’s a lot of labor that goes into that.”
Sustainability efforts are thread into the bar programs at 100 Sails and Hinana Bar, with mixologist Deon Togami’s innovative approach to cocktails.
Togami sources local herbs and microflowers (some from Prince Waikiki’s own garden) to craft beautiful cocktails and the partnerships with Hawiian purveyors carries through to the bar. The Mai Tai, for instance, uses Koloa Rum for Kauai, and incorporates local pineapple juice, vanilla and macadamia nut orgeat.
In an effort to reduce fruit waste behind the bar, Togami has also started doing things like preserving oranges in sugar to create a mixer for citrus cocktails rather than just using the orange peels for drinks like an Old Fashioned.
“It expands your creativity,” Togami says.
We think that deserves a cheers!