Jayson Asuncion (Executive Chef, Royal Lahaina Resort)

Jason Evans of SilverShark Media speaks to Jayson Asuncion, Executive Chef at the Royal Lahaina Resort.  In this podcast Jayson talks about his first culinary influences while growing up in Lahaina, moving to the west coast for culinary school and his first jobs in the industry, when he realized this was the career path he wanted to pursue, working for both independent restaurants and resort properties, what led to his move back to Maui, how he's seen the food scene evolve on Maui over the past few decades, the inspiration behind opening a food truck, the importance of communication in the industry, joining the team at Royal Lahaina Resort in 2019, what went into the menu design at the Lahaina Noon restaurant at the Royal Lahaina Resort, the inspiration behind the name Lahaina Noon, items on the menu that a first time diner should try, the expanded options at the nearby Pineapple Moon poolside bar, the importance of sourcing local ingredients, how the kitchen has implemented an energy efficient ventilation system, the upcoming Hawaii Food & Wine Festival event that will be hosted at the Royal Lahaina Resort on October 26th, and his advice for younger chefs looking to work their way up in the culinary industry.