Every fall, the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival brings together chefs, winemakers, mixologists, and food lovers from Hawaii and beyond. Among the 2025 Oahu events, Slanted & Phan-tastic: A Celebration of Charles Phan at ʻAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach was one of the evenings I had been especially looking forward to. The event paid tribute to the late Charles Phan, the chef and restaurateur behind San Francisco’s The Slanted Door, whose modern interpretation of Vietnamese cuisine left a lasting mark on the American dining scene.
The Chef Lineup
Even before the event, the chef lineup made it clear that this would be a special gathering. Once I arrived, it was fun to recognize many of the names I had seen beforehand and then find them working at their stations throughout the venue. Rather than simply reading a list of well-known chefs, you could walk from table to table, see them in person, and taste what each had prepared for the evening.
Masaharu Morimoto was one of the most recognizable faces in the crowd. I had seen his name in the advance lineup, but spotting him at the event was still a highlight. With so many familiar chefs gathered in one place, the evening had the relaxed feeling of a reunion as much as a food festival.
Andrew Le of Honolulu’s The Pig & The Lady was also there. His presence felt especially fitting. Known for his contemporary approach to Vietnamese cuisine, Le has his own connection to Charles Phan and had previously collaborated with him at the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. Seeing him take part in this tribute added a distinctly local connection to an evening centered on Phan’s influence and legacy.
At the Stations
At The Slanted Door station, Dong Choi served Abalone Claypot Rice with lap cheong and shiitake mushrooms. This was one of the stations that most directly connected the evening back to Charles Phan. Seeing The Slanted Door name on the sign and tasting a dish prepared by the restaurant’s chef made the purpose of the event feel particularly tangible.
Another memorable stop was Mourad Lahlou of Aziza in San Francisco, where Cured Nairagi was being served with passion fruit, pickled mushrooms, and Waialua Growers dill. Jordan Swiler of ʻAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach was also among the participating chefs, presenting Grilled Venison Sausage. Moving through the event, I found myself paying almost as much attention to the small signs at each station as to the food itself; where the chef had come from, the restaurant they represented, and what they had chosen to prepare for this particular night.
The Bars Between
The drinks were very much part of the experience as well. Between the chef stations were bars featuring visiting mixologists. Atsushi Suzuki of Tokyo’s The Bellwood served Matcha & Tonic and Tokyo Highball, while Jillian Vose presented Pay Per View and Spark Plug. A bite from one chef, followed by a cocktail or a glass of wine before moving on to the next station, gave the evening an easy rhythm.
There were familiar Hawaii faces in the crowd, too. Hawaii Food & Wine Festival co-founders Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong were there, moving around the event, greeting chefs, and taking in the evening. Seeing them among the guests and participants was a reminder of how closely the festival remains connected to the chefs who helped build Hawaii’s modern culinary identity.
Why the Tribute Worked
What stayed with me most was not simply the chance to see several well-known chefs in one place. It was the way each station offered a slightly different connection to Charles Phan. No one was trying to reproduce the same style of Vietnamese food. Some dishes carried recognizable Vietnamese flavors and ingredients, while others reflected the individual chef’s own cooking and background.
That made the title Slanted & Phan-tastic feel more appropriate as the evening went on. This was not meant to be a retrospective in the formal sense. It felt more personal: chefs from different cities gathering in Waikiki and remembering a fellow chef through food, drinks, conversation, and the relationships built over many years.
By the end of the night, the food and cocktails were certainly memorable, but so was the sense of connection behind them. For one evening at ʻAlohilani, Charles Phan’s influence could be seen not only in The Slanted Door, but in the chefs and friends who came together to celebrate him.
