Chef Mavro celebrates its 20th anniversary by keeping with its fresh approach

For some, dining has become a sport that’s all about discovering the fresh and the new. And with what seems like a never-ending flurry of restaurant openings (and closings), and new food trucks arriving here and there, there’s always something novel to turn foodies’ heads.

The irony is, since it opened its doors in 1998, one restaurant has kept things fresh as a practice. Chef Mavro, owned and operated by James Beard Award-winning chef George Mavrothalassitis, has offered new menus every season for each of its 20 years. Discovery is built into the restaurant experience.

“We change our recipes all the time, but we don’t change our style. You always find in our menus Keahole lobster, ahi, onaga, wagyu, etc. But the recipes feature ingredients from each season. We have 60 different recipes with Keahole lobster,” said Mavrothalassitis, who defines his style as contemporary regional cuisine showcasing the unique bounty of Hawaii influenced by his native Provence, France.

Consider Chef Mavro’s current spring menu, which includes Keahole lobster prepared with a soursop emulsion and served alongside kale, shaved mochi-crusted fried okra (yes, the mochi is shaved!), a sliver of watermelon radish and soursop. It’s one of nine courses, not including desserts, on the grand tasting menu.

The restaurant also offers a four-course set menu and a five-course menu with choice of dishes.

Mavrothalassitis said his meals are created using the “freshest, finest ingredients available, with no expense spared. Everything is always the best.”

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years, since I came to Hawaii in 1988,” he said. “Working like that for 30 years, I’m crazy for freshness. I’ll call a farmer and order 2 pounds of zucchini, and they’ll say, ‘Are you kidding?’ It’s true, but I’ll use it all, and tomorrow I’ll order some more.”

Because the chef puts such a premium on freshness — Mavrothalassitis is one of the 12 chefs who founded the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement — most of what he cooks is sourced locally. But while Keahole lobster is available year-round (and is a mainstay at the restaurant), foraged chanterelle mushrooms from Oregon and British Columbia, currently featured in a risotto, have a short season and must be enjoyed while the chef has them in hand.

Aside from the logistical reasons for a seasonal menu, Mavrothalassitis thrives on creativity, only repeating dishes to accommodate requests from longtime customers.

“There are two ways to work in a kitchen,” he explained. “You can do classic Continental cuisine and execute a recipe perfectly every time. But this approach doesn’t take into consideration seasons and freshness. When you work with seasonal ingredients, you must be creative.”

While Chef Mavro thrives on menu change, other changes have been more challenging.

“When I talk about the restaurant business, I talk about before 2008 versus after 2008,” said Mavrothalassitis. “Before 2008, I was always sold out. Afterward, people had to watch their money. After 20 years, we’re still alive and profitable, but we’re not sold out two weeks in advance anymore.”

Yet amid the new economic realities, foodie culture has continued to grow, and each year an ever larger crop of new restaurants enters the ring. Mavrothalassitis believes competition is good, but he said last year he began to wonder, how many restaurants are too many?

Amid the increased, albeit volatile, competition, here’s what the chef wants local folks to know: “We’re approachable, and for the kind of food we do, we’re not that expensive.”

Mind you, Mavrothalassitis sources the finest seasonal ingredients he can get his hands on, which means they aren’t always Hawaii-produced. While 80 percent are local, others are shipped from all parts of the world: Perigord truffles from France; Elysian Fields lamb from Pennsylvania. These items are not inexpensive. Nonetheless, he points out that a meal at Chef Mavro can be less pricey than one at a fine sushi restaurant, where people can easily dole out hundreds of dollars.

“People have the impression that because of my background at the Halekulani and the Four Seasons, we’re pricey. In one way, I’m very proud of that,” Mavrothalassitis said. He served as executive chef at the Halekulani in 1989 and did a stint at the Four Seasons Maui in the mid-’90s. “In another way, my reputation is that Chef Mavro is crazy expensive. But the message I need to give is that we’re very approachable.”

Last year, to expand his audience, Chef Mavro stepped out of the box of exclusively prix-fixe meals to offering small plates. The sole prix-fixe item was the grand tasting menu. And the change did draw more casual diners, he said.

“We try to follow what people want — I’m talking about local people. We need local customers or we can’t exist,” he said.

But by May, Mavrothalassitis decided to give up the small plates. With his reputation as a fine-dining restaurant, customers didn’t expect a small-plate menu, he said. And they wanted options beyond just the grand-tasting menu.

“Let’s face it, we’re a fine-dining, five-diamond restaurant. We’re not a small-plate restaurant,” said Mavrothalassitis.

“Now we’re back to prix-fixe menus with choices, and I have no regrets. I want to celebrate this with local people. I’m here because of them.”

This led to the four-course menu ($98), a meal that reflects the Chef Mavro style while keeping it “approachable” for the pocketbook. The five-course meal with choices is $118, and the grand tasting, $185.

Mavrothalassitis said owning and running Chef Mavro hasn’t made him a rich man. But he’s acquired a different kind of wealth.

With the talents of executive chef Jeremy Shigekane and pastry chef Joselito Calpito to contribute to the creative output, plus a staff of enthusiastic cooks, and partnerships with ranchers and farmers, Mavrothalassitis has plenty to keep him inspired. All are passionate about what they do.

And as for himself: “I’m freestanding and independent. I have no partner or investor — this is my house. This is why I’m free to do exactly what I love. I always say freedom has no price. I’m so happy, and life is beautiful.”