Master Sommelier/Consultant
VINO Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, d.k Steak House, Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar
His down-to-earth, completely non-intimidating approach to the enjoyment of wine is as refreshing as it is informative. And that, in a nutshell - or should we say in a wine glass - is why Chuck Furuya is Hawaii's most sought-after wine expert.
Currently a consultant to D.K. Kodama on his three Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar locations and Kodama's newest restaurants, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar (Maui and Honolulu), Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, and d.k Steak House, Furuya has garnered a lengthy list of credits. He has worked at Hawai'i's best fine dining rooms - Bagwell's 2424 in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, La Mer at the Halekulani, and the Wakiki Parc Hotel (Halekulani's sister property). He was cellarmaster at the Kahala Hilton (currently the Kahala Mandarin Oriental).
A noted expert on pairing wines with Pacific Rim cuisine, Furuya created the pairings and wrote the wine introduction for the first Hawai'i Regional Cuisine cookbook, "The New Cuisine of Hawai'i."
He has worked at special events with virtually every celebrity chef in America - Thomas Keller, Nancy Oakes, Marcel Desaulniers, Jean Louis Palladin, Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse, Ming Tsai, Norman van Aken, Mark Militello, Rick Bayless, Bradley Ogden, Douglas Rodriguez, Bobby Flay and Joachim Splichal - as well, of course, as with Hawai'i's own big names like Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong. Furuya continues as consultant to Yamaguchi, a role which includes working on Hawai'i Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi, - a weekly PBS television cooking show broadcast in all 50 states.
He selects the wines for Hawaiian Airlines First Class service. Furuya sees it as an opportunity to showcase high quality, contemporary wines that work well with the Hawai?i Regional Cuisine served.
All the glamour notwithstanding, Furuya will tell you it is educating people about wine that reaps him the greatest reward. "I love finding new wines, especially great values. I love pairing wines with foods. But most of all I love teaching."
He is consistently asked to judge national and international wine events. He trains restaurant staff and presents public tastings throughout the state. As the former Chairman of Education for the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers, he was nationally involved in wine education and certification.
His enthusiasm and passion for wine and food are positively contagious. Those who have had - and will have - the opportunity of working with him, dining with him, learning from him can count themselves lucky, indeed.