Chef Biography
Tod Kawachi received his culinary degree from the Seattle Community College in Seattle, Washington and apprenticed as a line cook at Domaine Chandon, in Yountville, California. He moved to the Los Angeles area, working his way up the kitchen ladder from sous chef at the Checkers Hotel, to tournant/sous chef at the Hotel Bel-Air and finally executive sous chef at the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel.
In 1994 he moved to Hawaii to be executive chef for Roy’s Kahana Bar & Grill in Maui. Later that year, the Great Chefs television team showed up at Roy’s to tape Chef Kawachi for their Great Chefs of Hawaii television series for the Discovery Channel.
He later moved back to Napa where he started as executive chef for Brix, the Saketini Asian Diner, Eagle Vines Golf Club, and River City Bar & Grill, all in Napa. He then went on as winery chef for Franciscan Estates-Constellation Wines, before becoming an Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts at the CIA in Greystone, where he remains today in 2016.
Recipes
Nori-seared Ahi with Citrus-Garlic Miso Sauce and Shiitake “Chopsticks”
Serving: 4 Print Nori-seared Ahi with Citrus-Garlic Miso Sauce and Shiitake “Chopsticks” By Great Chefs September 24, 2015 This tasty appetizer is worth the effort: fans of seared ahi are surrounded by splashes of four sauces and criss-crossed with mushroom-filled “chopsticks.” Ginger, mustard, spicy-hot shichimi, and other Asian flavors accent the tuna. The “chopsticks” could […]
Macadamia Nut-crusted Hawaiian Shutome and Vegetable Lumpia with Black Bean and Orange Shrimp Butter Sauces
Serving: 4 Print Macadamia Nut-crusted Hawaiian Shutome and Vegetable Lumpia with Black Bean and Orange Shrimp Butter Sauces By Great Chefs September 22, 2015 Crisp macadamia-crusted shutome (swordfish) fillets are served with beautiful vegetable lumpia and shiitake mushrooms. The companion sauces, a traditional black bean sauce and orange-shrimp butter, enhance the fresh sea flavor of […]