UH Maui College students cook, serve at No. 1 restaurant in Hawai‘i

VIDEO NEWS RELEASE

Student Everett Prieto works with UH Maui College Chef Instructor Tom Lelli.

UH Maui College student Spencer Refanan serving in the Leis Family Class Act Restaurant.

The restaurant is located on the second floor of the Pāʻina Building at UH Maui College.

Culinary students also learn about wines in this class.

VIDEO AND SOUND (details below): https://bit.ly/2VrGeSx

WHAT: The University of Hawai‘i Maui College’s Leis Family Class Act Restaurant is the No. 1 restaurant in the state according to online restaurant reservation provider OpenTable.

WHO: All the cooking and all the service at the restaurant is handled by UH Maui College Culinary Arts Program students under the supervision of Chef Instructor Tom Lelli and Dining Room Instructor Mark Malone.

HOW: The ratings are based on 400,000 new diner reviews posted on the huge online reservations hub. The Leis Family Class Act rating is 4.9 out of five stars based on 390 posted reviews.

WHERE: The restaurant is located on the second floor of the Pāʻina Building at UH Maui College.

OTHER FACTS:

• In 2006, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents voted to accept UH Maui College’s largest gift ever ($1 million from Dorvin and Betty Leis to advance sustainability initiatives at the campus) and approved renaming the school’s fine dining facility the “Leis Family Class Act Restaurant.”

• OpenTable also rated the Leis Family Class Act Restaurant the following for the State of Hawaiʻi:

  • Best Food (#2)

  • Best Value (#1)

  • Notable Diners Choice “Great for Lunch” (#1)

• The Leis Family Class Act Restaurant offers a 3-course prix fixe menu with an a la carte dessert on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Reservations are available through OpenTable.com.

VIDEO:

BROLL: 1:36

18 shots, Students and staff cooking and serving in UH Maui College's Leis Family Class Act Restaurant.

 SOUND:

Teresa Shurilla, UH Maui College Culinary Arts Program Director (:10)

“We all started shouting about it because it’s huge for our school to be voted number one against all the amazing restaurants that we have here in Hawai‘i.”

Mikel Espinosa Reyes, UH Maui College culinary student (:10)

“So I want to own my own restaurant so that’s why a class like this is super exciting because I’m getting the experience in the front of the house and the back of the house as well.”

Mark Malone, UH Maui College Dining Room Instructor (:10)

“And for us to be able to be recognized and to receive an award from that, with that caliber in that category, it’s amazing when each 8 weeks you have brand new students.”