Born and raised in Kohala on the Big Island of Hawai'i, growing up on his family's owned and operated sprout farm, Chef Rio learned the importance of sustainable farming and cooking with local fresh ingredients at an early age. After attending the New England Culinary Institute, Chef Rio spent time traveling and learning worldly culinary skills from St. Thomas to San Francisco.

Upon returning to the Big Island in 2003, Rio opened, co-owned, and operated the well-renowned Sushi Rock in Hawi for over seven years where he gained a reputation as one of the Big Island’s best sushi chefs. From there, he founded his private chef services, dedicating the next four years to servicing luxury homes along the Kohala Gold Coast. In 2015, he was offered a chef position at the well-renowned Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Quickly progressing as an operational leader and culinary creative, Chef Rio was promoted to the position of Executive Chef, overseeing the entire resort's culinary operations.

Amid the 2020 pandemic, Chef Rio returned to his roots and continued to private cheffing full-time. Now reunited with his true calling, Chef Rio has established himself again for creating memorable dining experiences in the homes of 'Ohana.

For me, cooking is...

Life. Preparing and eating food is the lifeblood of good living.

I learned to cook at...

Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg, California, and Spoon in San Francisco were the two restaurants responsible for my foundational culinary growth

A cooking secret...

Treating every ingredient with care and respect like they're your ohana (family)

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Chef Rio's reviews

4.92

•

13 services

Feeling conflicted to write a gleaming review for Chef Rio because the downside is that he is only one person and the more he gets booked, the less access I may have to him in the future. With that being said, this man deserves every bit of success he gets. An absolute professional but also flexible and adaptive to the situation. I hope for opportunities to work with him again in the future.

Chef Rio is a master at his craft. Meal was amazing and experience exceeded our expectations. We would do this again on our next trip. Thanks so much.

We all raved about Chef Rio, we all delighted in foods that we had not eaten before, like a green sweet potatoe, and a Carmelized radish. The word amazing was said and least 20x’s.

Chef Rio was superb. 3 beautiful courses (the Pokeviche was insane), all presented perfectly, and with great service throughout. Made our last night on the island super special. Would highly recommend ????