Papa‘aina at the Pioneer Inn keeps it simple with a nod to history.
February 19, 2021
It seems there’s nothing Lee Anne Wong can’t do. After competing on Bravo’s Top Chef, the New York-born chef moved to O‘ahu, opened award-winning brunch spot
Koko Head Café in Kaimukī, moved to Maui with her new family to head up the restaurant at the historic Best Western Pioneer Inn in Lahaina and, during a pandemic, overhauled the concept entirely. Why? Why not.
You took over the historic Pioneer Inn in Lahaina. What attracted you to the restaurant?
The Pioneer Inn is Maui’s oldest hotel located at Lahaina Harbor in the historic district off Front Street. First of all, it has 120 years of history, which I found intriguing. Honestly, what really did it for me was its outdoor courtyard. I had been looking at several potential restaurant spaces on Maui for quite some time and I kept coming back to the Pioneer Inn; every time I walked into the courtyard, which at th