Chef Sam Choy

     Sam Choy is a chef, restaurateur, and television personality known as a founding contributor of Pacific Rim Cuisine. Sam was born on January 27th 1952, and raised in Laʻie Oʻahu by his chinese father, Hung Sam Choy and his Hawaiian-German mother Claire Moana Choy. He grew up with 2 sisters and 1 brother. On his free time he used to work at his fathers little shop called "Laʻie Cash and Carry" Many people used to go there for their famous"Pākē cake" otherwise known as tea cookies. He started cooking with his Father at his Mormon Church. He used to help his father cook for the Hukilaus held in Laʻie.

     Sam attended Kahuku High School and was on the Varsity Football team as the Center and Punter for their team. In 1970 his senior year in High School he began dating Carol Greene and later graduated high school that year. In 1971 he went to Columbia Basin College in Washington aspiring for a career in teaching. After a semester, Sam came back home to attend Kapiolani Community College, after he finished college Sam began to work at Turtle Bay as a Short order cook. In 1979 he got a promotion to be a sous-chef.

     In 1980 he got married to Carol after dating for 10 years. Later they had a son named Sam. In 1985 they had another son named Christopher, that was also the year he became a chef at the Kona Hilton which made him have to move his family to Kailua kona on the Big Island. He worked at the Kona hilton for the next five years, and in 1991 opened Sam Choys Diner at the local Bowling alley and Sam Choys on Koloko. They closed down the diner but continued to have the Sam Choys on Koloko. From there he began to get very well known throughout Hawaii and published several cookbooks that are loved and used throughout the state.