Top of Waikiki / The ascent to Top of Waikiki was for decades a tourists-only excursion. Over the past four years, however, Executive Chef Sean Priester has earned rave reviews for his work at an eatery previously better known for its facade than its food. Priester, possessed of an ambitious vision and revolutionary spirit, isn’t ready to stop there. “The best restaurant in the world,” says Priester with his intoxicating, wide smile. His gentle eyes twinkle. He is dead serious.

A recent conversation began with revolution. Revolution–it’s a word Priester uses a lot–”was born when I took over as Executive Chef here over four years ago. It was an opportunity to take the restaurant in a completely different direction. I saw that we had an incredible space–a lively spot that we really hadn’t taken advantage of. So it was up to me to transport my style of energy to the table, so to speak. And that really was where the revolution started–the upheaval of a paradigm already in place.”

Priester discussed the challenge involved in confronting the complex history of the Top of Waikiki and reshaping people’s beliefs about the restaurant. As a touchstone to that effort, the restaurant was rebranded as “A Revolution in Cuisine.”

“Revolution intervened when I changed the menu in dramatic ways.” Integrity is the key to Priester’s almost “priestly” approach to food and his customer. “When I took over it was really a tourist driven market and I desired to create a restaurant that would also appeal to the locals. So I urged the manager to elevate the food and create a better reputation for ourselves. Right there was the evolution in me establishing my voice in the restaurant. It took a while for my team to endorse what might have seemed a lofty ideal at the time–the fact that there was a higher purpose than servicing the tourist market and getting the plates out on the table.”

Priester’s first step was the integrity of the ingredients. He began to work fervently on developing relationships with local farmers and vendors, relationships that he admits was somewhat slow in the making: “Revolution to me is being successful with every dish I put out and more importantly being honest about why it’s there; and of course there’s the flavor.”

Photo Credit: Leanne Trapedo Sims

Priester has a narrative approach to food, one reminiscent of–yes–Proust’s Madeleine. “Every plate has a story–every creation on the menu is there for a specific reason. And I make sure that my guest knows that–maybe not on their first visit, but definitely on their second.” He recounts a culinary experience that he says gives him chicken skin even today. A visit to Spain was a transformative journey for Priester, particularly the plebian, everyday encounters he had in the streets. A fruit vendor slaps his wrists for fondling the fruit. His effort to navigate unfamiliar streets with the bus driver or the locals. Riding the subway. Encounters of the every-day-kine.

So back to that chicken skin moment. On the train to Toulouse, Priester sat eating a hybrid fruit–something between an apple and a pear–with a Serrano ham and some soft Spanish cheese. He says that food, and the sharing of it with his wife, was the best meal of his life, and he has worked ever since to incorporate that indelible memory into his tapas offering. Not right away–he wasn’t ready yet–but later, as a way to capture the experience and have it linger in the palates of his guests. “In the latest menu change, the tapas revealed itself. The crostini came right from the market where I got my hand slapped.”

This particular idea of memory-as-food attests to the playful temperament of the chef. He is a thinker, a writer of poetry and a wonderer ala Walter Benjamin, and he is aiming for the stars.

“I have always used local products but I am taking it to the next level. In the past six months, I have been committed to implementing a menu that pays tribute to the local–both in terms of elevating the ingredient and in giving back to the community. I take that old style of cooking and place a unique spin on it.” Priester’s signature Indo-Latino Soul Shrimp and Grits creation is a fusion of seared ancho cardamom-rubbed Mexican white shrimp, caramelized plantains, lemongrass infused curry gravy and grits with escabeche vegetables and basil oil: “You can’t find a shrimp and grits dish anywhere else on the island. I wanted to expose the public to a taste that you won’t find on many menus and pay my respects to the Asian Pacific cuisine that has informed me for the past 18 years. The “soul” signifies my personal background in Atlanta, the plantains are a reminder of my wife’s Cuban family and the escabeche points to my love of music, particularly jazz. I love the counterpoints–the low and high notes–and this ingredient brings a punch to my dish.”

These kinds of stories are embedded in every one of Priester’s creations. “My goal is to be in the moment,” he says. “Personally, I want to be available to influence the way we perform as a restaurant and a kitchen. And, there is this space opening in the building, which we could potentially turn into a lounge with some stellar kitchen to table small plates and some great music, Brazilian bossa nova or some good ‘70 rock. A place for people to be comfortable.”

Top of Waikiki

2270 Kalakaua Ave., 18th floor 923-3877 Hours: daily, 5–9:30pm Payment accepted: AmEx, DC, Disc, JCB, MC, V