Thomas Wong, CEC, CHE, ‘86 is a professor of culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena where he educates and guides young culinarians through the rigors of the CIA’s Associates of Occupational Studies and Accelerated Culinary Arts programs. Now, with more than 35 years of culinary experience in the luxury hospitality industry, Wong has served in an executive chef capacity for a roster of prestigious establishments: Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawai’i; Hotel Hana in Maui, Hana, Hawai’i; Waialae Country in Honolulu, Hawai’i; and the historic Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu, Hawai’i. While at the Royal Hawaiian, Chef Wong created “Flavors of Hawai’i”, a culinary concept adopted for all Sheraton Hawai’i hotels, emphasizing the use of fresh island products to allow the purity of the food to speak for itself, unhampered by heavy sauces or creams. His philosophy includes a strong commitment to sustainability and he has always endeavored to use local and seasonal produce, fish and meat in his kitchens. Wong has been a guest chef at the highly respected James Beard House, for their Great Hotel Series, a Host and Guest Chef on Television Food Network’s Cooking Across America – Hawaiian Style, as well as guest chef for TVFN shows Talking Food, Dining Around, Pick of the Day and In Food Today. He has also appeared on CNN’s series On the Menu, Wake Up America (America’s Talking Network/CNBC), Weekend TODAY in New York (NBC), and Home and Family (The Family Channel). He proudly shares the limelight, with a prestigious lineup of Hawaiian culinarians, as one of the featured chefs in the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs television series Great Chefs of Hawai’i, and its companion cookbook. (Napa, CA)