Maui’s Homegrown
Chef Zach Sato Honored as 2025 Chef of the Year
by Ariella Nardizzi | photo by Chris Amundson
Chef Zach Sato doesn’t just cook – he serves. His culinary creativity and unshakable humility have helped him build some of Maui’s most beloved restaurants and earned him the 2025 ʻAipono Chef of the Year award – a peer-selected honor that recognizes his aloha, talent and devotion to community.
Sato grew up in Haliʻimaile. As a high school freshman, he spent afternoons surfing and evenings elbow-deep in suds, washing dishes at a local restaurant. Cooking wasn’t the dream – not at first. But after graduation, something clicked. Under the mentorship of the head chef, Sato began to learn the craft. He found joy in the rhythm of the kitchen.
That joy took him to culinary school in San Diego and, not long after, back to Hawaiʻi. At just 23, he opened Oasis on the Beach on Kauaʻi – his first real canvas. “That’s where I came out of my shell and discovered my own style and creativity,” he said. He later joined Merriman’s, honing his technique across islands before returning home.
In the depths of the pandemic, Sato, with wife Katie-Belle Ely, launched Havens – named after their daughter, born 10 months before opening. What began as a meal kit operation out of their home kitchen grew quickly. By December 2020, Havens had become Maui’s original smashburger joint that evolved into Havens Chow Cart food truck in Kahului across from the Costco gas station.
In October 2024, Sato, Katie-Belle and business partner Tavis Mann opened Havens Harborside Fish & Chophouse at Māʻalaea Harbor, tucked beneath the Maui Ocean Center. The airy, upscale space is an homage to Sato’s roots – a showcase of island-caught seafood, charbroiled entrées and ingredient-driven cooking.
“From our kitchen, I look out at the harbor and see the very boats that bring our fish in,” he said. “They just unload and walk it into the dining room of our restaurant across the street.”
But Sato’s honor as Chef of the Year extends beyond the plate.
After the 2023 Maui wildfires, Sato stepped up in a profound way. As a kid, he spent his summers surfing those same Lāhainā beaches where the fire met the ocean. When tragedy struck, he gave back – not from afar, but shoulder to shoulder with his neighbors.
Over five months, Sato helped feed more than 40,000 displaced residents, often preparing 500 meals a day with little more than a single oven. He raised $175,000 to support local farmers and hired staff to keep going. “To be there, boots on the ground… it was the most fulfilling use of my culinary work,” he said. “I wanted to give them happiness and a good meal.”
Whether he’s grilling burgers in Kahului or plating fresh fish in Māʻalaea, Sato brings the same instinct to the work – to feed, to uplift and to care. He’s more than a chef. He’s an ambassador for the island he calls home.
Here’s a list of all ʻApono winners.
