Reopening in October 2025, Kō Restaurant at the Fairmont Kea Lani begins a new, exciting chapter. As the resort’s signature dining spot, Kō has long celebrated Hawai‘i’s plantation history, a legacy started by the late Chef Tylun Pang. His vision united the diverse flavors and cultures of the islands, creating dishes that told Hawai‘i’s story through food. Now, Executive Chef Matt Dela Cruz, a native of Waimea — a small plantation town on Kaua‘i— leads Kō into its next stage. A third-generation child of the plantations with Hawaiian, Japanese, and Filipino roots, Chef Dela Cruz brings a profound respect for the restaurant’s heritage and a fresh, personal perspective. With decades of experience working in kitchens across Hawai‘i, he offers his own take on “elevated comfort,” combining refined techniques with familiar flavors of local home cooking. The result is dishes that blend nostalgia with innovation. Throughout all these changes, the restaurant remains dedicated to partnering with Maui’s farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food producers, offering guests a genuine taste of place through dishes that layer authenticity, memory, and aloha spirit. 

Kō Restaurant; Open for dinner nightly from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 4100 Wailea Alanui Drive, Kīhei; (808) 875-2210; korestaurant.com.