Huliau Food & Film Festival

Savella was exposed to the art of cooking at young age through family and his passion for food and implementing Hawaiian culture into the experience only grew. He received his Associates of Science in Culinary Arts and Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management from The Art Institute of California, Los Angeles. After college, he worked in the kitchens of Bon Appetit, Paramount Studios and the Riviera Country Club. Next, came 10 years at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey. Most recently Savella served as the restaurant chef for The Banyan Tree at Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua and chef de cuisine of Pulehu, an Italian Grill at the Westin Ka’anapali. Savella is also a brand ambassador for True Cooks, a product line offering chefs’ kitchenware and clothing.

Since his time on Maui, Gary has worked in the award-winning kitchens of Capsiche, Kaʻana Kitchen and Joe’s Nuevo Latino and has built lasting relationships with Maui’s local farmers, fisherman, and ranchers. In 2015, Gary joined the newly opened farm to table restaurant Hāna Ranch Provisions as Head Chef. At Provisions, Gary’s cooking was featured in over 40 publications in one year, including Vogue, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Food Network, HAWAIʻI Magazine and many more. In 2016, Provisions won an ʻIlima award for Best New Restaurant on a Neighboring Island and was listed as a Best New Restaurant by Hawaii.com.

In June 2018, Gary left Hāna Ranch as the Executive Chef and Director of Hospitality to craft his own food business, Sea Salt Maui. This Locavore Mobile Deli concept matches Gary’s penchant for local organically grown produce, and thoughtfully sourced meat and seafood. When not in the kitchen, Gary enjoys spending time with this wife Audra, and their daughter Isley, lounging at the beach, or playing basketball.

In 2011 Bancaco was honored as the only chef in Travel Age West’s, “Future Faces of Hawaii Tourism” and “Top Young Chefs to Watch” by Hawaii Hospitality. As an active player in supporting Maui’s farms and farmers, Bancaco displays a perfectly balanced menu of locally sourced components at the chic Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort.

He now flaunts using 85% from the islands top growers, ranchers and fishermen. After securing his first cooking position at the acclaimed Blue Ginger under Ming Tsai, Bancaco competed as Tsai’s sous chef on “Iron Chef America” defeating Bobby Flay in “Kitchen Stadium,” his first defeat on home soil. Born and raised on Maui, Bancaco possesses deep rooted pride in Hawaiʻi’s locally grown and produced goods giving diners a paralleled sense of place and a taste of his island home.

Maui is where he landed the Chef de Cuisine position at Fleetwood’s on Front St. for two years. Just recently he took a step out of the busy kitchen life and started farming at Hua Momona Farms. He wanted to further educate himself with local agriculture, understanding the why’s and how’s of growing and maintaining self-sustainability. Zach supports our local farmers and is helping Maui become more self-sustainable one step at a time.

Now as owner and operator of Pono Pies, John creates delicious sugar, gluten, dairy and GMO-free raw desserts out of as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. His pies are not only delicious but also represent his contribution to eating in a more pono (righteous) way that is both healthy and sustainable.

Carol worked with her sister to open and operate, a ‘great neighborhood haunt’, Deleece Restaurant for 10 years before opening her own. She opened Sola 
Restaurant in 2006, using Hawaiian flavors and traditions with midwestern sensibility, expressing her love of the Hawaiian islands.

She embraced the farm to table movement in Chicago and involved herself with the Green City Market bringing the bounty of the midwest to the city for the top chefs to use in their restaurants.

Carol and Sola received many awards and accolades. Sola was chosen one of Chicago’s best new restaurants 2007. She was chosen as one of Chicago’s best chefs 2009, named one of Chicago’s Culinary queens, national restaurant association / Food Arts chef BBQ winner 2008, 2009 and winner at South Beach Food and wine Festival-Rachael Ray’s burger bash, 2009, the Best of the Best at South Beach Food and Wine Festival, 2011, and 3 consecutive years being invited to cook at the James Beard Foundation.

Now retired, she devotes her time to creating ice cream flavors (a passion she discovered at Sola), making cookies, an occasional catering job, entertaining at home, enjoying beach life or skiing in the winter and raising her pup, Edie.