Lineage is found at The Shops at Wailea in South Maui. In the theme of “Eat, Drink and Talk Story,” this restaurant revolves around family-style dining and foods that are derived from the cultures of Hawaii’s people.

In this podcast Melanie talks about what the past year has been like for Lineage, the challenges restaurants face with 50% capacity limits, how the island labor shortage has affected restaurants, the introduction of the two new Executive Chefs for Lineage….

Most people come here for the Korean fried chicken, but the crispy shrimp and scallop toast, honey garlic shrimp, and garlic Szechuan noodles are standouts too. For drinks, the menu has a solid tea and sake selection, plus inventive cocktails.

Sidney and Minnie Kosasa opened the first ABC Store in 1964 at the corner of Kalakaua Ave and Beachwalk just in time for the tourist boom.

Chef MiJin Kang Toride is the new executive chef of Lineage, taking the reins from Chef Sheldon Simeon of Top Chef. She has cooked at Terra in St. Helena (where she was mentored by Chef Hiro Sone), Morimoto in Napa, Ame at the San Francisco St. Regis, and Ka’ana Kitchen in Maui.

Asian fusion food is at its finest at Lineage. Founded by James Beard nominee chef Sheldon Simeon and now headed by his protege, MiJin Kang Toride, the cuisine of this casual restaurant mixes everything you love about Hawaiian food with traditional Asian eats from around the globe.

In recent years, poke bowls have become more popular across many cities on the United States mainland, but Hawaiians have been enjoying this colorful and flavorful delicacy since the 1800s. Today, there are thousands of restaurants around the world specializing in poke bowls.

With dine-in options limited on Maui, I was especially excited for one of my favorite restaurants to reopen. Lineage, which closed for dine-in in March, is back with a new menu by chef de cuisine MiJin Kang Toride.

Lineage is paradoxically appropriate for the most special occasion or a casual weeknight dinner at the bar. And the cocktail program is off. the. hook.

There are “lots of flavor profiles coming through and it keeps the menu evolving through experimentation . . . showcasing a lot of the different agriculture in Hawaii,” says Mijin.

Award-winning chef Sheldon Simeon is stepping back from his restaurant Lineage, and has placed the Wailea restaurant into the hands of his chef de cuisine MiJin Kang Toride.

The menu at Lineage is representative of the feeling of dining at home alongside extended family. Here, expect to feast on family-style dishes typical of a Hawaiian luau. And, expect to indulge in some of the richest, well-balanced flavours on the island and beyond.