Mauna Lani Resort's signature CanoeHouse restaurant is now under the scrupulous design of new chef de cuisine, Dee Ann Tsurumaki. Tsurumaki is happy to return to her beloved Hawaii and has handled the transition of chef duties seamlessly while infusing her own culinary creativity.

"I wanted to return to Hawaii and find a situation where I could demonstrate multiple food styles based on my 35 years in the industry," said Tsurumaki. "The CanoeHouse is a perfect venue for me to highlight Pacific Rim, Euro-Asian, Traditional Asian and American specialties."

Tsurumaki just completed five successful years as head chef at The Peninsula Hotel's signature restaurant, Felix, in Hong Kong. Under her guidance, Felix was voted "Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World" by Restaurant Magazine, UK, four years consecutively from 2002 through 2005. Before that she was an executive chef at Roy's on Maui and in Honolulu, where she started in 1988 as a pantry cook on Yamaguchi's original crew. Tsurumaki began her career at the legendary Hawaiian Regent Hotel in 1971.

Tsurumaki is a real local girl who has dedicated her life equally to both hula and the culinary arts. She has studied traditional hula olapa and modern choreography continuously for 33 years. "Hula helps me understand the importance of cooking as an art form and as a means of creative self expression," says Tsurumaki.

In January 2005, Tsurumaki was invited to St. Moritz, Switzerland to represent Felix at the Survetta House for the 11th annual St. Moritz Gourmet Festival. She was one of 12 guest chefs, and was only the third female chef to be invited to participate in the festival since its inception. The St. Moritz Gourmet Festival is one of four World Gourmet Summit Events.