Watch This Maui Chef Take His Cooking to the Next Level Tonight
Maui chef Zach Laidlaw, who lost his home in the Lahaina wildfires six months ago, is competing in Fox’s “Next Level Chef.”
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series about Chef Zach Laidlaw, a West Maui farmer and chef who has greatly impacted his community after losing his home in the Lahaina fires.
Another of Maui’s incredible chefs is getting his moment in the spotlight. That spotlight looks a little different, based on which kitchen he’s working in—the bright, clean lights of the top or middle kitchen or the dim, dreary lights of the basement kitchen.
West Maui’s chef Zach Laidlaw is making his TV (and cooking competition) debut tonight on Fox’s “Next Level Chef.” Which kitchen each chef cooks in each week is typically based on the previous week’s performance, but with a couple of new twists this season, that could always change.
“I went into the auditions thinking I was getting 45 minutes, like the previous two seasons, only to find out that we have just 20 quick minutes to cook. I’ve been out of the kitchen for a little while, so I need 20 minutes just to decide what to do,” Laidlaw told HAWAIʻI Magazine.
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Though it’s been a few years since he’s been in the kitchen—Laidlaw has been creating and operating Hua Momona Farms in Kapalua—he has been working in kitchens since the age of 13. He started out as a dishwasher, then moved on to cooking by 16 before earning degrees in both culinary arts and hospitality restaurant management. With this education and skill set, Laidlaw traveled the world working in cooking and management positions, making a name in places like Chicago, South Beach Miami, the British Virgin Islands and Australia.
He eventually landed in Maui, where he’s been for the past six years, starting out as chef de cuisine at Fleetwood’s on Front Street in Lahaina. In 2017 Laidlaw helped start Hua Momona Farms in Kapalua, eventually leaving kitchen life to focus on the farm. His goal was to learn the hows and whys of growing food and becoming sustainable. He’s since been able to help grow the farm into one of the top microgreen suppliers in the state.
The team at Hua Momona has also played a huge role in Maui’s recovery, providing hot, fine dining meals in a box to Lahaina residents and evacuees. As of Feb. 7, Hua Momona delivered its 30,000th meal, thanks to its team and a variety of volunteers—both kamaʻāina and visitors.
Laidlaw also operates Hua Momona Farms on Maui.
Photo: Courtesy of Zach Laidlaw
On Thursday, Feb. 8, Laidlaw makes his debut during the Next Level Chef Professional Chefs audition episode. (The season premiered with Social Media Chefs and Home Cooks auditioning in the first two episodes).
“Going into the show, I wanted to be on chef Richard Blais’ team because he and I have very similar cooking styles. He does the whole molecular gastronomy thing, which I love, and I’m all about. That’s what inspires me to be a better chef,” Laidlaw said.
Laidlaw joins the ranks of some of Maui’s most beloved chefs who have competed on reality cooking shows, including Sheldon Simeon (Top Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, and others) and Lee Anne Wong (Top Chef, Chopped and others), Madame Donut (Master Chef) and Alvina Savella (Beat Bobby Flay).
See if Laidlaw makes it through the Professional Chefs audition round. Viewers can watch on Fox on Thursdays at 7 p .m. HST or the following day in the Hulu app. For those on Maui, Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is hosting a watch party at the Alaloa Lounge from 7 to 8 p.m. (Get there early to get a seat). The watch party is open to the public, and there will be food and beverage specials throughout the event, as well as live music from Jason Tepora before and after the screening.
