Michelle Karr, Pastry Chef

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii Michelle graduated from Punahou School in 1993 and began her college career at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. A year later, she returned to Hawaii and entered the University of Hawai’i’s School of Travel Industry Management. While juggling a full-time class schedule and a part-time job at Planet Hollywood, she also managed to become a member of the Rainbow Wahine Golf Team and played competitive golf for a year at the Division I level. 

Michelle knew from the beginning, that she had always possessed a passion for cooking and for the restaurant and hospitality industry. It was at Planet Hollywood, as a server, where she launched her career in food and beverage.  Stepping stones to follow: an externship at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel, now known as the Kahala Hotel, the Westin Maui, and an externship at Alan Wong's Restaurant in 1997. 

Michelle started with Alan Wong’s washing dishes and rolling truffles. She was diligent and worked her way up to line cook. Being a chef was finally in sight, and in pursuing her dreams, she left Hawaii to further her training and experience by attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. While abroad, she was able to extern at one of the best restaurants in America, The French Laundry by Chef Thomas Keller in Napa Valley. Upon graduation from the Culinary Institute in 2000, she returned to Hawaii, rejoined the Alan Wong’s Team, and is currently our Pastry Chef at Alan Wong’s Restaurant on King Street.