Beverly Gannon
Bev Gannon (born c. 1949)[1] is a Hawaiian cuisine chef, restaurateur and author. She is one of the dozen chefs credited with the development of Hawaii regional cuisine in the 1990s.[2][3][4] Her restaurants on Maui include Hali'imaile General Store, Joe's Bar & Grill, and Gannon's.[1] Several of her cookbooks have been published.
Biography
Gannon was born Beverly Shanbaum into a Jewish family in Dallas, Texas.[5] She attended the University of Colorado. Beginning in 1973 she worked in the entertainment business as a road manager for Liza Minnelli and a personal assistant for Joey Heatherton. In 1977 she studied at Le Cordon Bleu in London, then began a catering business in Dallas.[6]
In 1980 she moved to Maui with her then-boyfriend Joe Gannon, a concert tour producer; they married a year later. Bev Gannon resumed her catering business out of her home kitchen in Makawao, in Maui's Upcountry district. In 1987 the Gannons acquired a lease on the Hali'imaile General Store in nearby Haliimaile and moved her business into the large, rundown 1925 building.[6][7] The restaurant they opened there in 1988 was an immediate popular and critical success.[5][8][9]
Gannon later opened two restaurants in Wailea: Joe's in 1995, and Gannon's in 2009. She also provided recipes for the restaurant at the remodeled Hotel Lanaʻi on the island of Lanaʻi.[10][11] From 1999 to 2010 Gannon also served as the executive chef for Hawaiian Airlines.[12][13] In 2015 Joe's adopted a new menu and was renamed Joe's Nuevo Latino, as Gannon announced plans to continue her business with the involvement of new partners;[14] after the new menu proved to be unsuccessful, Joe's closed in August 2015.[15]
References
- "Bev Gannon’s disco-themed birthday bash takes the cake", The Maui News, May 22, 2014. ("Renowned Maui chef and restaurateur Beverly Gannon recently celebrated her 65th birthday . . . ")
- "HRC Chef Profiles" Honolulu, October 2011.
- Erick Engle, "Hawaii's changing flavors: Events mark 20 years of Hawaii Regional Cuisine in hopes of reviving the movement", Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Feb 27, 2011.
- Scott Warner, "12 Chefs Revitalize Hawaii Cuisine By Using Local Produce", Chicago Tribune, June 16, 1994.
- Rob Eshman, "The Soul of Maui", The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, November 6, 2003.
- Tom Yoneyama, "Getting their just desserts: Beverly and Joe Gannon's entree into the restaurant business - the Haliimaile General Store - is the talk of Upcountry Maui." Hawaii Business Magazine, May 1, 1989 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- Curtis Lum,"No slack time for ex-'beach bum'", The Honolulu Advertiser, April 9, 2008.
- Lisa Matte, "Makeover suits General Store", The Boston Herald, February 6, 2003 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- Eric Noland, "Goin' Upcountry: Beyond Maui's Blistering Beaches, Pastoral Charm and Quiet Lifestyle Await", Los Angeles Daily News, October 13, 2002 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- "Hawaii's Hidden Values", Condé Nast Traveler, June 9, 2008.
- Fox, Robert M.; Cheever, David (2014-05-04). "Hotel Lana'i exudes intimate, old-fashioned charm". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- Robert W. Bone, "Hawaiian airlines compete for tastiest gourmet menus", The Boston Globe, February 27, 2000 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- Erika Engle, "Cuisine of Chef Chai to lift off on Hawaiian", Honolulu Star-Advertiser, September 27, 2010 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
- Jen Russo, "Joes’s Bar and Grill will reopen as Joe’s Nuevo Latino", Maui Time Weekly, January 14, 2015.
- Kiaora Bohlool , "Bev Gannon Speaks Out on Why Joe's Closed", Maui Now, August 21, 2015.