Daniel Schmidt, Executive Chef

The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua has appointed Daniel Schmidt as Executive Chef and Shehu Fitzgerald as Banquet Chef to oversee the resort’s six dining venues. Schmidt transfers from The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain Hotel in Marana, Arizona where as executive chef he oversaw all aspects of food preparation for the resort’s six restaurants, club lounge, banquets and in-room dining. He was previously executive sous chef for The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou in Guangzhou, China for two years before being promoted to executive chef.  Chef Schmidt’s accolades include several prestigious culinary awards including first place winner of the Cook Olympics, Chaîne des Rôtisseurs in Berlin and WorldChampionshipinHolland.

Shehu Fitzgerald, Banquet Chef

Shehu Fitzgerald, Banquet Chef

Prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Shehu Fitzgerald was senior sous chef of the New York Marriott Marquis in New York where he managed the main kitchen and banquets. Previously, Fitzgerald served as executive chef of The Phunky Elephant Gastropub in Staten Island, New York and restaurant chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Battery Park in New York. In May 2011, Fitzgerald achieved celebrity chef status after winning the Food Network show “Chopped” in season seven. Fitzgerald has also competed on Food Network’s “Chopped Champs” and ABC’s “The Taste.” Schmidt and Fitzgerald, along with newly-appointed pastry chef Yoshi Kizu, will oversee The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua’s

The Banyan Tree

The Banyan Tree

newly-remodeled signature restaurant, The Banyan Tree, which plays host to numerous local events including monthly tastings benefiting various local Maui charities and a monthly wine dinner. The Banyan Tree offers a notable wine-by-the-glass, courtesy of Coravin, where the servers pour expensive wines without having to pull the cork, preserving the freshness.  Banyan Tree offers a notable wine-by-the-glass list, courtesy of Coravin, where the servers pour  expensive wines without having to pull the cork, preserving the freshness of the wine.

 Beach House RestaurantOther dining venues include Kai Sushi, The Terrace restaurant, Alaloa Lounge, The Beach House, and The Pool Café. The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is a stunning resort offering 463 guestrooms, including 107 residential suites with rich travertine bathrooms, flat-screen LCD televisions and Hawaiian-inspired artwork.  The Ritz-Carlton Spa®, Kapalua has treatment rooms with private garden showers, volcanic stone grottos, steam, sauna and whirlpool therapies, outdoor couple’s cabanas, plus a fitness center  and children’s pool– all enveloped in the 23,000 acre Kapalua Resort, renowned for two championship golf courses, award-winning restaurants and a historic pineapple plantation site.