FORC:  Farmer Owner Rancher Cook

With the opening of FORC - a clever acronym for Farmer Owner Rancher Cook – award winning Chef Allen Hess once again gives a nod to Hawaii Regional flavors while expanding on local land and sea offerings to develop a menu and dining experience that is both distinctive and creative. 

FORC is Chef Hess’ most recent in a string of successful restaurants across Hawaii Island.  It features his flare on a traditional country kitchen eating house with dishes that pay tribute to classic local favorites along with an evolving dinner menu that provides returning guests a new culinary experience each season. 

Chef Hess is a favorite chef, among chefs.  He possesses a grounded, innovative spirit with a passion for his family and the aina (land) that he calls home.  He is modernizing Hawaii Regional cuisine but preserving its local-source, farm-to-table practices for the future.  For Chef Hess, Hawai’i Regional cuisine is about dining close to the land, experiencing the real Hawaii - its seasonal tastes and textures. And sometimes it means getting out of the kitchen. He visits farms and ranches, hunts and fishes, builds friendships and immerses guests.

A seasoned hands-on ambassador, Chef Hess took Food Network star Tyler Florence on his first boar hunt. Top Chef Season 6 Winner Michael Voltaggio suited up for tako (octopus) diving with Chef Hess.  And on another occasion, Chef Hess invited half a dozen celebrity chefs including Chef Aaron Sanchez and the Bromberg Brothers (Blue Ribbon Restaurants) on a precarious journey down into a remote Hawaii Island valley – an adventure that was documented in the Huffington Post.  

Chef Hess was recognized by American Culinary Foundation, Kona-Kohala Chapter in 2018 for ongoing efforts to perpetuate Hawai’i’s local food culture.  He was peer nominated and accepted to Best Chef’s America in 2017, invited to participate in the James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef’s Tour in 2014, and was a Hawaii delegate to the Slow Food Conference in Torino, Italy in 2010.

FORC is located at 65-1214 Lindsey Road, Kamuela.

www.forchawaii.com