Before joining The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, Alvin Savella, who was born and raised on Maui, spent a decade in Los Angeles, where he sharpened his culinary expertise at The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey, as well as companies such as Bon Appetit and Along Came Mary Productions. His culinary credentials include earning an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts Degree and a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Management Degree from The Art Institute of California in Santa Monica.

KAANAPALI – Pulehu, an Italian Grill, the award-winning Italian restaurant at The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, last week announced Maui’s own Alvin Savella as its chef de cuisine.

In his new position, Savella will oversee Pulehu’s menu design and culinary concept development while maintaining the highest levels of quality to continue the restaurant’s prestigious history of awards and accolades, the resort reported.

He will also lead, train and develop the restaurant’s culinary team to maximize their potential.

“Chef Alvin has been a great leader on our culinary team since he joined us in 2012,” said Brandon Maeda, food and beverage director at The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas.

“The passion and local flavor he brings to the kitchen is truly inspiring, making him the ideal choice for our new chef de cuisine at Pulehu.”

Prior to this role, Savella served as sous chef at the resort’s Ocean Pool Bar & Grill. In this position, he supported daily culinary operations, training and supervising kitchen associates, and monitoring food safety and quality. He also worked closely with local vendors to source farm fresh ingredients for Ocean Pool Bar & Grill’s new weekly series, “Farm to Fork Fridays.”

For more information, visit pulehurestaurantmaui.com or call 667-3254.