Celebration of Life for Mark Ellman set for Sunday

Mark and Judy Ellman opened Frida’s Mexican Beach House — the 18th restaurant the couple built in Hawaii — in 2015. PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.GREATCHEFS.COM.
LAHAINA — The family and many friends of Mark Ellman will hold a Celebration of Life on Sunday, April 2, at Lahaina Jodo Mission at 12 Ala Moana St.
Open to the public, the memorial event is set for 4 p.m. to sunset.
Esteemed West Maui Chef and Restaurateur Ellman passed away peacefully while sleeping on Feb. 26, 2023. He was 67.
This week will also mark the closing of Ellman’s popular restaurant, Frida’s Mexican Beach House at 1287 Front St. Ellman recently sold Frida’s, and its last day will be Saturday, April 1.
After working for 53 years in the culinary industry, and through the challenges during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellman was eagerly looking forward to retirement, said his sister, Gerry Ellman.
In the wake of his sudden passing, “The outpouring has been unreal,” she said.
“The reach is just unreal. People are just stunned and devastated.”
Mark Ellman was born on Aug. 26, 1955. He is survived by his wife, Judy; daughters Ariana Guarnier, Michelle Ellman and Tina Coates; sisters Laurie Levinsky and Gerry Ellman; and grandchildren Tennyson and Amalie Guarnier, and Ryan, Hunter and Isabelle Fardette.
The biography on the Frida’s website explains that Mark met Judy over 40 years ago in a small western town in Los Angeles.
Judy was the bartender and Mark was a cook in the kitchen at a Mexican restaurant in Calabasas, called Sagebrush Cantina. They fell in love, worked together and opened their first restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California, called Cuisine Cuisine — a small Italian eatery where they made homemade pasta and cultivated a group of true friends.
During their time in Los Angeles, the couple owned a catering company called “Can’t Rock and Roll But Sure Can Cook,” which allowed Mark to present his impressive culinary talents.
He cooked for Moody Blues, a Malibu recording studio, for a period of nine months, and also worked for Ronnie and Hubert Laws, Lenny White, Olivia Newton-John, Frankie Valli, The Beach Boys and the band Toto.
Mark also worked with Bill Graham, providing backstage food for concerts in Los Angeles.
“They have raised a family with their wonderful three daughters, Tina, Ariana, and Michelle. The rest of the family they have raised is a group of exquisite restaurants, which are located on three different Islands on Hawaii,” the resume explains.
Their list of notable West Maui restaurants included Avalon, Maui Tacos, Penne Pasta Cafe, Mala Ocean Tavern, Honu Seafood & Pizza and Frida’s Mexican Beach House.
“Their adventure on Maui started when Judy recalled her time on the Island in the ’70s and was yearning for a more peaceful life other than the hustle and bustle of LA,” the bio notes.
“In 1985, Mark and Judy landed on Maui and knew right away they were home.”
In 1987, they opened their highly acclaimed Avalon Restaurant and Bar in downtown Lahaina, where Mark forged a path of Pacific Rim Cuisine.
Later on, Mark and 11 other Hawaii chefs created the Hawaii Regional Cuisine Movement. It was formed by Roy Yamaguchi, Sam Choy, Peter Merriman, Alan Wong, Roger Dikon, Amy Ferguson Ota, Gary Strehl, Pierre Padovani, George Mavro, Jean Marie Josselin and Beverly Gannon.
Together, they published a compilation of recipes, giving each chef his or her own chapter, in “The New Cuisine of Hawaii” by Janice Wald Henderson.
Mark and Judy sold Avalon in 1998 to concentrate on their small taco stands called Maui Tacos, which they started in 1993, inspired by their beloved Mexican food of Los Angeles. With the help of a friend and partner Shep Gordon, they opened 11 locations for Maui Tacos statewide.
In 2001, they also opened a small Italian restaurant called Penne Pasta Cafe in downtown Lahaina, where Mark cultivated his Italian heritage.
Sold to Chef Juan Gomez in 2011, the small family eatery serves paper-thin pizzas, pasta and salads, Lamb Osso Bucco and other popular dishes.
In 2004, Mark and Judy opened Mala Ocean Tavern with their daughters, Ariana and Michelle. The small oceanside tavern served Mediterranean and Pacific Rim cuisine with some Latino-flavored dishes.
With their partner Gordon, Mala Wailea was created for the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort. It opened in 2008 and sold in 2016.
Mark and Shep were very involved in the community, raising funds for the Maui Food Bank and other charities.
Mark released the book called “Practice Aloha, Secrets to Living Life Hawaiian Style,” a compilation of stories from a wide range of people who live in the land of aloha.
Profits from the book go to a foundation that was dear to his heart since 1998: the Punana Leo O Maui Hawaiian immersion program.
Barbara Santos co-authored the book with Ellman with a simple goal: “It will offer a new model of behavior based on aloha,” he told Lahaina News.
In 2008, Mark sold his beloved company Maui Tacos, which he grew to 11 stores in Hawaii, to a franchise partner on the Mainland.
In 2010, the couple opened Honu Seafood & Pizza — a quintessential seafood eatery — 20 feet away from Mala Ocean Tavern, and then Frida’s in 2015.
Given her brother’s influence on the culinary world, contributions to the community and “wide reach,” Gerry expects Sunday’s Celebration of Life to be a well-attended, memorable event.