We're a diverse and passionate family of cooks, educators and community organizers.
Through catering and events, culinary classes and community workdays — food, education and community — we're working to build a better Hawai‘i, and a better world.
Catering & Culinary Events
The food we eat shouldn't just taste good. It should also enrich the community that produced it. From private dinners to international conferences, we use ingredients from our family of local co-producers.
Private Classes
We are what we eat. Cooking together, drink in hand and without a deadline is one of the most rejuvenating ways to spend an evening. Family, co-workers, friends — bring them, and let's learn to cook together.
Work Days
Don't just buy local. Be local. Seize the opportunity to work alongside the good folks who are transforming our community by raising responsible ingredients and training the next generation of environmental stewards.
Chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi
Mark was born and raised in Mānoa Valley, O‘ahu. He spent his early twenties dancing hula with Hālau o Kekuhi under the tutelage of Nālani Kanaka`ole in Hilo. Mark credits hula’s strict regimen, strong attention to detail and deep sense of integrity with awakening his passion for a life of building community through food.
As a chef, Mark navigates Hawai`i through the lens of food, always with the intent to gather, connect and harmonize the communities he serves. At He‘eia Kea Pier General Store & Deli, his insistence on sourcing hyper-local ingredients garnered national acclaim. Through Taste Table, he helped revitalize the Kaka`ako food scene by providing a space for up-and-coming local chefs, many of whom are now nationally-renowned for their work. MISSION Social Hall & Cafe, Mark's most recent project, was published by Taste Talks as one of the six best museum cafes in North America.
In 2012, Mark and his wife Amanda Corby Noguchi started Pili Group, their life’s work. Pili is dedicated to creating a better world through food, education and community.
Despite the international acclaim his work has garnered, Mark’s focus remains being a dedicated husband, a father to his two daughters, and an exemplary leader to his team.
“Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It’s not about nutrients and calories. It’s about sharing. It’s about honesty. It’s about identity.”
— LOUISE FRESCO
Get To Know The Gooch.
A few glimpses into who he is and what he stands for.
