Now Open: Osteria Mozza Lanai at Four Seasons Resort Lanai

Following a complete redesign, Osteria Mozza Lanai debuts at the Five Diamond, Five Star Four Seasons Resort Lanai. Acclaimed Chef Nancy Silverton’s first outpost in Hawaii, the restaurant serves up a blend of traditional Italian cuisine with fresh and seasonal island ingredients. Salads feature fresh lettuces from nearby Sensei Farms, local fish such as ahi tuna, Hawaiian sea salt while pasta is made with local eggs, for a rich, fresh pasta dough.

Guests now can enjoy the full Mozza experience, including a selection of pizzas from a wood-fire oven and antipasti at the Mozzarella Bar, a legendary spot at Osteria Mozza where diners can cozy up and watch the culinary team prepare their food at the Terra Bianca quartzite high top bar.

Chef Eli Anderson heads up the culinary team, presenting favourites from Silverton’s renowned restaurants including Nancy’s Caesar, Ricotta and Egg Raviolo with a browned butter sauce, and Grilled Hamachi Spiedino.

In another Mozza first, the restaurant will offer an extensive breakfast menu, with a selection of pastries from the forno (oven), cereal, grains, and specialties such as Smoked Salmon Crostone, Eggs in Purgatory, Tuscan Steak and Eggs, and Sourdough Waffles with maple butter.

Wood Stone melds Old World charm and modern performance for a top-tier pizza oven, clad with Italian ceramic mosaic tile, its wave design evoking the ocean seen from the open-air restaurant. Pizzas, including Fennel Sausage, Funghi Misti, Bianca and Alla Benno, with a nod to Lanai’s heritage product pineapple, are fired in an oven fuelled by local kiawe (mesquite) wood. Introduced to Hawaii in the 1820s, kiawe was intentionally and rapidly spread throughout the state as a source of fuel, building material, forage for cattle, and to stabilize dunes and coastal areas from erosion. In modern times, the plant is considered extremely invasive and as part of the island’s stewardship, conservation efforts are in effect to mitigate further spread and eradicate growth, including harvesting firewood for the restaurant’s oven.

The resort now has a dedicated Pasta Room in the kitchen, with space to craft a variety of house made fresh pastas. Guests can savour Garganelli with a rich ragu bolognese, Corzetti Stampati with eggplant, olives and ricotta, or Tagliolini da Francescana with Beurre de Baratte and white cow modenese.

Lanai Grown Farm is 10-acre (4 hectare) regenerative poultry farm that serves as the primary egg supplier for the island community of Lanai. With more than 1,000 chickens that range free with no cages, the farm collects eggs daily. The unique flavour and colour result from a diet rich in natural bugs, grass and seeds that grow on the farm, along with feed enhanced with organic layer pellets, and left-over greens and fruits from the resorts’ restaurants.

Also new is a private dining and wine room for intimate groups of up to 10 people, perfect for family gatherings or social occasions. The wine collection is seen and appreciated as display walls serve as the backdrop to the dining room. The award-winning wine list features more than 600 selections by the bottle with an emphasis on wines from Italy, France, and California. Highlights include the prestigious merlot Masseto, often called the Petrus of Italy, revered barbarescos or bold showstopper barolos such as Vietti's Ravera. The list also highlights renowned left and right bank bordeaux including Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Château Pétrus, and Château Margaux to name a few, alongside obscure varietals meant to pair perfectly with the menu, such as aglianico, susumaniello, and greco di tufo.

And for those who leave room for dessert, the famous Butterscotch Budino is top of the list along with Pineapple Upside Down Cake, house spun gelati and more.

No stranger to the island, Silverton first visited Lanai nearly 35 years ago, a more modest time for tourism. She is the co-owner of the Mozza Restaurant Group, known for Los Angeles eateries such as Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza and chi SPACCA, with locations including California, Los Cabos, Singapore, and Washington, DC. In 2014, she received the highest honour given by the James Beard Foundation for Outstanding Chef and was also listed as one of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink by both Fortune and Food and Wine magazines. More recently, she was profiled in Netflix’s award-winning docuseries Chef’s Table and the Masterclass G.O.A.T. series.