Story
OUR STORY
Our story begins in 2013, when Chef James Babian and his wife Christine first opened Pueo’s Osteria in Waikoloa Village. After spending years as an executive chef at luxury resorts, Chef Jim and Christine, who has been a realtor since 2005 and is currently with Compass. Inc, wanted to pursue their passion for food, wine and fun. They decided to open Pueo’s Osteria as a local gathering place where both the local community and visitors can enjoy great food in a relaxed environment.
In Italy, an osteria is a gathering place for the community to meet in the evening and enjoy a glass of wine and a bite to eat after work. It is a similar concept to our very own beloved pau hana. The pueo is a short-eared owl endemic to the Hawaiian islands and is valued in the culture as an ‘aumakua (ancestral spirit). The name “Pueo’s Osteria” represents our vision to be a place “where the night owls meet.”
We are an evening-only Italian restaurant, with a focus on serving freshly prepared and locally sourced products, paired with the finest imported Italian products and served with a modern and local twist. We pride ourselves in our warm and inviting ambience, complemented by our arched open windows that allows for Hawai‘i Island’s welcoming breeze. Depending on what time you are here to dine, you can enjoy a gorgeous view of the waning sunset as you dine under the branches of our iconic tree.
Everything is made from scratch—all our breads, pastas, desserts, sauces and dressing. We use imported 00 flour from Italy and all of our pastas are made in-house. Our focaccia is made daily along with our pizza dough, which also utilizes Cauputo Italian-imported flour. Our wine selection has been carefully curated, offering the finest choices imported from regions in Italy like Veneto and Tuscany.
Chef’s Jim’s culinary approach is regional, seasonal and artisanal. As the former executive chef at prestigious hotel restaurants like the Fairmont Orchid and Four Season Hualalai, he has many years of professional experience of making great food. He has served as a culinary instructor, won multiple culinary awards and was the two-term president of the American Culinary Federation, Kona Kohala Chapter. Throughout his career, his passion has always been to work with local farmers to source fresh ingredients from the island, creating a seasonal menu for all to enjoy.
James Babian
EXECUTIVE CHEF / PROPRIETOR
If Chef Jim wasn’t born with an actual culinary gene, the passion for cooking was definitely in his blood. Life in his large Mediterranean family —Armenian on his father’s side and Sicilian on his mother’s—was centered around the kitchen. In fact, one of Jim’s earliest memories is there, helping his grandmother roll stuffed grape leaves. And, when other kids were playing outside, he was watching The Galloping Gourmet, Yan Can Cook, and Julia Child’s The French Chef. Chef Jim’s journey took him to Chicago and to California, where he met lifetime mentor, Joyce Goldstein, chef/owner of the venerable Square One in San Francisco, and two-time James Beard Award winner. From her, Jim cultivated a meticulous respect for the senses of fine food—the sounds and rhythm of the kitchen, the final presentation, scent, texture and taste. His philosophy today brings the warmth of his family kitchen together with sophisticated technique to create a dining experience worthy of his culinary ancestors. Like them, Chef Jim believes in a regional, seasonal, and artisanal approach to procuring foods, and achieves that through strong ties to local farming, fishing and ranching families. He also imports some of the finest products in the world to meld with the freshest, locally sourced ingredients, from the plant to the plate. “At Pueo’s, your culinary adventure will be grounded in Hawaiʻi,” Chef Jim is fond of saying. “But the flavors will take you abroad to Italy.” Chef Babian. LEARN MORE ABOUT CHEF BABIAN
Christine Babian
PROPRIETOR
Not only is Christine Babian the Proprietor and 50% of Team Babian; she’s an award-winning top producer for EXP Realty. And while the worlds of real estate and restaurants may seem different, to Christine they’re all about the same thing: making people happy. Christine’s 30+ years of experience includes front and back of the house service, banquets, catering, and now as co-owner. She believes in five-star guest service from soup to nuts. As a result, she’s fostered lifelong friendships through the restaurant with both local residents and folks traveling from abroad. “Restaurants, food and wine, it’s a passion,” Christine says. “For Jim and I, it’s what we do.” She and Chef Jim operate as a team at home and in the restaurant, finding that balance that makes everything work.
JT Yadao
GENERAL MANAGER
Born on Hawai‘i Island, Yadao brings more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant and tourism industry to Pueo’s. Yadao began as an in-room dining server at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in 1998 and then served as bartender at the Orchid at Mauna Lani/Fairmont Orchid from 2001 to 2006. That was when he first worked with Pueo’s owner James Babian, who was the executive chef at the Orchid at the time. Yadao then worked as the bar manager at Rio’s of Kona from 2003 to 2008. He moved to Montana in 2010 and continued gaining professional experience on the mainland as general manager at The Montana Club and The Craggy Range. After returning to the Hawai‘i Island in 2016, he was the general manager of Abay’s Bar and Grill in the King Shops in Waikoloa until 2022. He began working at Pueo’s Osteria in January 2023 and is honored to be named the new general manager.
Jaron Balunso
CHEF DE CUISINE
Highly-respected by the Pueo’s culinary team, Chef Jaron takes particular pride in crafting daily specials that take taste to the next level, and bring guests back just to see what he creates next. Hawai‘i Island born and raised, he has an innate understanding of our diverse food culture, and the special local ingredients that bring it to life. Chef Jaron graduated from the Culinary Arts program at Hawai‘i Community College, and right away went to work at some of Hawaii’s finest resort restaurants: Westin Hapuna Beach’s Meridia, and Four Seasons Hualālai’s ‘Ulu, and Beach Tree Bar & Grill, where he met his professional mentor, Chef James Babian. In 2017, Jaron’s journey took him to Calistoga, California where he stepped up his game at the Michelin-rated Solbar at the Solage, an Auberge Resort. He returned to Hawai‘i the following year, and joined the enthusiastic team at Pueo’s Osteria, as the enjoyed increasing success. And, although Chef Jim calls him his right hand man, Jaron is a humble man with a pure love of good food, and the special flavors of his island home.
Katina S. Carter
SOUS CHEF
Sous Chef Katina Carter’s culinary journey began in Denver, Colorado and took her to Texas where she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Austin in 2010. In 2015 she jumped at the opportunity to work at the posh J.W. Marriott in downtown Austin, then to Wyoming to work at the award winning Brush Creek Luxury Ranch. Hawai‘i has always been on her list of dream places to go, so she leaped at the opportunity to come and work as Chef Tournant for the Fairmont Orchid. We are excited to have her on our culinary team. Her strengths include resourcefulness and creativity; and she loves the challenge of working with mystery box ingredients. “I learned that growing up,” Chef Katina says. “Even if you didn’t have much, you could look and see what’s in the fridge, and make something amazing.” A strong leader, Chef Katina also takes time to get to know everyone in the kitchen and uses different approaches to communicate to each employee. She walks her talk and work towards creating a harmonious team environment. At Pueo’s Osteria, she looks forward to working on classical Italian dishes, and putting a modern twist, using the freshest Hawai‘i-grown ingredients.
