Michelle Karr-Ueoka was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her passion for cooking was ignited after an externship at Alan Wong’s. Pursuing her dream, Michelle trained at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and externed at The French Laundry. She rejoined Alan Wong’s where she spent 6 years on the savory side. Moving again, back to New York, she staged at Thomas Keller’s Per Se. It is here that she realized her passion for pastry, and has never looked back. In 2012 Michelle received the Rising Star Chef Award from StarChefs.com as a Pastry Chef.

In October 2013, Michelle Karr-Ueoka and husband Chef Wade Ueoka opened their first joint venture, MW Restaurant in Honolulu where they specialize in Hawaii Regional Cuisine. In February 2014, MW Restaurant was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for Best New Restaurant, and Michelle for Outstanding Pastry Chef. She once again was nominated in 2015 for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef.