During his visit here, Kerry Simon will prepare American "comfort food," including the All-American burger. Photo by Randy T. Fujimori Chef Series Who: Las Vegas-based Kerry Simon Where: Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Hawaii When: Oct. 14 (dinner at Hoku's) and 15 (cooking class) Call: 739-8780

"With all sincerity, I'll go out of my way to please all my guests," said Simon, who will prepare a six-course dinner at Hoku's this Friday, then conduct a cooking class the following morning at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Hawaii. "If they want scrambled eggs and caviar, I'll give it to them, as long as I have all the necessary ingredients."

Revered for his interpretation of American "comfort" food, Simon snatched headlines and piqued palates when he took such dishes as meatloaf and macaroni and cheese, and made them the talk of the culinary world.

"So-called 'comfort food' has such a stigmatism to it," Simon said. "Somehow it's lesser because it's common."

Nothing is pedestrian, though, about Simon's meatloaf, which contains veal and not just hamburger and barbecue sauce, and his mashed potatoes that are punctuated with wasabi. And these are just two examples of this humble chef's culinary genius.

Once an aspiring musician, Simon found his true calling while working in kitchens in Chicago to help pay for guitars and amps.

"Before I knew it, I was taking cooking classes (at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park)," said Simon, who has been nicknamed the "Rock n' Roll" chef, a moniker he earned after riding a motorcycle on stage then cooking with Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo tequila during a taping of UPN's Iron Chef U.S.A. "And then I was apprenticing at four-star French restaurants."

Trained in classical French cuisine, Simon now infuses all that's American in his cooking.

"This includes Asian, Spanish, Mexican, Thai and other cultures that make up America," the youthful 50-year-old master chef said. "I'll try to incorporate different cultural elements into my dishes."

For his dinner at Hoku's, Simon will tap into local products, such as Kahuku corn, Waimanalo micro greens, Big Island goat cheese and fresh Island onaga, to produce his six-course prix-fixe menu for $95.

Dinner will start with an amuse bouche of spiced amaebi (sweet shrimp), followed by a salad mixed with roasted young beets and goat cheese.

The next two dishes feature hamachi carpaccio drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette and gnudi, a dumpling made with semolina, ricotta and parmesan cheese, all topped with pesto butter.

For their main entrees, guests will have a choice from among such dishes as slow-roasted onaga, roasted half rack of Colorado lamb, "twice-cooked" Chinese-style duck and the "Simon Burger."

"Yes, it is made with hamburger, but that's all I'll say for now," Simon said coyly, adding that this trip is one of many that he plans to take to the islands, especially once he opens his restaurant on Maui sometime next year. "It was the dish I did when I appeared on the Food Network's Iron Chef America."

And what's served with this "Simon Burger?" Truffled fries and a vanilla milk shake, of course. Simon, after all, is at the forefront of nouveau American cuisine.

During his cooking class ($150) the following day, the Las Vegas-based chef will demonstrate how to prepare blue fin tuna tartare, half rack of Colorado lamb and warm chocolate pudding cake.

"I have less time these days to do these cooking classes, but this is the Mandarin and I like working with them," Simon noted. "I can't wait to get there and take in the tropical air."

Simon's visit is part of a series of visiting celebrity chefs at the Mandarin's Culinary Academy.