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Patrick Okubo
Master Sommelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Certified Wine Educator Patrick Okubo has built a practice around translating wine for two audiences at once: the trade and the consumer. The work sits at the intersection of service, education, and marketplace fluency, where a layered category has to be made legible without losing rigor. Born and raised in Kaimuki, he has carried that local grounding through a career shaped by hospitality and ongoing study.
The Path
Hospitality gave the craft its operating discipline. Training at University Laboratory School preceded leadership roles where timing, guest management, and list stewardship became part of the job. As Wine Director / Restaurant Manager at Four Seasons Lana'i, Patrick Okubo worked in the space between dining room execution and wine program oversight. In 2008, he became Managing Partner at Formaggio Grill, extending that work into a setting where wine and food could be discussed more directly, table by table. The current role at Young's Market Hawaii, where he has served as Fine Wine Specialist and Wine Educator since 2011, keeps the focus on access and interpretation. Since 2021, as chair of Aloha Wine Foundation, Patrick Okubo has also worked from the nonprofit side of the category. Read together, those positions show a career built on two demands of the trade: knowing the product and helping others use that knowledge well.
The Work Today
Wine education remains the center of the practice. For professionals, that means tightening technical understanding and paying attention to the details that shape how a wine is read, sold, and served. For consumers, it means removing some of the friction that can keep the category at a distance. Patrick Okubo’s work treats knowledge as something to be circulated, not stored. The value of that kind of time is in direct observation: seeing the places, conditions, and habits that continue to define how wine is made and understood.
Acclaim
Patrick's honors include Master Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers (2011), Certified Wine Educator (CWE) (2010), Certified Specialist in Spirits (CSS), and Advanced Sake Level 3 Award. The credentials map a study path that spans wine, spirits, and sake, and they point to a working method grounded in discipline. In trade terms, they signal not just tasting skill, but the ability to interpret, teach, and keep sharpening the craft.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Patrick
What is Patrick Okubo's current role?
As of 2026, Patrick Okubo is Fine Wine Specialist and Wine Educator of Young's Market Hawaii.
Where did Patrick Okubo train or study?
Patrick Okubo trained at University Laboratory School.
What recognition has Patrick Okubo received?
Master Sommelier, Court of Master Sommeliers (2011).
