His mother Woodene (Woody) Merriman, a Pittsburgh Post Gazette food writer, exposed Peter to the field at a young age.
After graduation, he enrolled in a three-year Chefs Apprentice Program with RockResorts, under the direction of the American Culinary Federation, cooking in resorts across the United States and Europe, including a summer in the vineyards of France's Champagne region.
Thinking it was a rhetorical question, he answered “regional cuisine” and went on to explain how no other restaurants were serving the local fish and produce.
[5] As he began recruiting other chefs to focus on local foods “Hawaii Regional Cuisine” was created, with Merriman named as the founding president.
The New York Times raved “Everything at Merriman’s as one that features the freshest local ingredients paired in exciting ways,” and San Francisco Magazine exclaimed “His Wok-charred Ahi is to die for!”.
Hula Grill, touted “the best fish house in the islands” by Honolulu Magazine, brought the concepts of Hawaii regional cuisine to a beachside setting.