Hawaiian cuisine is making a comeback as rising chefs pay homage to the islands’ indigenous ingredients and ethnic influences. By Amelia Levin

Spring Sizzle 2016.indd 22 3/4/16 9:03 AM Spring Sizzle 2016.indd 23 3/4/16 9:03 AM or many, Hawaiian cuisine invokes foods and fish. Now, chefs are getting images of Spam and seared ahi tuna, more specific than the fusion of the F but these days the classics have come past to highlight the variety of fruits, far beyond their roots. Young chefs vegetables, fish and meats available. in Hawaii and elsewhere have moved beyond Pacific Rim fusion to reinvent the cuisine through local ingredients and Chris Kajioka owner/executive chef, SENIA, Honolulu modern techniques while incorporating global influences. Chris Kajioka has won several accolades, including a James Beard “Traditional Hawaiian food from award when he was executive chef ancient times is much different from of Vintage Cave, Honolulu. Kajioka what people classify as Hawaiian food plans to open his new restaurant now,” says Noah Hester, Hawaiian SENIA this spring with former Per native and chef at Blue Dragon Se colleague Anthony Rush. The Restaurant & Spa in Kamuela, Hawaii. restaurant is in Kaimuki, Honolulu’s historic Chinatown and burgeoning university chefs cook Indigenous crops include starchy and gastronomic scene, where he grew up. Hawaiian filling taro, sweet potatoes, bananas and At Lincoln Memorial University, coconuts. Fish was salt-cured and packed Harrogate, Tennessee, Adam Gould, The restaurant features two themes. an executive chef with the hospitality in canoes to sustain the natives over “We want to create a restaurant that group Chartwells, plays on Kalua longer periods, Hester says. Meat and people want to go to all the time and pork using tofu for a vegetarian option. To mimic the banana flavor fish were cooked in underground ovens. has a sense of place,” says Kajioka of in the classic Hawaiian dish, he the casual side of the restaurant. Then, When European explorers settled in roasts slightly overripe bananas a more intimate chef’s counter will alongside tofu marinated in soy the area, they built plantations for serve a tasting menu to showcase the sauce, Worcestershire sauce, minced sugarcane, pineapple, coffee and other garlic, minced ginger and a little liquid chef’s talents. SENIA is a play on the staples. In the late 1800s, Chinese, smoke. The tofu is then served with Greek word “xenia”, the idea of guest- rice and a mango/pineapple chutney Japanese, Korean, Filipino and spiked with a touch of lemon juice, friendship that defines the Greek Portuguese immigrants came to the brown sugar, ginger and cayenne. ideology of hospitality. area to work, bringing with them their At Tennessee Technological University, cuisines and foods. During the war, Cookeville, Tennessee, executive “A lot is happening in Hawaii right now chef Emily Bashore, whose mother thousands of soldiers brought Spam and it’s an exciting place to be,” says was born and raised in Hawaii, goes and other rations to the area. “Spam was Kajioka. “There is a willingness to try the classic route with her Kalua pork. She rubs pork butt with fresh ginger, similar to Kalua pig, which is very salty more things, and the progression of the soy sauce, garlic, a little liquid smoke and rich, so it caught on,” Hester says. dining scene is reflective of that.” and Hawaiian sea salt. The pork butt is then wrapped in banana leaves or This melting pot of cuisines became More talented chefs are opening Swiss chard and roasts for 4-5 hours in a low-temperature oven. Bashore formalized as Hawaiian regional cuisine places in Hawaii, too. “We’re at the serves it with a Maui sweet onion in the ’90s by Roy Yamaguchi, Alan age where we’re opening our own marmalade. Additional Hawaiian- Wong, Beverly Gannon and a handful places, and our generation of chefs is inspired dishes include chicken luau with spinach and coconut milk and of other chefs looking to educate the very close and very supportive of each Haupia, a coconut-milk custard. rest of the country about Hawaii’s local other,” Kajioka says.

24 Sizzle SPRING 16

Spring Sizzle 2016.indd 24 3/4/16 9:03 AM He will pay homage to his Japanese ethnicity, but also to key Hawaiian ingredients and the blend of other cultures in the region while relying on his strong French culinary training.

A favorite local fish of Kajioka’s is opah, a colorful moonfish with rich, fatty meat. It is sustainably line-caught and works well in place of the traditional tuna in poke and crudo dishes. A local purveyor has started successfully raising oysters that are “deliciously briny,” Kajioka says. And there is farmed abalone, sweet shrimp and other fish caught early morning that fishermen drop off at his back door.

Locally grown hearts of palm is another one of Kajioka’s favorite Hawaiian ingredients. “They are versatile and have a sweet, nutty taste and crunchy texture that can be eaten raw, grilled or sauteed,” he says.

local organic chickens, something that Noah Hester was once difficult to get in Hawaii Blue Dragon Restaurant & Spa, Waimea, Big Island because of availability and issues with A mainstay on the Big Island for the past USDA certification. eight years, Blue Dragon celebrates local Hester is traditional with his Kalua Hawaiian ingredients, especially the wide pork, for which he uses local hogs from variety of fish available to the restaurant a farm 20 minutes away. He slow-roasts situated across the street from the harbor. the salt-rubbed pigs in a pit with banana Noah Hester, a native, favors ono, a leaves and rocks, then uses the meat leaner fish best suited for poaching and for tacos with refried “poi” made with left: Chris Kajioka. gentle preparation methods. Other taro root instead of beans. Hester also above: "Everything fresh-caught fish such as mahi-mahi, makes rice balls stuffed with leftover Bagel" contains swordfish and tuna might be served pork mixed with a starchy poi-based hot-smoked salmon, alongside Sriracha mashed potatoes barbecue sauce. He serves it with lomi- pickled mustard seed, rye crisp and with star anise soy reduction, hamakua lomi, a salad of fish cured in Hawaiian beet with horseradish mushrooms and a local fern shoot salad. salt with tomatoes, onions, chili pepper glaze. Photo courtesy And now, Hester has been sourcing water and shaved ice. of Chris Kajioka.

WWW.ACFCHEFS.ORG www.sizzle-digital.com 25

Spring Sizzle 2016.indd 25 3/4/16 9:03 AM Hester is able to get his hands on Moco—a Maui Cattle Co. beef patty, exotic fruits, as well as such vegetables garlic rice, mushroom gravy, sunny- as kohlrabi, eggplant, lettuces and side-up egg and tempura kimchi. greens from Blue Dragon’s organic Ed Kenney, executive chef/owner of farm, 17 miles north of the restaurant. Town and Kaimuki Superette, both in He pairs greens with candied Honolulu, was recently nominated for macadamia nuts, sprouts and Ahualoa James Beard’s Best Chef West award. goat cheese for a salad dressed with Kenney has built a regular customer lilikoi (passion fruit) vinaigrette. base at Town by blending Hawaiian “We’re trying to be more self-sufficient and Italian influences and now at his urant in Hawaii by using more ingredients brunch/lunch spot Kaimuki Superette. from here rather than the mainland,” At both restaurants he works with local says Hester. “At one time Hawaii was produce, fish and meats. He recently made of different communities all opened Mud Hen Water featuring responsible for different things such

Resta sy of Blue Dragon inventive Hawaiian cuisine in small as fishing or growing taro or sweet plate form, with dishes such as he’e Courte potatoes or fruit that would then (grilled octopus on a bed of tender- classic Hawaiian dishes be traded. It seems like the natural cooked taro leaves), ulu (breadfruit) Lau-lau: spiced pork shoulder, chicken progression is we get back to that and to and hand-pounded pa’i’ai (taro root), or vegetables and salted butterfish the traditional foods we grew up eating.” which often forms the base for his fish wrapped in taro leaves and steamed. and meat accompaniments. Kalua pork: whole pig typically cooked for several hours until smoky and top chefs go Hawaiian Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, tender in an imu, an underground Ravi Kapur, executive chef at Liholiho chefs/owners of MW Restaurant, oven made with dirt and rocks. Yacht Club, San Francisco, was born Honolulu, were nominated for Best Poke: raw fish salad usually made and raised in Hawaii. Kapur first New Restaurant by the James Beard with diced raw ahi tuna or yellowfish, opened Liholiho as a pop-up concept Foundation last year. The husband- soy sauce, sesame oil, kukui nut and seaweed. before launching the brick-and-mortar and-wife team weaves Hawaiian space with celebrated dishes such ingredients and flavors seamlessly Lomi-lomi salmon: diced raw salted salmon mixed with tomatoes, crushed as chili/honey-rubbed opah with and whimsically with such menu ice and green onions for a fresh salad preserved yuzu, bok choy and a soy- items as loco moco meatloaf and or side dish. infused brown butter sauce. butterfish arancini. Poi: taro root that’s been mashed or pounded with water into a pudding- Lee Anne Wong, executive chef at Chung Chow, chef de cuisine/co-owner like consistency. Koko Head Cafe, Honolulu, is a native of Noreetuh, New York, is a former Per

Manapua: Chinese-inspired dish of New Yorker and former “Top Chef” Se chef who teamed up with Gerald barbecue pork, sweet potato, sausage contestant. Wong has had a loyal San Jose and Jin Ahn to open the or other fillings steamed in sweet following in Hawaii since opening 54-seater in Manhattan’s East Village. Hawaiian bread rolls. her brunch restaurant in 2013 with He blends Hawaii’s multicuisine Haupia: sweet pudding-like dessert Hawaiian- and Asian-inspired dishes, flavors with French and modern made with coconut milk, ground arrowroot and sugar that’s formed into such as Auntie Alohi cakes with local American influences in the form of blocks using gelatin. banana and guava jam and Koko Kalua pork croquettes and poke with

26 Sizzle SPRING 16

Spring Sizzle 2016.indd 26 3/4/16 9:03 AM NEXT ISSUE southern food Restaurant of Blue Dragon Courtesy

bigeye tuna, Chinese spicy miso, and Andrew Le, executive chef/owner, The tosaka and oga seaweeds. Pig and the Lady, Honolulu, celebrates local native foods and flavors from the Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison, owners area such as liliko‘I (passion fruit) with of Marination Mobile, Seattle, brought Vietnamese-inspired dishes that change Hawaiian-Korean fusion to Seattle’s every few months. The Pig and the Lady streets with their popular food truck. was named one of Honolulu’s “Best Now, through their brick-and-mortar New Restaurants” by Honolulu Magazine

locations, they continue to serve sliders in 2015, and has received national left: Roast pork over with grilled and caramelized Spam media attention in such publications as grilled greens was served at an outdoor farm dinner dressed with their famous Nunya Sauce Bloomberg Business and Plate.  hosted by Blue Dragon (a gochujang-spiked mayo) and crunchy Amelia Levin is an award-winning food Restaurant, May 2015. slaw on a soft Hawaiian bun. The Loco industry writer, certified chef and cookbook above: Pako and ha Moco, a Hawaiian classic, is a ground author. Her work has appeared in a variety salad includes fiddlehead of restaurant industry trade magazines as ferns and is often served beef patty atop white rice with a rich well as in the Chicago Tribune, Health and with grilled meat. beef gravy and two sunny-side-up eggs. Cooking Light magazines. Photo by Anna Pacheco.

WWW.ACFCHEFS.ORG www.sizzle-digital.com 27

Spring Sizzle 2016.indd 27 3/4/16 9:03 AM