WELCOME TO SMOKIN FIRE FISH
Experience the Hawaiian Food Story
In some parts of the world it seems appropriate to look back nostalgically to the past, to an authentic food based on local ingredients, but such a search for past authenticity is moot in Hawaii. My encounters with Hawaii’s food are just one recent echo of the encounters of a long succession of immigrants who have labored to create foods in these distant Islands, to turn a wilderness into a Paradise.
Rachel Laudan, The Food Paradise
Our Story
Smokin Fire Fish originated from Chef Chris' passion to share the culinary narrative of the Hawaiian Islands with Portland. Hawaiian Local Food emerged when immigrants from China, Korea, Japan, Portugal, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico combined their native ingredients and cherished food memories. This blending of cuisines served as a universal language, uniting workers from diverse backgrounds into a community.
Chef Chris' culinary journey has taken him to kitchens in Hawaii, Korea, Micronesia, Palau, Southern California, the Philippines, and beyond. He deeply resonates with Hawaiian Local Cuisine as it mirrors his own gastronomic upbringing. His mission is to spotlight the core Asian influences on Hawaiian Cuisine, paying tribute to his ancestors and the nations integral to Hawaiian food heritage.
Join us in exploring the fusion of Asian and South Pacific flavors that birthed Hawaiian Local Food.