The thing missing from every menu was poke, so I started the event to help satisfy the cravings of my family, friends, and followers living on the mainland. I started a food blog back then that focused on Hawaiian food in California. I started our flagship event, I Love Poke San Diego, back in 2010. How long have you been putting on poke festivals? You can’t just throw things in there to be different. The key to this is to make sure that whatever ingredients you use, blend together well. Just some shoyu, sesame oil, onions, chili flake and Hawaiian salt.īut, I also love new styles of poke where chefs get creative. “It’s like, how can something with such little ingredients taste so good?” But poke has to be fresh. Poke is the next big thing, but only some are doing it right.Įverybody loves a simple poke because that’s what poke is … simple. Let’s be responsible with our sourcing and respectful to the culture of which poke came from. And I hope people really start paying attention to what they are serving and what they are claiming.īig ups to the guys that are actually doing it right. But for now, let’s just say they are not poke. One day, we will give these bowls a name. I am going to be honest and say that at least 50 percent of these places are not actually serving poke, but they are serving varietals of raw fish bowls with mixed veggies and sauces. In fact, most of the spots I visited last month in San Francisco were only four days to four weeks old! These poke places have all opened up within the last year or two. These guys starting serving poke back in the day simply because it’s a part of the passion and the culture of any Hawaiian or seafood style eatery.Īnd then there’s the third wave of poke (“third wave”, let’s steal that term from our coffee brothers and sisters). Then, there are the OG’s of the mainland poke game, like Pacific Catch, who have been serving poke for 13 years, as well as Pono Hawaiian Grill (Santa Cruz) who are actually from Maui. They will be judging the poke contest as well as serving one of their signature poke recipes. We are really fortunate to have Pa’ina Cafe (Oahu) fly out for the event. Nino Camilo: I like to break the poke game down like this: There’s Hawaii poke which is just in a league of it’s own. The Express sent Camilo three quick question in advance of Sunday’s big poke-monstrosity (I know, I’m sorry):ĮBX: Where is poke on the “trend scale” in the Bay Area and beyond? Is it in frozen yogurt or cupcakes territory, or pork belly, or? Basically, what I’m asking is: Is poke the next big thing? Learn more at, and purchase tickets here. Hutch from Oakland will also be there, in addition to the excellent Fish Face Poke Bar in Sacramento. The event will be an intimate gathering of fewer than 200 and where guests can sample a wealth of traditional poke, including from Pa’Ina Cafe, whose team is flying out from Oahu for the occasion. And he’s finally made his way to the Bay Area this weekend, with an inaugural “I Love Poke Festival” this Sunday at Pacific Catch in San Francisco. Which is why the former islander, now mainlander started his “I Love Poke Festival” series in 2010. A sturgeon poke with yuzu ponzu sauce and topped with avocado and served over sushi rice is pretty damn tasty. Perfect.īut now that poke is an emerging food trend, there are all sorts of spots popping up that serve hybridizations (and bastardizations) of traditional poke. I’m not hating. A light dressing of sesame oil, some sea salt - and of course smartly sourced, fresh, and sustainable tuna or other fish. I’m a no-frills eater, and so the simplicity of a dish like poke has always appealed. Traditional poke at Pa’Ina Cafe in Oahu, which will be in the Bay this weekend at the I Love Poke Festival.
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