Meanwhile, local food—what a lot of people consider “Hawaiian food”—is comprised of a beautiful layering of immigrant cultures. In Hawaii, everyone from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, and beyond all exist together, honoring and recreating the foods from their homelands. So, these dishes were cooked with the ingredients available on this small Pacific Island with their own twists. As a result, things like chicken long rice, saimin, and poke bowl were created. The Hawaiian ingenuity shines through as they cook with whatever they have, blending in other cultures in a fluid but beautiful way. “That's kind of how my cooking is informed,” says Chef Kapur. “I've never said I cook Hawaiian food. I respect and honor what that means so much that I wouldn't just throw that around. But I am a Native
Hawaiian; so yes, that does inform my cooking.” He loves to create a great environment for people to have a good time through tasty food and beverage, but also with friendly service. While his restaurants translate that energy and atmosphere perfectly, he got his start in the industry by running a pop-up. When he started his Liholiho Yacht Club pop-up in 2012, his approach was to express himself through cooking. It was a financial decision as well because pop-up restaurants were not common at the time. Instead of setting things up like a catering service or a private event, Chef Kapur wanted to feel the raw energy from service, so he took reservations and staggered them as a restaurant would do so.
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