About

NAʻAU HILO

"Guts: of the heart and mind"

Naʻau Hilo is a social enterprise created by Chef Brian Hirata - a direct result of him following his own gut instinct. Hirata is a former culinary educator who left the security of a tenured position to focus on Na‘au, and dedicate his life to preserving Hawai‘i's food culture while progressing the local cuisine through workshops, community initiatives, and dining experiences. Currently popping up in Pepeʻekeo.

We currently operate as a pop-up experience, offering guests dishes that are connected to our food culture, and educating about the ingredients, dishes, traditions, and heritages that make Hawaiʻi's food culture so special.

Launched in 2019 after realizing the students he taught at a culinary class had little to no knowledge of ingredients integral to our food culture, Chef Brian has made positive impacts, putting an emphasis on local ingredients and the stories behind them, while prohibiting the use of imported luxury ingredients.

"If we don't pass on the stories and the knowledge of the ingredients and dishes, the knowledge could disappear in just a few generations." -Chef Brian Hirata

MISSION

Naʻau Hilo will showcase locally-sourced, heritage-rooted, and culturally significant dishes to preserve Hawaiʻi’s food culture and progress the local cuisine while providing guests with an authentic experience, bringing global awareness to and educating about Hawaiʻi’s culinary landscape

About Chef Brian Hirata

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Chef Brian grew up hunting, fishing, farming, and foraging in the islands, and developed a respect for the outdoors. He graduated from the Culinary Arts Program at Hawaiʻi Community College, and gained valuable experience and an expert set of skills as the Sous Chef at The Hualalai Grille by Alan Wong and as a Culinary Instructor at Hawaiʻi Community College.

Hirata, a 2023 and 2022 James Beard Foundation Award Semifinalist, who was named one of the 10 change-makers in America in Departures magazine in October 2020 - a year after launching Naʻau Hilo, is dedicating his life to preserving Hawaiʻi's food culture while progressing the local cuisine through thoughtful dining experiences, education, and community involvement.

"I believe that when you lose a part of your heritage, you tend to struggle with moving forward thoughtfully because you don’t have a good understanding of where you came from in the first place. I think we lost this food connection, in a sense, and I want to see if we can find a way back to it - not for financial gain, but to better understand our roots and progress the local cuisine in a more conscientious fashion, while presenting a more authentic view of ourselves. "

Report abuse