We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brian Hirata. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brian below.
Hi Brian, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Teaching culinary school at the local college for twelve years made me realize that a large proportion of our local food history and ingredient knowledge was not being passed down to the next generation. Foods I grew up eating here in Hawaii were all of a sudden not on the table in people’s homes here, and this was made obvious by my students not being able to identify or connect with these ingredients from their own perspective. This led me to create this project called “Na`au” in order to try and educate and preserve our endemic food culture and ingredients.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We are a for profit entity. The revenue generated from this project supports our staff’s wages, expenses that come with running a restaurant, and also education for our staff.
This project is unique in the sense that we focus on local ingredients (many of which are endemic to Hawaii). We also focus on utilizing local farmers and ranchers to showcase what we have to offer on the island in order to offset the amount of imported goods and help facilitate a more sustainable model for Hawaii moving forward.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First of all, I had many amazing experiences growing up. I come from a family which exposed me to things like hunting and fishing which helped to develop my love of nature and the outdoors.
Working in the restaurant industry for decades has helped to develop my culinary skill-set, and building a sound understanding of cooking fundamentals.
Finally becoming an assistant professor and program coordinator at an accredited college helped to hone my teaching, and leadership skills before starting this project.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The effects of Covid and what it did to the industry is still very evident. Staffing like many other places is still a challenge, while simultaneously working to provide decent, livable wages for them in the extremely high cost of living environment of Hawaii. We are still currently looking for a permanent space for this project. I am way further into my career vs. a 26 year old up and coming chef. Thus, looking for a relative “turn-key” space which suits our needs is a must as I don’t have the luxury of time on my side. So far the search has been difficult with the limited options on the island.
Contact Info:
- Website: naauhilo.com
- Instagram: naauhilo
- Facebook: nauuhilo
- Twitter: naauhilo
- Youtube: naauhilo
Image Credits
Na‘au
