Kurt Osaki
Friday - July 20, 2011 Share |
Del.icio.us | 
Podcast | WineAndDineHawaii.com 
Occupation: President Osaki Creative Group, owner Hukilau Restaurants
Where were you born and raised? Kauai.
Your creative talents are well-known. You’ve designed logos for NFL teams, and of course the distinctive UH logo was yours, too but not as many people know about your restaurant background. I grew up in the restaurant industry. My family owns Hamura Saimin. My grandfather’s first restaurant was Tony’s Charcoal Broiler, a steak and seafood place way back in the ‘60s. I basically grew up around there.
So it’s no surprise, really, that after achieving success with your creative talents, you turned to restaurants. Well, no one pushed me into restaurants when I was young, but someone forced us into running the Hukilau in San Francisco (laughs), and then here in Hawaii. Hukilau was a huge hit from day one on the Mainland.
Was it just the food? I don’t think so. It’s simple plate lunch, but it’s more than that. It’s about the warmth and the energy. That’s what people like.
Do you cook at home? I love cooking. I could cook every night. I enjoy everything about being in the kitchen.
Favorite dishes when you’re cooking?
I like the simplicity of Asian food. Japanese dishes are some of my favorite. I like the purity, the freshness. I’m lucky because of our design group, I get to work with great chefs like Alan Wong and at Hukilau with Jason Takemura.
Favorite local restaurants? When I’m not at Hukilau, it’s Sushi Bistro, Tokkuri Tei I like the izakayas. I pretty much live off Zippy’s. And I just went to that Okinawan place by River Street , Utage. It’s old style. I like that.
What’s always in your fridge? Beer and a lot of local food poke, dried aku, fruits and vegetables from the farmers market.
Who would you most like to have a beer with at Hukilau? Don Murphy, and maybe Anthony Bourdain.
Anything about you that might surprise us? One day I’m going to start my own Hawaiian chili pepper company.
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
