#59 - Chef Chris Kajioka of Miro Kaimuki

On this episode of the Spoon Mob Podcast, Ray chats with owner/executive chef Chris Kajioka of Miro Kaimuki & Papa Kurts in Honolulu Hawaii and Waicoco in Maui Hawaii about how he got started cooking, why he wanted to become a chef, starting at the CIA right after 9/11, why he wanted to work for chef Ron Siegel, how he wound up working at Per Se, his one career regret, why he chose to work at Aziza over other Bay Area Michelin starred restaurants, how he wound up as the executive chef at Vintage Cave, the impact Vintage Cave had on his career, the surprise of his first James Beard Award nomination, why he ultimately decided to leave Vintage Cave,helping Mourad Lahlou open his eponymous restaurant in San Francisco, when he knew it was time to open a restaurant of his own, opening Senia with chef Anthony Rush, how the opportunity to take over Café Miro came about, the pandemic wiping out a successful debut for Miro Kaimuki, the concept behind the menu at Miro, why he continues to do collaboration dinners with other chefs, where the idea to open Papa Kurts came from, operating restaurants in hotels, how industry requirements have changed, the challenges of sourcing ingredients locally in Hawaii, the next generation of great Hawaiian chef mentors, what makes someone Hawaiian, his first love, how Hawaii’s food scene stacks up against San Francisco’s, pineapple on pizza, how Hawaii’s restaurant and food scene has changed, future plans, answers the question left behind from Dan Varga of The Hungarian Butcher, and more before taking on the "burning grill" questions! For more on chef Chris Kajioka, visit spoonmob.com/chriskajioka and follow him on Instagram @ckcuisine21, @mirokaimuki, @papakurts, & @waicoco.maui. Visit mirokaimuki.com for menu details & reservations. Visit toastlab.com and search Papa Kurts for menu details and online ordering. Visit waicocomaui.com for menu details & reservations. For all things Spoon Mob, visit spoonmob.com and make sure to follow us on Instagram (@spoonmob), Twitter (@s