07/07/2026
Poke didn’t appear out of nowhere. It wasn’t invented in California and it didn’t start when someone “discovered” it on vacation.
It’s a dish with deep roots in Hawaiʻi that evolved over generations. Native Hawaiians laid the foundation and the many cultures that became part of Hawaiʻi each helped shape the poke we know today. That’s what makes its story so special.
What’s frustrating is how often that history gets reduced to, “I went to Hawaiʻi, got inspired, and created this.” Somewhere along the way the people, the culture, the language and the history disappear from the story. No one is saying you can’t innovate. Yes. Food evolves. That’s part of its beauty. But innovation and success doesn’t replace history.
If your business is built on a cultural dish please tell the story. Say the name correctly. Acknowledge where it came from. Celebrate the people who made it possible before you ever entered the picture.
** We used clips from The Story of Poke documentary (available on Vimeo). If you haven’t seen it yet it’s worth watching. It does a great job of explaining the history of poke and why so many people in Hawaiʻi care about preserving that history.
