Poke Challenge

It was that time of the year again...the much anticipated 3rd Annual Poke Challenge. This year, like clockwork, our tickets were sold out way in advance. Our six families came ready to test out their Poke making skills to see who would come out in the end as the reigning victor.

The rules were the same as the past two years. Each team was provided with the necessary ingredients for the most basic Poke recipe which included:

- 10 lbs of Ahi
- Shoyu
- Sesame Oil
- Oyster Sauce
- Pa'a Kai
- Chili Pepper Flakes
- Yellow and Red Onions
- Green Onion
- Garlic

Along with these ingredients, each family was invited to bring two secret ingredients that would distinguish their recipe from the rest. Everyone had ONE HOUR to cut, prepare, and present their creations for the judges and the 100+ taste-testers in attendance that night.

While the families got to chopping and mixing, the crowd was entertained by our very first Musubi Challenge. We had 6 contestants participate in who could be the first to eat 3 musubi's. It was quite entertaining to see all six scarf down the island favorite snack. It definitely helped the time go by a lot quicker.

After the hour was over, it was judgement time. The judges, Sale Ah You of Queen Center, Omai Chricton of Sweet's Island Grill in Provo, and local celebrity Big Buddha, had the honor (some may even think it as a curse) to decided who would be this year's overall winner. Aside from the overall score, the families were critiqued on the following:

Best Presentation
Best Tasting
Most Original

The crowd was then given the honor to vote on their own personal favorite. Needless to say it was a tough decision. After the scores were tallied, everyone awaited the much anticipated answer to the burning question....who was this year's Poke Challenge Champion?!?!?!? And this year it went to Ka 'Ohana Watanabe, with their winning secret ingredient...the Kava in a can drink, Bula. It was a close call, but the judges deemed theirs as the BEST.


Mahalo to all the other families who participated, and we look forward to another successful challenge next year!