The 4th annual I Love Poke Festival tasting event and competition returns to Orange County on Sunday, June 28 at The Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. The foodie festival and chef competition invites poke connoisseurs and newcomers to celebrate the Hawaiian delicacy, lifestyle and culture as chefs compete for the title of best poke.
“It’s going to be another delicious Orange County event,” said Nino “Neens” Camilo, producer of I Love Poke and founder of ONO YUM (formerly www.ILoveMusubi.com). “Most of the chefs competing this year are first place winners from past festivals, so they’re all accustomed to winning. This will be the most competitive festival so far.”
Poke, pronounced “Poh-kay”, means to cut or slice and is traditionally prepared as a raw salad of fish, sea salt and any number of preferential ingredients. Festival goers will get to sample the poke as a panel of judges evaluate each dish based on presentation, quality of ingredients and flavor, to crown the winner. Many returning champions from past I Love Poke Festivals will be competing against each other for the title.
The I Love Poke Festival will feature 10-12 Orange County chefs competing for the title with their unique versions of the popular fish dish. Notable participants include James Harris of 370 Common, Shawn Gole of North Short Poke Co., Ben LeFleche of Shades Restaurant & Bar, and Julio Hawkins of Fly-n-Fish Oyster Bar. Attendees can also sample Hawaiian and Asian-inspired dishes from 10-12 additional food concepts. Traditional Hawaiian plates lunches, Hula Girls Shave Ice and Dough Dough’s Malasadas are some of the many offerings that will be available at the festival. In addition to the battle for “Best Poke” and unlimited tastings from popular chefs and restaurants, the event will also feature live music from Orange County local Loa Greyson, cocktails, family friendly atmosphere and a waterfront setting.
Tickets are available now for $65 at www.onoyum.com. The event will take place at The Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., located at 21100 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA. Guests are encouraged to use the hashtag #ILovePoke throughout the event.
Since 2009, I Love Poke has grown from a San Diego event to include a festival in Orange County. Combined, the annual events attract more than 1,300 attendees and 25 poke competition participants and tickets always sell out. For more information, visit www.onoyum.com.
ONO YUM is a new way to say delicious. With a nod to the Hawaiian word “ono” and mainland word “yum” of the same meaning. ONO YUM aims to bring food inspired fun wherever good food and conversation can be found. Led by founder Nino “Neens” Camilo, ONO YUM is the purveyor of West Coast food events and an authority of all things California meets Hawaii – food, culture and lifestyle.
I want to go! I’ll even go behind the orange curtain for this. Which is saying a lot because I usually don’t want to drive 2 miles over to West Hollywood. GREG