Skull & Crown Trading Co.
Mokupuni: Oʻahu | Moku: Kona | Ahupua‘a: Honolulu
Year Established: 2019
Favorite Staple Crop to Work With: ʻUlu
A tiki bar like none other is thriving in the heart of Honolulu’s Chinatown, but Skull & Crown is more than a bar with a flair for theatrics… it’s fast becoming a culinary destination, thanks to the thoughtful work of Executive Chef Chris Kimoto. With nearly two decades of experience in Hawai‘i’s dynamic restaurant scene, he’s using his role to reimagine what a tiki bar can be, anchoring it in local flavors and food resilience.
“Now, you may think...why does a bar need an Executive Chef?” he says. “It doesn't, but since I've had nothing but restaurant experience prior, I made it my goal to create a food destination for both tourists and locals alike.”
Chris’s career has spanned some of the island’s most respected kitchens, from Michel’s at the Colony Surf, to The Pig and The Lady, and Piggy Smalls, where he served as Executive Sous Chef for a time. Yet what truly distinguishes his work today is how deeply it’s rooted in food as a vessel for nostalgia and cultural expression.
“I did my best to pull from my memories to create menu items that brought about a sense of comfort and familiarity,” he explains. “Hawai‘i is a mixing pot, and so I wanted to express that as well as my love of O‘ahu and Chinatown.”
This spirit of nostalgia meets innovation is exemplified in one of Chef Chris’ standout creations: the Chocolate Haupia S’mores Pie. Inspired by a childhood favorite, Ted’s Bakery’s haupia pie (and even the 7-Eleven version locals know well), his rendition is a layered, textural homage to island sweets and memories around the campfire. But what sets it apart is one unexpected ingredient: ‘ulu.
Chris was first intrigued by Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative’s products after spotting a booth at the 2024 Hawaii Hotel & Restaurant Show. “I remember eating a BOMB ‘ulu cookie when I was working at the school, so I wanted to try it out,” he recalls. While no samples were available at the time, a product flyer featuring the co-op’s ‘ulu chocolate mousse sparked his creativity.
When Chef Chris first sampled the Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative’s ʻulu chocolate mousse he “...was blown away by the texture and flavor. It was a pretty good starting point for a dessert and it was local,” he says. From there, he built a dessert around the co-op’s ingredient, layering it with orange-infused chocolate, haupia, and an Italian meringue, all set atop a graham cracker crust to capture that s’mores feeling.
Beyond the flavor innovation, Chef Chris sees his work with ‘ulu as part of a bigger mission: supporting Hawai‘i-grown foods and introducing them in fresh, exciting ways.“Ever since I was young in the industry, it was drilled into my head that buying local and selling local is the best way to go,” he says. “The uses [for ‘ulu] seem endless, and the fact that ‘ulu is gluten free, and can be made into flour, is a huge bonus.”
With his own gluten intolerance, Chris personally values the versatility and accessibility that ‘ulu offers. “People's diets are becoming more and more strict, and I think that utilizing this local ingredient would not only benefit the farmers that are growing it, but also the people who have semi-strict diets and want to seek out alternative ways to enjoy foods that they would otherwise be unable to digest painlessly.”
He also encourages other chefs to embrace the creative potential of the co-op’s semi-finished products. “Don’t be afraid to try to put your own twist and to play with flavor profiles even though it is already semi-made,” he advises. “Do your homework, find the defining qualities, and experiment to find how best to use the product in your own style of cooking.”
Chef Chris is even experimenting with immature ‘ulu, describing its aroma as reminiscent of artichoke hearts with a “spongy potato” texture, proving that even seasoned chefs are just beginning to scratch the surface of what ‘ulu can offer.
In a place where innovation often lives side-by-side with tradition, Chef Chris’ creations are a reflection of Hawai‘i’s evolving palate. While born and raised on Oʻahu, he doesn’t claim Native Hawaiian ancestry, but his respect for the culture, ingredients, and culinary heritage of these islands shines through in every dish he creates.
“It would be great to educate upcoming chefs and other people on another local fruit that has deep connections to the Hawaiian natives,” he says, “to bring us closer to the island knowledge, even if we ourselves are not from the island.”
Open: Tues - Sat, 5 PM – 11 PM
Address: 62 N. Hotel Street, Honolulu, HI 96817
Phone: (808) 372-0620
https://www.skullandcrowntrading.com/