Humble Beginnings
In May 1947, Nobuichi "James" Okuhara purchased Aala Delicatessen located on Aala and River Street. His brothers Kiyoshi, Charlie, and Tatsuo soon joined James at the delicatessen and together they converted it into a kamaboko factory.
Unique Local Taste
Starting out, the process for manufacturing kamaboko was very tedious. Production started at midnight to ensure the 300 fishcake quota would be met. To create surumi, the principle component of fishcake, the marlin or oio was cut into cubes, thoroughly washed and ground with other ingredients. The surumi would then be scraped onto a board and shaped by hand to achieve the famous "half circle" shape. Highly regarded as Hawaii's first fishcake brand, many local seniors as well as Japanese nationals appreciated Okuhara's authentic, yet unique delicious taste.
Strong Community Roots
Ten years later, the factory relocated to Kewalo Basin, which enabled them to embrace more modern machinery and allowed them to expand their offerings to include products imported from Japan and Taiwan. In 1960 the business was incorporated as “Okuhara Foods Inc” and in 1973 the factory was again relocated to the current location on North King Street, where we still manufacture our original delicious fishcake to this day.
Hawaii's Original
Best Value
Local Flavor
Eat Fishcake