Ry’s Poke Shack started with a local boy from Hawaiʻi who just wanted a different kind of life.
Born and raised on Oʻahu, Ryan Ching grew up around the flavors and culture that make Hawaiʻi special. Poke was always a part of that—something simple, familiar, and deeply rooted in home. A lot of what he knew came from his grandfather, from the way fish was prepared to the small details that most people overlook. Those lessons stayed with him, even as life pulled him in a different direction.
Before Ry’s Poke Shack, Ryan was on a completely different path. He worked hard to earn his degree in architecture while raising a young family, pushing through long days and even longer nights. But the reality of that life started to wear on him. He was leaving home before his kids woke up and coming back after they were already asleep. When the pandemic hit in 2020, everything slowed down just enough for him to really see what he was missing.
That moment changed everything.
With no real plan and very little money, he decided to start small. Just a simple setup, focusing on making poke the way he believed it should be made—fresh, made to order, and treated with care. He leaned on the flavors he grew up with, including recipes and techniques passed down from his grandfather, while adding his own touch. It wasn’t about trying to be different for the sake of it. It was about doing it right.
In the beginning, it was slow. Some days barely brought in anything. But people started to notice. Not just the food, but the feeling behind it. The intention. The pride. The idea that something so local and familiar could still be elevated without losing its roots.
What started as one small shack on the North Shore has grown into something much bigger than he ever imagined.