Rising Star Chef Christopher Kulis of Capische? - Biography

Christopher Kulis began his culinary career at the tender age of 5 years old with the intention to never stop cooking. So far, the 2012 Hawaii Rising Star Chef has succeeded in his goal. Kulis attended the Culinary Institute of America, then worked at The Broiler Room in Lake Tahoe before taking a job at California's Bouchon, where he stayed for three years. Kulis then worked throughout Europe as part of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. While in Italy Chef Brian Etheredge approached Kulis with the idea of joining the team at Capische? in Maui.

Kulis takes to heart the idea of farm-to-table (or as he calls it, dirt-to-mouth), working with local farmers to develop an on-site vegetable garden (complete with irrigation system), using the day’s catch as inspiration for the menu, and preferring not to serve product that would need to be flown in from the East Coast or New Zealand. However, he is not a slave to “local only,” willing to use beef from Idaho or other off-island product when warranted. Kulis also recently started Stir, a personal chef company, and The Salt Box, a high-end picnic basket caterer, and is exploring pop-up restaurants on other islands. Which is to say, so far as we can tell, he’s sticking to his childhood plan to never stop cooking.