Senia chefs driven to daily revision

The past 10 months have been a whirlwind for chefs Chris Kajioka and Anthony Rush, owners of Senia, Honolulu’s hottest restaurant. Seats have been filled since Day One, and a mere two months after opening their doors in December, the restaurant was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award, the Oscars of the food world.

So it’s really no surprise that Senia was selected by Star-Advertiser food writers as this year’s best restaurant.

“It’s been good, we’ve been fortunate,” said Kajioka, who gained renown locally during his stint at Vintage Cave. Though the level of food the duo delivers has been deemed top-notch from the start by critics and customers alike, they’re “still tweaking daily.”

“We’re still in our first year. It’s still new for us,” said Rush. In fact, he said, they continue to put in 15-hour workdays.

Beyond the fact that their Chinatown venue is still a fledgling restaurant, one reason for the long hours is that the chefs are committed to keeping things fresh, from food to cocktails.

“It will always be that way,” Rush said.

They have three pastas on their ala carte menu, for instance, and have changed each at least four times — “That’s at least 12 different pastas,” he said.

Their tasting menu, refined dishes that reflect their fine-dining backgrounds, goes through a constant evolution as well.

“We’d get bored if we had to cook the same thing day in, day out,” Rush said, speaking of Senia’s crew. “The menu is always changing. We are always teaching and learning.”

Couple those high standards and creativity with the finest ingredients (local when possible), and you’ve got a winning formula. Yet Kajioka said they aren’t doing anything groundbreaking.

“Rush and I never said we were reinventing the wheel. We’re just trying to make food as delicious as possible.”

Despite his nonchalance, their dishes make evident that they have some serious pedigree. The chefs met about 10 years ago while employed at New York’s Per Se, the three-Michelin-star restaurant owned by Thomas Keller, and became fast friends. Kajioka went on to lead Vintage Cave, while British chef Rush served as head chef at Fera at Claridge’s in London after honing his skills at the French Laundry, another Keller restaurant.

“We’ve worked at some significant restaurants in the past and were taught by those chefs,” Rush said. “We’re an evolution of that.”

Hawaii’s weather and products inspire the new resident, who loves to hike and forage. Rush’s latest favorite find: strawberry guava. When he gathers enough, he processes it into gel form and serves it with foie gras on his tasting menu.

“It works well. It’s aromatic, acidic and has a nice sweetness,” he said. “I wish they would sell it. I want more — if I could, I would use it in cocktails.”

Rush is also enamoured of local seafood — “Rush has never seen some of that stuff in the Atlantic,” said Kajioka — and local heart of palm.

“Thomas (Keller) always had heart of palm, but to use it where it actually comes from — I love that,” Rush said. “I’m trying to showcase that, so I’m more creative with it here.”

In other words, don’t expect to see the product shaved and tossed in salads at Senia, the way other places do it. Instead, Rush makes a custard. “It has a faint, coconutty sweetness,” Kajioka explained. They also serve it on occasion with caviar.

And while Rush is caught up in local products, Kajioka revels in the wide variety of items local farmers now produce upon request.

“There are so many new things farmers are growing, things I used to see in San Francisco or New York. It’s exciting,” he said.

Both men are also sold on Maui venison, a mainstay on their tasting menu. A popular preparation is venison carpaccio. They say it’s a dish every diner enjoys — “not fancy, super tasty,” noted Kajioka.

Though Senia serves lunch, “dinner is what we designed the restaurant around,” he said. “It’s designed for sharing, and people are really enjoying the small plates and trying a lot of different things.”

And if you visit, here’s a given: “I guarantee you’ll see me, Anthony and (general manager) Katherine (Nomura),” said Kajioka. “We’re here every day, doing everything.”

He said it’s important for local diners to patronize places where chef-owners are “rooted” in Hawaii — and in their own restaurants — mentioning venues such as the Pig and the Lady, MW, Fete and Pai.

“When chef-owners are always there, they definitely care. Things will be taken care of,” he said.

Next up for the men: A visit to Beard House on Nov. 9 in New York, where they’ve been invited to present a meal.

“It’s gonna be all about Hawaii,” Kajioka said. “We’re going to bring everything up there.”