Bricyn “Kale” Afong was born and raised on the island of O’ahu. He is a self-taught Native Hawaiian chef who uses his life experiences to influence his cuisine. Growing up in a broken family where drug-use was prevalent, forced Kale to grow up pretty quickly. When he was only 8 years old he was teaching himself to cook and provide care to his one year old baby brother. At the age of 15, Kale became a single parent which forced him to learn to be extra resourceful. Working as a dishwasher at Zippys to cover the costs of baby food, diapers and rent, meant there was little money left over to spend on food for himself, so he began diving for fish. Over the years, Kale learned the basics of cooking from his mother, but also credits his expertise to watching the Food Network and online teaching shows.

Fast forward to today, and Kale now has a wonderful wife Claren and three more beautiful children to care for, along with a new grandson! The biggest part of his life continues to be his family and Kale is always looking for unique ways to support them that involves the ocean. In early 2019, Kale started Hawaii’s first “Ocean to Table” Experience which offered adventure and dining with a local twist. He takes his clients fishing or diving and then teaches them to prepare their catch, often in a unique beach-picnic style setting. The onset of Covid caused these events to slow down so Kale started his own YouTube Channel under the title “Hawaii’s Only”. His videos feature recipes that range from two ingredients (fish and salt) to high-level technique cooking and also highlight Kale (and often his children) hunting and gathering the necessary ingredients from the land and sea.