NUKA is the Japanese word for rice bran.

Nuka is created in the process of turning brown rice into white, also known as polishing or milling. The bran is then mixed with water, salt, kelp, and turned into a pickling bed. Any vegetable can be buried in the nuka for one day to many months. The final product is nukazuke, a salty, tangy, sour pickle loaded with beneficial probiotics.

At NUKA we proudly mill our own rice. The polishing process partially removes the brown rice bran, leaving a nutritious ‘embryo’ rice with the taste, texture, and digestibility of white rice. We then use the nuka byproduct of the milling process to create our own nukazuke. We fry exclusively with rice bran oil, which is known for its high smoke point and mild flavor.

NUKA, the restaurant, was born of a love for food and culture. Restaurant creators DeWitt Lickle, Yuri Soledade, and Moon Greene have long admired the natural simplicity of Japanese cuisine. Together with executive Sushi Chef Hiro Takanashi, they believe food tastes best when prepared simply. Supporting local farms and fishermen is a priority as well as a responsibility at NUKA. In addition to supplementing the menu with our Haiku grown produce, we also aim to bring local and seasonal ingredients to the table as often as possible.

Food has the great power to bring people together and we hope to enhance this experience by offering delicious meals to gather around.