FoodLab: Hawaiʻi Plate Lunch

Food, like photography, can tell stories that linger long after the moment has passed. 

In this Fotografiska FoodLab workshop, we invite you into an immersive culinary experience that explores the rich cultural mosaic of modern day Hawaiʻi through its most beloved everyday meal: the plate lunch. 

Together, we’ll cook, reflect, and explore how Hawaiʻi’s history – shaped by indigenous traditions, migration, labor, and place – has created a cuisine that is humble, expressive, and globally connected.

In the spirit of Fotografiska’s conscious and creative approach to food, we prepare each dish using a thoughtful balance of island flavors and inspirations from Estonia. Each component of the final dish is crafted to honor tradition while celebrating creativity and the joy of discovery. The event is led by Pono Weimer, Sous Chef at Fotografiska Tallinn restaurant.

What the Workshop Explores

● Culinary evolution — How Hawaiʻi’s plate lunch evolved through the meeting of many cultures 

● Cross-cultural creativity — Reimagining traditional Hawaiian dishes with Estonian ingredients 

● Tasting as storytelling — How flavor, texture, and aroma communicate history and culture

● A shared experience — A space for conversation, personal reflection, and community 

Menu

● Teriyaki chicken

● Hawaiian-style macaroni salad

● Lomi “salmon” made with local Estonian trout

● Steamed rice

● Cucumber kimchi

● Dessert: Nordic Haupia Pie 

Format

Participants work in small groups to prepare the components of the plate lunch. As the dishes come together, we share a guided tasting and a conversation on cultural identity, migration, sustainability, and what it means to adapt traditions across continents. Join us for an afternoon that invites new perspectives – a hallmark of Fotografiska – where food becomes a medium for connection, curiosity, and storytelling. 

About the chef

Pono is the Sous Chef at Fotografiska Tallinn restaurant. Originally from Hawai‘i and of Korean descent, she brings a multicultural background and a master’s degree from the University of Tartu, where she specialized in Estonian goat-milk artisanal goods.

She approaches food as both craft and cultural expression, believing in its power to bring people together and hold space for evolving identities.

Her culinary style blends respect for traditional dishes with a curiosity for thoughtful fusion, guided by seasonality, balance, and the stories ingredients can tell. In this workshop, Pono will introduce the Hawaiian plate lunch and trace its roots in Hawai‘i’s sugar-plantation era, highlighting how immigrant communities shaped modern Hawaiian cuisine.

Fotografiska FOodLab

Want to experience FoodLab with your friends or colleagues (min. 8 people)?

Get in touch at booking.tallinn@fotografiska.com – we’ll tailor the session to your schedule.