Aloha to new biz
Island Fin Poke brings tropical fun to Town
The family — Kristina “Kristi” and her husband, Tab, along with daughters, Abigail, 16, Amanda, 15, and Austyn, 13, of Maryville — are opening Island Fin Poke at 11615 Parkside Drive, beside Fleet Feet Knoxville.
“We are aiming for a mid-September opening,” Kristi said. “We’re trying to get in time for the football games and back-to-school excitement.”
Using a “quick-serve concept,” Island Fin Poke carries “incredibowls” and Dole soft-serve ice cream.
Customers can build their own poke bowl.
The bowl is comprised of brown rice, salad or seaweed to start; proteins, such as tuna, spicy tuna, salmon or spicy salmon, octopus, shrimp, chicken, Spam and tofu; vegetables, such as pickled vegetables, edamame, cucumber or many others; fruits, such as mango, pineapple salsa, mango-pineapple; and all kinds of toppings, such as frikaki, masago (little fish eggs), sesame seeds, wasabi peas, crispy wontons or toasted coconut.
”We do our toasted coconut in house,” Kristi said.
Adding to that list, “all of our sauces are made fresh,” she said. They include togarashi, Jamaican avocado, wasabi and ono ono.
“Everything is gluten-free and dairy-free,” Kristi added. “We talk about things like boat to bowl and farm to fork.
“On tap will be Dole soft-serves daily, as well as stubborn sodas — agave vanilla cream soda, pineapple cream soda, black cherry and lemon açai. We’re probably going to have kombuche.”
Customers will be welcomed by surf music and island décor.
“We’re offering take-out and to-go,” Kristi said, adding they will be using such services as Grub Hub and Uber Eats.
“We’re going to be rolling out an expansive catering counterpart as well,” she added. “I’m really excited to bring the catering to the corporate folks and to backyard parties and celebrations.”
The Burkhalters plan the hours to be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
For more information, call 865-414-3590 or visit islandfinpoke.com
The Burkhalters became acquainted with the Island Fin Poke franchise while traveling in Sarasota, Florida.
“All three of our girls are rowers with Tri-Star Rowing, a nationally ranked team,” Kristi said.
While taking part in last year’s youth national rowing competition, she said they were looking for a place to eat.
“We wanted something that was fresh, packed with flavor and healthy,” Kristi recalled. They found Island Fin Poke a half mile from their hotel.
“We walked in and immediately fell in love with the O’hana (family) vibe,” she said. “The island flavor was just fresh, fun and simple — just what food should be.”
After trying the incredibowls, “we were hooked,” Kristi said. “We saw it as a great opportunity to bring the island hospitality to Knox County and give our girls a vested interest in business development, landing a future for themselves.”
Bringing the franchise to Knox County, “we immediately thought of Farragut,” she said. “It’s such a welcoming community, full of different flavors and beautiful people.”
To celebrate the area communities, Kristi said she plans to have surfboards with school insignias, such as Farragut High School, on the walls. There also will be a sitting area for families to congregate, or for students to sit after school and use Wi-Fi — plus outdoor seating.
