KALISPELL — Chef Stephen Kina is bringing his Montana-made barbecue to a national audience on the new Food Network show "Chopped Castaways."
Kina, who is based in Kalispell, was born and raised in Hawaii. It wasn't until he moved to the mainland for college that an experience with barbecue changed his life.
"Growing up I didn't really know what brisket was so when I got my first bite of brisket I really fell in love with it and I have been chasing that first bite ever since," Kina said.
Kina moved to Montana in 2020 and began perfecting his barbecue, mixing in his Hawaiian roots. He then opened his own food truck.
"When I moved to Montana there was like no barbecue which inspired me to open my own food truck even though I was really inexperienced," Kina said.
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Kina has built a following of 60,000 on Instagram, a platform that has opened doors, including an invitation to cater at the Kentucky Derby.
"To cater there, being the only Montana business to ever do it and being someone that represented Montana there, it's something special," Kina said.
On "Chopped Castaways," Kina competes against 11 other chefs on a remote island. The chefs must cook for judges without electricity or traditional kitchen tools — only an open fire. Kina said the format plays to his strengths.
"A big part of my business is only working open fire, no propane no electricity and so I thought it would be perfect for me, especially that I'm from an island," Kina said.
For Kina, the show is also an opportunity to represent both the state where he was born and the state where he built his business.
"Hawaii and Montana, their cultures are the same, everybody is friendly to you, there's that family atmosphere and that's why I didn't just say I'm from Hawaii, my roots are in Montana. To represent both on a large scale was a responsibility that I was ready to shoulder," Kina said.
Chopped Castaways premieres Tuesday, May 12 on Food Network.
