Jordan Keao

The Path

Early in his career, Jordan Keao trained under Roy Yamaguchi at Roy Yamaguchi, where Hawaiian cuisine was learned as working language rather than fixed doctrine. He then moved to work with Roland Passot at Roland Passot in San Francisco, a stretch that sharpened discipline and widened the frame. Today, Jordan is Head Chef of Butcher's Block.

The Work Today

At Butcher's Block, fire is the primary tool. It has to be managed, read, and adjusted continuously, with attention to both control and timing. In Jordan Keao's kitchen, heat functions as working medium: something that shapes pace, directs flavor, and sets the rhythm of service. That approach comes into focus in the IMUA tasting menu, a wood-fire menu shaped by his Hawaiian outlook and by the meaning of the word itself: moving forward with strength and spirit. As a menu title, IMUA carries more than branding; it sets the terms for the meal. The result is food that stays connected to origin while refusing to settle into repetition. Keao has said, "I never thought of it as a career until I got older and started to travel." Read plainly, the line describes a path formed in motion rather than by fixed plan. Training, travel, and repetition gave shape to a practice that came to hold place, identity, and memory without losing momentum.

Signature

Jordan's signature dishes include IMUA tasting menu, Winter IMUA tasting menu, Summer IMUA Menu, and Spam Musubi. Each carries the same underlying sensibility: a respect for season, a sense of continuity, and a connection to the flavors and spirit that inform his work.

In Their Words “Growing up, food was about more than just about eating — it was a way of bringing everyone together.” “I started my career at 18 and started going to culinary school at the same time, I was working for a pretty well-known chef around the world for regional Hawaiian cuisine, Roy Yamaguchi.”

Acclaim

Jordan's honors include Michelin Bib Gourmand guide inclusion for Aina.