Shell Game: The Sisters Behind Hawaiʻi’s Hottest Oyster Company

When Allison “Allie” Chu and her sister Julie Chu Fieman describe how Oysters Hawaiʻi came to be, they finish each other’s sentences – which makes sense, because the business runs the same way. One brings the vision, the other makes it real.  

Allie, a former Miss Hawaiʻi, actress and classically trained opera singer, fell in love with oysters during her years living and working part-time in New York. Back home, she and her husband, Hopena Pokipala, spotted what no one else had: the Islands had no dedicated oyster catering company. If you wanted fresh-shucked oysters, you drove to a restaurant. Armed with a double major in international business and marketing, Pokipala immediately saw the opportunity. They pulled together uniforms, mapped a concept – and launched the week before the pandemic arrived. 

Credit: Aaron Yoshino

Enter Fieman. A former teacher with no business background, she became, in her own words, “the executioner.” She was the one who turned big dreams into spreadsheets, contracts and timelines. “Allie and Hopena were always full of wonderful ideas,” she says. “They needed someone to come through on the execution.” 

That division of labor paid off fast. After the pandemic pause, a single wedding booking reignited everything.  

Guests wanted oysters at their own events. Word spread. Today, Oysters Hawaiʻi operates across Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Maui and the Hawaiʻi island, with teams in Las Vegas and California. They shucked at Super Bowl LVIII. They hold a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. They employ about 40 team members all with strong ties to Hawaiʻi . 

Their smoked ponzu sauce, inspired by a family recipe, now sits on shelves at every Foodland statewide, with customers ordering from the mainland and abroad. Foodland is already asking about the champagne mignonette.  

This year at the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival, they will introduce the “Spicy Hawaiian,”, a special version created as a tribute to co-founder Hopena Pokipala and the flavors he loved most. New this season: a caviar service that accidentally sparked a global trend, and a custom stationary cart for weddings and upscale events. 

Hopena passed away earlier this year at just 30 years old. Both women are candid about how deeply his presence still shapes everything – the company’s slogan, its sauces, its soul. “We both feel so connected to him doing this business,” Allie says.