Uncle's Hawaiian Grindz Opening in Fallston Village Center in Fall 2016

FALLSTON, Md. – A taste of the North Shore is coming to Harford County.

Uncle’s Hawaiian Grindz, a full-service casual dining restaurant and bar, will soon anchor Fallston Village Center (2315 Bel Air Rd., Fallston, Md. 21047).

A $1.2 million project has commenced to combine five individual retail spaces into a 4,800-square-foot restaurant and bar. The finished product will be a partnership between three owners with ties to Hawaii: Kaimana Chee, Jeffrey Cowart and Kosmas “Tommie” Koukoulis.

The grand prize winner on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen, Oahu-born Chee also was runner up on the Food Network hit show, Guy's Grocery Games. Previously, he was named Native Chef of the Year and one of America's Top 100 Amateur Home Cooks.

In addition to being the executive chef and owner of Kaimana’s Katering in the Washington, D.C. area, Chee is a chef instructor at CulinAerie, where he is the resident specialist on sushi, Asian-style dumplings, Hawaiian and Polynesian cuisine. He also serves as chef concierge with Hampton Creek, the San Francisco-based food technology company focused on finding new ways of utilizing plants in food products.

Koukoulis resides in Fallston and owns and operates Café Mezzanotte in Severna Park. Among its many accolades, the restaurant has been named People's Choice - Open Table, Best Service – What’s Up Annapolis, Best Restaurant/Best Italian/Best Service - Severna Park Voice, Best Restaurant - Maryland Gazette and Best Italian - The Capital. It also received Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence.

After spending his youth learning the restaurant business at his parents’ establishment, Tom & Tina’s Family Restaurant in Baltimore County, Koukoulis honed his skills at several restaurants before taking on the challenge of purchasing and rebranding Mezzanotte.

Inspired by last year’s trip to The North Shore with his Hawaiian wife (who coincidentally grew up in the same town as Chee), and with a strong nudge from Cowart (who lives in Fallston and has a second residence in Hawaii), Koukoulis was ready to recreate the experience back home.

“Our mission is to share Hawaiian food and culture with the world,” Koukoulis said. “Once our guests taste Hawaiian food, they’ll fall in love with it, like I did!”

Uncle’s is strategically positioned close to several of Harford County’s local farms, from which a bulk of their ingredients will be sourced. The cuisine will be complemented by Hawaiian cocktails, a diverse wine selection and local craft beer.

The restaurant will operate seven days a week for lunch, dinner and lite fare from the bar all day. In addition to indoor seating for 175, it will offer outdoor seating for 50 and a private room for parties of 35 or less. Additional amenities will include carry-out service and off-premises catering.

An early Fall opening is anticipated for Uncle’s Hawaiian Grindz. For more information, visit http://eatatuncles.com or email info@eatatuncles.com.