Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Smith.
Hi Derrick, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve spent over 30 years in the culinary industry, building my craft from the ground up in real kitchens under real pressure. Somewhere along the way, food stopped being just a job and became my way of honoring where I come from — my great-grandfather’s 1875 barbecue marinade recipe is still the foundation of what I do today. It started as Smith’s BBQ, and I later renamed it Blu Rice Barbeque — but my great-grandfather’s face is still on every label, because this was always his recipe first.
I started Blu Dogz, which went on to be recognized as Best Hot Dog Restaurant in Honolulu — Hawaii’s first Italian hotdog concept. That success became the launchpad for something bigger: Blu Rice Inc., the company I founded to carry my full body of work — full-service catering, our Blu Rice Barbeque Marinade line, and my books. I also have additional restaurant concepts currently in development.
I’ve also written two books, Food Is Inspiration and Food Is Inspiration II, where I break down not just recipes but the philosophy behind how I think about food, technique, and culture.
Right now I’m also getting ready to launch the next product in the Blu Rice line — Brazen Blu Buffalo Wing Sauce.
Today Blu Rice Inc. is based in Honolulu, and I’m building it into a global brand rooted in flavor, culture, and legacy. This isn’t about a single restaurant or product for me — it’s about building something that outlives me, something my daughter can carry forward. Fatherhood, faith, and the pursuit of excellence have shaped every step of this journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been smooth — not even close. After Blu Dogz won Best Hot Dog of the Year in 2022, we lost our location when the property was bought out by the Howard Hughes Corporation. Right around that same time, I got injured working a part-time job. Workers’ comp failed to pay my wages for almost a year, which created a serious financial backlog. I had just had a newborn in 2021, and that financial strain put real pressure on my marriage — pressure that eventually led to me coming home to an empty house, my two-year-old and my wife gone, and me staring down the possibility of homelessness.
On top of that, I was dealing with a serious back injury that required PRP injections just to get my body functioning again. I was trying to heal physically while also fighting to catch up financially, with the insurance company still not paying what they owed. Eventually I got a lawyer involved, and by the grace of God, someone gave me an opportunity that helped turn things around.
During that stretch, the restaurant had to close so I could focus on healing and getting my life back on track. But that season is also where Food Is Inspiration came from. I couldn’t be in a kitchen cooking at the time, so I wrote instead — about the experience of cooking, about what food had taught me, but not about what I was living through yet. That book turned into a trilogy, with the third book coming within the next year or so.
2026 has been about rebuilding: getting Blu Rice Inc. ready to relaunch, franchising Blu Dogz, and getting Blu Rice Barbeque, Brazen Blu Buffalo Wing Sauce, and a new snack line into stores — along with reopening the award-winning Blu Dogz concept itself. Blu Rice stands for Real International Culinary Expertise, and Blu represents the oceans of Hawaii. Everything I’m building now comes out of what I had to survive to get here.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Blu Rice Inc. is a full-service catering company and culinary brand based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, built on one core belief: authenticity builds empires. We don’t sell anything we don’t believe in — every product and every plate carries a real story behind it.
Our leadership team brings over 101 years of combined professional culinary experience. Alongside myself as Founder & CEO, our team includes Chef Andrá L. Smith, VP of Culinary Operations; Eli Low, Senior Culinary Director; Josiah Lee Barro on our culinary team; and Yvonne Ku’uleinani Pascua, Director of Business & Multi-Unit Operations. Together we handle everything from setup to cleanup, with chef-driven menus tailored to each event, premium ingredients, and handcrafted sauces — including our own 24/7 AI catering concierge, “Blu,” so clients can start planning anytime, day or night. We cater weddings, corporate events, private celebrations, office lunch programs, holiday parties, birthday celebrations, private chef experiences, community events, celebrations of life, and recurring meal programs across Oʻahu.
We’re known for Blu Dogz, Hawaii’s first Italian hotdog concept, which won Best Hot Dog of the Year in 2022 — and we’re currently working to franchise and relaunch that award-winning concept, alongside additional restaurant concepts in development.
What sets us apart is technique paired with story. My background spans 30+ years across real kitchens, fine dining, and culinary artistry, and that shows up in everything from our private dinner plating to the recipes in my two books, Food Is Inspiration and Food Is Inspiration II — with a third book on the way.
What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is that Blu Rice Inc. isn’t built to just make money — it’s built to be a legacy. RICE stands for Real International Culinary Expertise, and Blu represents the oceans of Hawaii. I want readers to know that everything under this brand — the marinade, the restaurants, the books — is built to outlive me and be something my daughter can carry forward.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success isn’t measured in dollars it’s measured in legacy. Money is a tool, not the mission. The real win is building something that outlives me and benefits my daughter and the people who come after me.
None of this is possible without God. Every door that opened, every person who showed up for me at the right moment, every bit of strength I had to keep going — that was Him, not me. I don’t take credit for what only God could have carried me through.
I define success as execution, not ideas. Anyone can have a vision, but vision without disciplined daily action means nothing. Success is showing up, moving, testing, adjusting, and moving again — especially on the days it would be easier not to.
Given everything I’ve been through — losing the restaurant, the injury, my marriage, and nearly losing everything — success today looks like still being standing, still building, and doing it as a present father to my daughter, with my faith and God’s hand over all of it. My team knows that road too — several of us are building this while raising kids as single parents, which makes the mission even more personal. As Blu Rice Inc. continues becoming a brand that carries real culture, real flavor, and real impact, and remains long after I’m gone, that’s success. Everything else is just the scoreboard along the way.
Pricing:
- Blu Rice Barbeque $24
- Food Is Inspiration II Digital https://chefderricksmith.gumroad.com/l/jqnej
- Food Is Inspiration II Kindle $9.99 Amazon
- Food Is Inspiration II Paperback $24.99 -Amazon
- Food Is Inspiration II Hardcover $37.99 -Amazon
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Bluriceinc.com
- Instagram: BluRiceInc
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/QW1Uzc71ce
- Other: https://chefderricksmith.gumroad.com/l/jqnej
