Fresh fish and FGCU-sion are on the menu at Poke Fusion

By Cheryl Mandell

Chances are, if you’ve been to University Village, you’ve seen Poke Fusion. The Pacific-inspired, artistic, interlocking fish logo gives you a hint to what’s inside this unique restaurant located in the heart of the village. If you’ve yet to experience the fresh, casual eats within, there’s no better time than this summer.

Owners Aaron Baltzell and George Lampert, both local Floridians, have taken community-involvement to the next level. Between hiring FGCU students, hosting university events on and off campus, and even putting FGCU on the menu (check out the “FGCU-sion” below), Poke Fusion takes its commitment to community seriously.

“The best part about us is all of our employees are FGCU students; we’ve been open for six-and-a-half years, and we’ve employed just one employee outside of FGCU,” said Baltzell, who has ample experience opening restaurants and is a former general manager for Joe’s Crab Shack in Orlando and Seasons 52 in Fort Lauderdale. For all of his restaurant experience, Poke Fusion is his first venture where he is his own boss.

What is poke? A traditional Hawaiian dish consisting of diced, raw fish — often ahi tuna — marinated and served over rice or salad with various toppings and sauces. The name “poke” means “to cut” in Hawaiian, referring to the way the fish is prepared.

After searching all around Florida for the right location for their new venture, the University Village location seemed like the obvious choice. Starting with dirt floors and no air conditioning, Poke Fusion’s journey has been one of creativity and responsibility.

The owners allow for flexibility in schedules for students who live at home or on campus.  Baltzell said he makes sure Poke Fusion is a nice, welcoming place that’s safe and secure, so employees don’t have to travel far. Employee turnover is quite low – most students are hired as freshman or sophomores and work up until graduation or beyond, he added.

Members of an FGCU photography club take photos for the casual, counter-service establishment, and there’s even student art adorning the walls of the welcoming space, which was designed floor to ceiling by the owners. The student love for poke is real — from a former captain of the women’s soccer team to lacrosse players and other athletes to Greek organizations.

After visiting many successful poke restaurants in California, Baltzell and Lampert researched the different menus and layouts and determined what makes sense for a poke restaurant. The only remaining question was, where would they establish this in their home state of Florida?

“At the time, back in 2018, there were no poke restaurants within two hours of us, so we thought it had a great chance to succeed as a new, trendy and healthy food experience for people,” said Lampert. 

When the owners were shown the space in University Village by their realtor, it was love at first sight.

“It was a brand new, beautiful spot that had the great bonus of being basically connected to FGCU and all of its students and staff,” Lampert said.

This homegrown, owner-operated restaurant survived a global pandemic shortly after opening, as well as all of the recent hurricanes, but not much slowed them down. Turns out, people like their poke!

While students comprise a good share of customers, Poke Fusion has a lot of local, health-conscious customers from the gated communities surrounding University Village. People often ride their bikes to grab a healthy lunch or dinner.

Poke Fusion gets its name because it offers traditional poke, as well as poke with a Southwestern chipotle-chicken twist. Classic style or create-your-own, these dishes are fresh, flavorful and healthy. The menu at Poke Fusion consists of generous offerings of “Favorite Fusions,” which are creatively crafted to avoid confusion. For the more seasoned poke veteran, the “Create Your Own Fusion” menu beckons, filled with five levels of options from rice, greens or noodles to choice of protein, to sauces and toppings.

The global fusion doesn’t end with fresh fish. Poke Fusion also offers an extensive menu of unique beverage options, including an array of Boba teas. Also known as bubble tea, Boba is a popular Asian-inspired beverage that features chewy tapioca pearls in a tea-based drink. The drink includes milk, a sweetener, various flavorings, and chewy tapioca pearls. Boba tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s and has since gained immense popularity across Asia and globally. In addition to these sweet milk teas, Poke Fusion serves fruit teas, classic fresh teas and dessert drinks, and slushes, such as piña colada slush and Dole whip (a Hawaiian favorite).

“The best feedback that I get is from people who are native Hawaiians or Californians who come in here and say that this is the best poke they’ve ever had,” said Baltzell.

Poke Fusion is open every day, Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Visit their Instagram page at pokefusionswfl to learn more or to place an order. Come see what locals are raving about!