Pau Hana Friday for April 11

Oxtail Soup is a Monday special at MCS Grill. Daniel Lane photo

Tasting Kauai

Happy Aloha Friday! We had an exceptional week and hope you did too. We are still in Colorado visiting family. It’s pretty amazing to see my father and his three brothers come together. One uncle flew from Texas to California to pick up his 90-year-old brother and drive him to Colorado. My favorite aunt and her husband drove from Idaho as well. We have had a wonderful time reconnecting and sharing memories, all of wich seem to happen over a well made meal.
There’s no local avocados in Colorado, but in last Sunday’s, article “Avocado Advantage” I reported on four of Hawaii’s most popular avocados. The recipe for Avocado Banana Bread makes a moist, dense nutritious loaf. On Kauai, at the farmers market, you can get very large avocados for a dollar or two.
In Fresh and Local on Kauai’s Westside, I reported on MCS Grill, a new restaurant that serves local favorites as well as healthy options. I’m happy to have found them because Dan can hardly resist a big, juice burger, especially when it’s made with local, grass-fed beef and I appreciate being able to order lighter meals such as the Vegetarian Trio. We are also happy to have another dining option when we are on the Westside.
 

Verde Healthy Thursday Burrito Bowl. Daniel Lane photo.

Verde Healthy Thursday

Join Verde in April for Healthy Thursday. This month, it’s a tasty and filling Burrito Bowl. It’s less than 380 calories and made with Makaweli Meat Company’s grass-fed beef, lime rice with Moloaa cilantro, local avocados and cherry tomatoes. Tasting Kauai, Verde and Kauai Athletic Club are working together to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Answer a health related question posted every Thursday on Tasting Kauai’s Facebook page and you could win a $20 gift certificate to Verde.

Sustainable Kauai Meetups

This month, Sustainable Kauai’s Meetups include:

Wailua Monthly Garden Share

Tuesday, April 15, 5 p.m.
Lydgate Beach Park
4470 Nalu Road
Wailua, HI

Unwasted – Movie Night and Discussion

Wednesday, April 16, 6 to 8 p.m.
Kauai Community College
3-1901 Kaumualii Highway
Lihue, HI

Surfrider Beach Clean up at Donkey Beach

Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m.
Donkey Beach, located 7/10 of a mile north of mile marker 11 on Highway 56.
Kapaa, HI 96746

RumFire

Sheraton Kauai Resort’s “You Dine, We Donate” program continues its mission to raise funds for local charities by naming Kauai Independent Food Bank as its beneficiary in April. All net food and beverage proceeds at RumFire Poipu Beach’s Table #53 will be donated to the The Kauai Independent Food Bank for the month-long fundraiser.
EVENTS:   
Friday, April 11 – Saturday, April 12

8th Annual Orchid and Art Festival

Friday 1 to 9 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 2014 Kauai Orchid and Art Festival promises to be better than ever, with new artists and events on the main stage at the Hanapepe Hawaiian Congregational Church. Click here for event and workshop listings.
 

Pineapple fields at Kilohana Plantation. Marta Lane photo

A Taste of Kilohana

Kilohana Plantation, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $115
A Taste of Kilohana is an exclusive, guided food tour that offers a seasonal slice of Kilohana Plantation. Our tour includes an off-the-menu, three-course, locally sourced meal that’s served in the Private Dining Room of Wilcox Mansion. Tasting Kauai donates a portion of the proceeds to the Kauai Branch of the Hawaii Food Bank.
Our unique tour begins with a ride in a open-air train through the 105-acre orchard which has more than 50 varieties of exotic fruit trees. Guests disembark and feed wild boar, goats and chickens and stroll through the orchard with Kai, Kilohana’s expert in local agriculture. After picking and eating exotic fruit, sit and relax as Kai demonstrates how to select and prepare tropical fruit, then taste the best of Kilohana in a super-fresh fruit salad.
After a short tour of the historic Manor House, guests learn how to make Gaylord’s signature Mai Tai with fresh-pressed sugarcane and lime juice inside Mahiko Lounge. Meet Gaylord’s executive chef Todd Barrett while he explains the day’s preparations and enjoy a three-course, locally sourced lunch in the Private Dining Room. Proceeds from this tour benefit the Hawaii Food Bank – Kauai Branch, help to restore native plants and preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture through education. To make reservations, visit A Taste of  Kilohana. To see previous tours, check out our Facebook photo album. For a complete list of tour dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar.

Anthurium Workshop

Kauai Nursery & Landscaping, 9:05 a.m., free
Learn how to care for and multiply an anthurium collection. Enter to win a 4-inch anthurium. For more information, visit KN&L’s website.

Lost World + Blue Agave Reveal Party

aFeinberg Gallery Poipu, 6 p.m.
Kauai photographer Aaron Feinberg will reveal to new images: Lost World and Blue Agave. To celebrate, he will serve pupus, local craft beer and wine. Live music by Jordan Walters and Milo Matthews with performances throughout the evening. For more info please email info @ afeinberggallery.com. COLLECTOR ONLY VIEWING 5PM

Hukilau Lanai’s Twice Baked Soufflé made with Kunana Dairy goat cheese and Kaua’i Fresh Farms broccoli. Daniel Lane photo

Friends of Harmony Harwell Fundraiser

Hukilau Lanai, 6 p.m., $40 (cash purchases appreciated, but not required)

• Buffet Dinner
• Music
• Entertainment
• No-Host Bar
• Silent Auction

Hukilau Lanai seeks to help their dear friend and employee Harmony Harwell, who has very recently been diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of lymph tissue, which requires extensive treatment. This illness has struck her family very unexpectedly and with no preparedness. Over the coming months Harmony will undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapies rendering her unable to work. Harmony is in need of financial help to deal with daily expenses and upcoming medical bills. The owners and employees of Hukilau Lanai are reaching out to find support for this spirited and community active young woman, and are asking for your assistance. Hukilau Lanai’s fundraiser will donate 100 percent of profits to Harmony. If you are able to donate a service, gift certificate (no alcohol included), or item for the silent auction we would be most grateful. Donations can be mailed or picked up upon request.
Tickets on sale now at Hukilau Lanai, call 808-822-0600
Thursday, April 17

Agriculture Grant Information Session and Market Development

Kauai Community College OCET Room, 3-1901 Kaumualii Hwy
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture Market development Branch is coming to Kauai  to do a grants workshop at KCC. “The hope is that we can use this opportunity to better connect to the agriculture producers and those who work to prepare proposals for agriculture grants throughout the year,” says Michael Opgenorth, Agricultural Development Division, Hawaii Department of Agriculture. For more information, email [email protected].
FOR FARMERS/NON-PROFIT or FOR-PROFIT ASSOCIATIONS/INTERESTED PARTIES
No cost to attend, however, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED before day of the event!

• 9 to 9:30 a.m. ~ Welcome and introduction of Market Development
• 9:30  to 10:15  a.m. ~ Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
• 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. ~ Sponsorship and Product Promotion Program
• 10:45 to 11:00 a.m. ~ Question and Answer
• 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ~ One-on-one grant proposal development

Meet the HDOA Agriculture Development Division staff and ask how we can help you. Attendees can expect to discuss:

• Different funding sources
• Proposal preparation – what challenges do you face?
• Reporting and grant requirements
• Joining the contact list for all future programs and updates

Contact the HDOA Market Development Branch to register by March 28, 2014. Call (808) 973-9595, or email [email protected]. For more information about Hawaii agriculture, see www.hdoa.hawaii.gov.

First course on a previous Culinary Romp Through Paradise. Grilled eggplant with Lebanese dressing and marinated tomatoes. Daniel Lane photo

A Culinary Romp Through Paradise

Various locations in Kapaa, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., $140
Tasting Kauai’s Culinary Tour offers an intimate glimpse into the Garden Island’s culinary scene. We start with a farm tour and sample exotic fruit grown on Kauai. At the Kauai Marriott Resort, we join executive chef Guy Higa for an outdoor cooking demonstration and gourmet, four-course lunch made with Kauai grown ingredients. We conclude this food tour with cocktails at Oasis on the Beach. After a short presentation by Jeanne Toulon about award-winning, small-batch Koloa Rum, mixologist Joel Downs will handcraft two cocktails.
To make reservations, visit A Culinary Romp Through Paradise. To check out previous tours, visit our Facebook photo album. Chef Higa donates proceeds from his portion of the tour to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen and Tasting Kauai donates proceeds to the Kauai Branch of the Hawaii Food Bank. For a complete list of tour dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar.
Saturday, April 19

19th Annual Garden Fair

9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Kauai Community College, free
Special all day farmers market with all day garden talks, educational demonstrations, government and non-profit resources for your farm or home garden, keiki activities by 4-H and school gardens, ono local foods and plate lunches all day.
On Saturday morning the Kauai Community College front lawn will spring to life with gardeners, suppliers, garden lovers and consumers there to shop the wide variety of plants, landscape products and equipment, and to find out the latest gardening information and tips. Hosted by Kauai County Farm Bureau and University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources (CTAHR), the annual Kauai Garden Fair is one of the largest gatherings of green thumbs on Kauai and a great way to share the bounty of the island firsthand. This event is in its 18th year and continues to grow.
This one-day, free event begins with a “one-stop shop” for the garden, where a wide variety of tropical plants, flowers, produce and seeds will be available for purchase representing farmers, nurseries and organizations from around the island. This is an opportunity to network with organizations that assist gardeners and agriculture, stroll through the many information booths to learn what’s new and swap tips. Or learn about upcoming classes to garden – from novice to expert.

Keoki’s Paradise executive chef. Cory Dotario. Daniel Lane photo

Keoki’s Paradise

Easter Breakfast Buffet, 7:30 to 11 a.m., $19 adults, $10 children 12 and under

• Cold Selections: Assorted cereals, fresh fruit salad, baked pastries
• Hot Items: Scrambled eggs, bacon, link sausage, sweet bread French toast, biscuits and gravy, Portuguese sausage, country style potatoes
• Omelet Station: Omelets cooked to order with your choice of bacon, ham, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, spinach and cheese
• Juice and coffee bar

Reservations recommended, call 808-742-7534
Monday, April 21

Earth Day with Hoouluwehi

Kauai Community College, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Hoouluwehi — The Sustainable Living Institute of Kauai at KCC is sponsoring an Earth Day Celebration which includes:

• Sustainability and Health Education
• Cultural Demonstrations and Performances
• Open Mic Event
• Musical Entertainment
• Prize Drawings
• Food and Craft Vendors

Tuesday, April 22 – Earth Day

Healthy Hut Backyard BBQ

Healthy Hut, Kilauea, 2 to 5 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Day with Healthy Hut and hang in their backyard. Meet local vendors, sample healthy products, free giveaways and more. There will be store-wide sales and raffle for gift baskets. Event will benefit Kilauea Elementary and the family of Keith and Sam Mitzel.

EarthDay Rising

For the last three years, Malama Kauai has hosted an event called EarthDay Rising on the beach at Waipa on the weekend closest to Earth Day (April 22). This will be their fourth year, and it will take place from Friday, April 18 through Sunday, April 20th, 2014.
The weekend includes a 3-day campout, a Waipa workday, live music, DJ’s, local food and workshops that build community knowledge exchange around aina stewardship and homesteading techniques. This is an ohana centered event that welcomes and includes children as an integral part of our community.
Any funds not needed for hard costs and expenses will go towards our projects like the Kauai School Garden Network, the Kauai Food Forest, the Kalihiwai Community Garden, the Kilauea Agricultural Park and Hawaiian Charter School Food Program.
There is a cost associated with camping which helps to compensate Malama Kauai and Waipa for the use of toilets, showers and overnight site management. The charge is $50 per adult with children under 12 free. Use the link below to obtain your camping tickets for the weekend. Camping is limited to 100 adults on a first come first get basis. Click here for camping permits.
For more information call or visit:
Keone Kealoha
808-634-8174
[email protected]
Katie Trussell
808-652-7890
[email protected]
EarthDayRising.org
Wednesday, April 23

Earth Dinner

Hukilau Lanai, 6 p.m., $60 (includes tax and tip)
In celebration of Earth Day, Hukilau Lanai will hold their 5th Annual Earth Dinner. It’s a chance for the public to dine with the farmers as Hukilau shows appreciation of their work. The 5-course dinner features local food, music, “Earthy” cocktails and green wines, which are available for purchase. For reservations, call 808-822-0600.
Menu:

• Hawaiian Taro Dip
• Charcuterie Plate made with Kaneshiro Pork
• Citrus Salad with Smoked Shrimp Ceviche
• Homemade Pasta with West Side Clams & Chorizo
• Makaweli Beef with
• Vegetable Gratin
• Dessert Dim Sum: Kauai coffee mocha almond cake with Koloa Rum dipping sauce, Kumquat Pudding Cake with Yuzu Curd, Mangosteen Sorbet

ONGOING:

Sarah Wooton of Kauai Kunana Dairy. Marta Lane photo

Farmers Market Tour

Wednesdays, 3 to 4 p.m., $30
Meet local farmers, learn how to select perfect produce as well as when it’s in season and how to cook with it during Tasting Kauai’s one-hour farmers market class. Farmers markets are an affordable way to immerse yourself in local culture and the best place to buy produce that’s so fresh, it was harvested that morning. But buying at the farmers market doesn’t always insure that it was grown on Kauai. It happens all over the world. In Hawaii, customers want mangos year-round. In Colorado, they want tomatoes in May. To make that sale, vendors buy imported mangoes or tomatoes and sell them as their own. Becoming familiar with growing  seasons insures your dollars are spent on local produce.
There’s a whole world of delicious produce that many people never try. Let’s face it, some of it looks like it came from another planet. Once unfamiliar produce is demystified and cooking tips are shared, it may become a regular at dinner table. Many factors can make exotic produce expensive and the last thing you want to do is buy a pineapple that isn’t at peak perfection. This class will also teach you how to tell when produce is ripe as well as how to store it for best results. To make reservations, visit our Farmers Market Tour page.

Hanapepe Friday Night Festival and Art Walk

Hanapepe Town, 6 to 9 p.m.
Every Friday evening, Old Town Hanapepe bustles with people. A dozen art galleries stay open late and local crafters sell their wares. There’s also stilt walkers, classics cars, live music and entertainment. The Right Slice sells fresh-baked pie by the slice or whole.  Midnight Bear Breads makes pizza fresh from a wood-burning oven. Aloha Spice Company serves samples of their Hawaiian sea salt and spice blends on grilled chicken. These spices quickly add fantastic flavor without a lot of calories and make wonderful gifts of aloha.
Haole Girl Island Sweets sells a variety of hand-made butter croissants, including grilled chicken and portobello mushroom seasoned with Aloha Spice Company blends. Other croissants are filled with local fruit, nuts, honey or vegetables. Samples are given just outside the parking lot, in front of the darling Aloha Spice Company building. Call 808-335-6469 for more information.

Kapaa Art Walk in Old Town Kapaa. Daniel Lane photo

Kapaa Art Walk

Old Town Kapaa, 5 to 9 p.m.
On the first Saturday of the month hundreds of people party in Old Town Kapaa. The street is filled with the sounds of laughter and music, smells of delicious local food, and the work of Kauai artists. In front of the Dragon Building, Anni Caporuscio (owner of Small Town Coffee and Blue House Booksellers) sings to a three-piece band which includes a guitar player, drummer and washboard player. Art Cafe Hemingway and Java Kai open a new exhibit and serve food late. The Buttery hosts jewelers and other Kauai Made jewelry is available throughout.
A designated parking area is located at 4451 Lehua St., on a 3-acre spot next to Restore Kauai and Specialty Lumber. Cost to park in the lot is $3.

Art Walk at Kukuiula

The Shops at Kukuiula, 6 to 9 p.m., free
An evening of fine art, fine dining and live music under the stars at The Shops at Kukuiula the second Saturday of each month. ART TALK @ 103 features an informal talk and in-gallery walk-through with Kaua`i artists Kathleen Adair-Brown, Sally French, Roberta Griffith, Bruna Stude and Wayne Zebzda as they reflect on their work featured in PRINT paper + sandbox. The exhibit examines traditional and contemporary printmaking and contains works that challenge conventional limits and technique.
Other artists included are Jean Cocteau, Tom Lieber, H.C. Westermann, William T. Wiley, Ivan Lackovic, and Ante Mandaric. SMallART 2014 exhibit closing this Saturday. Last chance to view this exciting group exhibit featuring small and large format paintings, constructions and art objects by