Pau Hana Friday for May 16

Kai Choy at One Song Farm. Photo by Daniel Lane

Tasting Kauai

Happy Aloha Friday! We had an exceptional week and hope you did too. Today, get an update on our weight loss progress while learning about healthy dining options on Kauai in our “Working out and eating healthy” article that runs in our “Tastes of Kauai” column in The Garden Island newspaper.  Happy Mother’s Day! If my mom were here, I would certainly raise my glass.
This Sunday, our “On the Farm” column in The Garden Island newspaper covers One Song Farm, kai choy and Lisa’s recipe for Kai Choy Kim Chi. While researching for the article, I learned that kai choy has an amazing amount of nutritional benefits, so check it out!

Kauai Beer Company

Within the next few weeks, Kauai Beer Company will launch Finally Friday. The brewery will be introducing signature cocktails and featuring a limited entree menu. This is the first step in transitioning from a  tasting room to a full service microbrewery and restaurant.

Sustainable Kauai Meetups

This month, Sustainable Kauai’s Meetups include:

Wailua Monthly Garden Share

Tuesday, May 20, 5 p.m.
Lydgate Beach Park
4470 Nalu Road
Wailua, HI
EVENTS:   
Friday, May 23

Wine & Groove

RumFire Courtyard, 6 to 8 p.m., $40
Here’s an opportunity to enjoy live music, specialty plates and wine, Oceanside. Fifteen wines will be featured, which include chardonnays, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris, cuvee, California Zins and cabernet sauvignon. Specialty plates include a charcuterie display, tuna tar tar, bowtie pasta with chorizo ragout, sweet and spicy St. Louis pork ribs, passion fruit and avocado ceviche, herb grilled sirloin, buffalo style crispy tofu and chocolate mac nut brownies. Live music is from Santiago Soto and the Steps, who have opened for Steel Pulse, Sublime, No Doubt, Pato Banton and The Def Tones. For reservations or more information, call 808- 742-4786.

Yolanda and Kai during the fruit demo and tasting on Tasting Kauai’s farm and food tour. Marta Lane photo

A Taste of Kilohana

Kilohana Plantation, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $130
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.
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. You’ll get the recipe card for the mai tai and a 10 percent discount at the Koloa Rum Company Store & Tasting Room. 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. The lunch is always based on seasonal ingredients, but here’s what our guests enjoyed last month:
Appetizer

• Sake soaked Kauai Shrimp with Kailani mixed greens, Maui tropical pineapple, and sweet sesame ginger aioli

Entrée

• Grass-fed Makaweli Meat Company beef tenderloin topped with port wine and a confit of Kauai’s Kaneshiro Farms pork belly and Island fresh Wasabi Crusted Opah with a lilikoi white wine vinaigrette, caramelized Ewa onion, jasmine rice, and a medley of farm fresh vegetables

Dessert

• Rustic Wi and Molokai Uala Gallete

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.
Wednesday, May 28

Fruit Growers’ Conference

Kauai Community College OCET Room 106 C/D, 8:45 a.m.— 3:30p.m., $35
Conference topics and speakers will include:

• Pineapple Pests and Diseases ~ Glenn Taniguchi , UH CTAHR Research Associate
• Plant Diseases of Fruits ~ Desmond Ogata, UH CTAHRResearch Support
• Papaya Pest Management ~ Dr. Mark Wright , UH CTAHR Plant & Environmental Sciences Dept. Chair
• Tropical Fruits ~ Dr. Mark Nickum , UH CTAHR Assistant Professor
• Fruit Fly Control ~ Richard Ebesu, CTAHRCooperative Extension Service

Conference registration 8:15 a.m.—8:45 a.m. Bento Lunch included. Registration deadline Monday, MAY 19. Late registration will be accepted until May 23, but no lunch will be provided. Call 808-245-8318 to register. Certified C.E.U. credits for attending this conference are pending.

During the farm tour, Pedro relishes in the taste of fresh picked citrus, and recalls his childhood home. Marta Lane photo

• Sake soaked Kauai Shrimp with Kailani mixed greens, Maui tropical pineapple, and sweet sesame ginger aioli

• Entrée
• Grass-fed Makaweli Meat Company beef tenderloin topped with port wine and a confit of Kauai’s Kaneshiro Farms pork belly and Island fresh Wasabi Crusted Opah with a lilikoi white wine vinaigrette, caramelized Ewa onion, jasmine rice, and a medley of farm fresh vegetables

Dessert

• Rustic Wi and Molokai Uala Gallete

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.

During A Culinary Romp Through Paradise, guests ask chef Rey questions while others take pictures of the beautiful food. Marta 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. This tour ends at The Feral Pig where, Dave Power, co owner and bartender, will make a la minute cocktails. This is a special treat as Dave has been written up as one of Hawaii’s best bartenders and he excels at making drinks customized to individual tastes.
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.
Friday June 20 & Saturday, June 21

Winemakers Weekend

The Cliffs at Princeville, $99
The Cliffs at Princeville just announced their 2nd annual Winemakers Weekend. Dan Tudor of Tudor Wines  will pour some of his “Latest & Greatest” for all to try. His new releases will be poured on Friday evening on the bluffs of The Cliffs overlooking the Pacific. On Saturday, his classics will be paired with a special dinner. Reservations are requested as they will have limited seating. For reservations or information, email  [email protected].
ONGOING:

Lopaka Baptista supports a GMO-free Kauai. Daniel Hashimoto photo

Informational meetings on draft pesticide/GMO rules to be held

A series of meetings will be held during the month of May to inform the public on the process for establishing rules to implement a new law governing pesticide use and genetically modified organisms.  During the meetings, feedback will be taken from the public on the draft rules, which have been posted on the County’s webpage: www.kauai.gov.
“The first step in the rulemaking process is to gain approval from the state’s Small Business Regulatory Review Board (SBRRB), which we hope to accomplish in June,” stated George Costa, Director of the Office of Economic Development.  “By getting input from the public and especially from small businesses ahead of time, we hope to refine our draft rules prior to submitting them to SBRRB.”
The five informational meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Thursday, May 15^th, 5pm: Līhue Neighborhood Center
•  Monday, May 19^th, 5pm: Waimea Neighborhood Center
• Tuesday, May 20^th, 6:30pm: Kapaa Neighborhood Center
• Wednesday, May 21^st, 5pm: Hanalei Hale Halawai Center
• Thursday, May 22^nd, 5pm: Koloa Neighborhood Center

It is suggested that interested persons review the draft rules prior to attending the meeting.  Special accommodations and sign language interpreters and interpreters for non-English speaking persons are available upon request five (5) days prior to the meeting date.  To request an accommodation please contact the Office of Economic Development at 241-4946 or via email at [email protected].
For individuals who do not wish to attend a meeting, comments may be emailed to Deputy County Attorney Mona Clark:[email protected].  A hard copy of the draft rules may be obtained at the Office of Economic Development, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 200, Līhue, Hawaii  96766.

Sunshine Farmers Market in Kapaa. Daniel 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.

Verde Healthy Thursday

Join Verde in April for Healthy Thursday. This month, it’s the Power Breakfast Burrito. It’s less than 380 calories and made with Makaweli Meat Company’s grass-fed ground beef, Kauai Fresh Farm eggs, Govinda Farm spinach and Okinawan purple sweet potatoes. 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. Enjoy a Power Breakfast Burrito at Verde and receive a day pass to Kauai Athletic Club.

RumFire

Sheraton Kauai Resort celebrates local radio personality Ron Wiley’s 25 years on Kauai’s KONG radio (FM 93.5) by donating proceeds of its monthly “You Dine, We Donate” program to the charity of his choice. All net proceeds for food and beverage at Table 53 in the resort’s signature restaurant, RumFire Poipu Beach, will benefit the 36th Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk in May. Wiley has emceed the event every year since 1989.
“Ron is a great community advocate for the non-profit organizations that assist our island ohana,” said Sheraton Kauai Resort General Manager Chip Bahouth. “We are proud to celebrate Ron’s past 25 years on KONG radio and in the community – and many more years to come – at our oceanfront RumFire Poipu Beach restaurant.”

RumFire’s Crab Crusted Opah won best seafood dish at this year’s Taste of Hawaii. Daniel Lane photo

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.
 

Kauai Culinary Market at Kukuiula Shopping Village in Poipu. Daniel Lane photo

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. See May 10 listing for this month’s details.
Dining options include Merriman’s Fish House, Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill, Tortilla Republic, Dolphin Sushi, Living Foods and Lappert’s Hawaii. Plus, enjoy jazz outdoors by Hank Curtis and Steve Dubey and Latin rhythms by Manuel Mendes and Cary Valentine.
 

Kilauea Art Walk

Stone Building, 5 to 8 p.m.
Join more than 20 artisans on the last Saturday of the month at the Stone Building in Kilauea Town. There’s live music, original art, hand-made apparel, jewelry, photography, custom slippers, painted glass bottles, ice cream and unique creations. Face painting henna tattoos. Stop by Kilauea Fish Market for dinner.

Photos for this blog post were contributed by Daniel Lane of Pono Photo.