Pau Hana Friday for January 24

Keoki’s Paradise Poke Tower. Daniel Lane photo

Keoki’s Paradise

Keoki’s Paradise has live music every Sunday through Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. On Thursday through Saturday the have live music from 5 to 7 p.m. and again from 8 to 10 p.m. They do a big band the first Friday of every month. Revival will play in February; March, Greenstone Project; April, Pono Breez. Keoki’s is hosting an online hula pie contest so make sure you like Keoki’s Paradise on Facebook. They’ll also feature a hula pie flavor of the month to go along with the original mac nut and the mint chocolate chip.

George of the Jungle

I got this email from a reader and thought I’d share. I haven’t been there yet but Roxanne really likes it! If you have tried it, let us know what you think in the comments section below.

“Robert and I have discovered ‘George of the Jungle’, the food truck next to Healthy Hut in Kilauea. The owner is this sweet young guy, a former chef from New York with a specialty in sauces. The food is fabulous. Try the chicken kabob pita. Or you can have a gluten-free wrap as we did.”

Tasting Kauai

I am happy to announce that registering for our food tours has gotten a lot easier. Different time zones (think 4 a.m. calls from Australia) and busy schedules make it difficult to connect by phone. But now we have online registration, so anyone can register for one (or all!) of our four tours, anytime. If you’re a planner, you can register for our last 2014 tour, which is on Dec. 24. We also have a culinary tour calendar so you can easily see which tours are available for any given month.

Durga Farm

This week, Durga Farm harvested a bounty of pink taro and yellow sweet potatoes. They cooked the taro and sweet potatoes together with mineral salt, freshly ground black pepper, ghee and water. They tell me it was delicious! They still have too many bananas, so they have been blending them and having banana smoothies for breakfast.
At this month’s Wailua Monthly Garden Share, they gave out bananas (of course!), flat parsley and aalii seedlings.
Durga Farm owner Myra Lewin will use their first harvest of ashwagandha root in her Ayurvedic remedies. See March 1 listing for details on her free Ayurveda class. I’m also told their mulberry bushes are starting to produce and hopefully Myra can soon make her famous mulberry pie. They just planted a special white mulberry seedling and are excited to taste its fruit.

Husband and wife team Ron and Krissi Miller of Hukilau Lanai. Daniel Lane photo

Outstanding in the Field

Last Wednesday, I interviewed chef Ron Miller of Hukilai Lanai. He mentioned the lunch he’s preparing for Outstanding in the Field and it sounds fabulous. The meal takes place at Kauai Kunana Dairy, a micro-dairy that specializes in artisan goat cheese and goat milk products such as soap, a fantastic lip balm as well as hair and skin care products. They also raise bees for honey and grow USDA certified organic fruit and vegetables.
A welcome cocktail made of Kauai Farmacy tulsi mint tea and Koloa Spice Rum will be served with goat cheese stuffed gougères and taro hummus. The menu is still being worked on, so no guarantees but Ron hopes to braise two of Kunana’s humanely raised and Animal Welfare Approved goats in red wine.  The meat will be combined with goat cheese and pumpkin and folded into mini raviolis. Ron should know by Monday, but he wants to do a Kauai Clam, Kauai Shrimp and local fish dish. “The clams are awesome!” Says Ron. They’re nice, little and super flavorful. The shrimp is great. They come with the shells and heads, so we can make a killer sauce or stock with those.”  A special charcuterie class is being held at Hukilau Lanai this weekend, which will be taught by François Vecchio, and we may see some of that served as well.  A root vegetable salad; fresh tomato and herb goat cheese caprese; pickled vegetables; ceviche and goat rib appetizer with an Asian flavored consueem. For dessert an orange, French macaroon and caramelized banana cake may show up on the table. See the Jan. 29 listing below for more information and reservations. 

Joe Fox, founder of the Kauai Brew Company. Marta Lane photo

Kauai Beer Company

Last weekend, Dan and I attended a workshop organized by the Kauai Brew Club. Judy Capertina of Haole Girl Island Sweets is creating pretzels for the Kauai Beer Company, and we got to be recipe testing Guinea pigs. The “sustainable” pretzels are made with Kauai Beer Company’s beer and spent grain and will be served beginning Feb. 5. They are also making a specialty mustard to go with the pretzels.
EVENTS:    
Saturday, January 25

Bamboo Workshop

Kauai Nursery & Landscaping, 9 to 10 a.m., free
Workshop is in the educational building to the right side when you pull into the parking lot area.Learn how to grow, harvest and cook with non-invasive bamboo. You can learn more about KN&L and cooking with bamboo in my article “Foraging For Edible Shoots“.
Wednesday, January 29

Outstanding in the Field farm dinner. Jeremy Fenske photo

Farm to Table Dinner

Kauai Kunana Dairy, $190
Outstanding in the Field returns to Hawaii this Winter to stage five family-style feasts at five farms on Maui, Kauai, Hawaii and Oahu. The roving farm-dinner troupe, which has inspired pop-up supper clubs across North America and around the world, is partnering with four island chefs and an Oahu-born chef who’s made his mark in San Francisco’s culinary scene.
“Each time we come to Hawaii, we’re blown away by the variety of exotic fruits and vegetables that grow on the islands,” says OITF founding chef and artist Jim Denevan. “We always discover something new, and once again we’re looking forward to working with some of Hawaii’s most exciting chefs. And we’re excited to bring one of our favorite San Francisco chefs back home to the islands!”

Ryan and Sarah Wooton of Kauai Kunana Dairy. Daniel Lane photo.

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

Oriental Sushi Class

$30, The Cliffs at Princeville rec. room, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sarah Mangold of Sarah’s Raw Kitchen is a master chef when it comes to raw food. In this class you’ll earn how to make a nori roll with oriental nut butter and fresh wasabi. To top it off, Sarah is going to add in a mineral rich wakame salad.Reservations required. Email Sarah at [email protected].
UPCOMING:

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.

Basis of Raw Food Preparation  

A series of five classes, one a week, will demonstrate how to make raw meals. Each class will cover a specific method and includes recipes using local ingredients. New and experienced raw cooks will find practical applications to the unique unfoldment of vibrant food experiences.
With a basic structure and a savvy approach to resources it is effortless and fun to turn local abundance such as noni, coconut, turmeric, and citrus into tasty recipes that become a sustainable foundation of thriving in Living Local Food Lifestyle. The wonderful treats prepared with these mana-rich foods will turn everyone on to the nourishment from the land.
Classes consist of deomonstrations, tastings, Q&A’s and original recipes to take home. Click here to register for one raw food class or all five. 

Breezy and beautiful gourmet lunch and cooking demonstration at the Kauai Marriott Resort. 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 oceanside at Oasis on the Beach, an east side farm to table restaurant. Koloa Rum Co. will begin with a presentation of the locally made, small batch, award-winning rum. Mixologist Joel Downs with make two cocktails with Koloa Rum and fresh, local ingredients.
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.
Sunday, February 16

28th Annual ACF Breakfast

Kauai Community College, 7 to 11 a.m., $15 ($18 at door), children $5 (5 to 10, under 5 free)
Every year, the students at Kauai Community College prepare a massive all-you-can-eat breakfast for the public.This year is the 28th Annual American Culinary Federation (AFC) Breakfast Fundraiser, and proceeds go towards student scholarships and classroom improvements. For example, KCC needs funds to install a commercial imu pit (underground oven) so students can learn how to employ a traditional Hawaiian technique.
This event has been touted as “Kauai’s Biggest and Best Brunch” so wear your stretchy pants and feast on all you can! The serious eaters bring a cardboard flat to carry their food. There will be eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage, ham, steamed rice, hash browns, omelets cooked to order, pancakes and pastries all make by KCC students. Kauai Coffee will be there serving their coffee as well as Meadow Gold juice and milk and Kauai Springs Water. Tickets are available at:

• Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Company
• Kauai Coffee Visitors Center
• Koloa Fish Market
• Mark’s Place, Puhi
• Fish Express, Lihue
• Sole Mates, Kapaa
• Pono Market, Kapaa
• Kauai Community College, cafeteria

Friday, February 21

Lunch on the beach after A Taste of Kauai, Yesterday and Today. Daniel Lane photo

A Taste of Kauai, Yesterday and Today

Waipa, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., $115
Tasting Kauai’s north shore tour is a magical food tour that’s part luau, part agritourism and part ecotourism. Our exclusive tour takes place at Waipa, which is nestled in the Hanalei Valley and is a National Wildlife Refuge. Guests explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams, and learn about significant foods, growing methods, and overall Hawaiian agricultural and land management concepts and complexes in ancient times and their transition to today. Afterwards, guests sample Hawaii’s staff of life three ways.
Lunch changes seasonally and is made with vegetables grown in onsite gardens, locally sourced meat or fish, and mamaki tea with lemongrass and mint. Guests eat ohana (family) style while enjoying the beauty and breezes of Hanalei Bay. 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  Kauai, Yesterday and Today. To see pictures from previous tours, check out our Facebook photo album.
Saturday, March 1

Ayurveda Workshop

2:45 to 3:45 p.m., Anahola Beach Park, at Smith’s Beach, free
This Meetup is about your Ayurvedic journey. Are you just starting out or do you want help getting started? Want recipes and remedies work best for you? Do you have any symptoms or disease you want help treating naturally and holistically or what are you doing to improve your digestion and overall health? What are your favorite recipes? You could even bring along an Ayurvedic meal or snack to eat at the beach while we share! This Meetup is about being introduced to Ayurveda as well as just coming together to discuss holistic health. Bring towels or chairs as we’ll be sitting on the beach! Click here to register.
ONGOING:
Friday, February 7 – Saturday, February 22

Master Food Preservers course

This event is SOLD OUT but there is a waiting list. Certified Master Preservers will be available to teach workshops. Contact Waipa for more information. 
Applications are being accepted for the Master Food Preservers course taught by Ken Love in partnership with the Waipa Foundation. Participants who successfully complete the course will receive certification as a Master Food Preserver. This hands-on training program is designed to explore value-added food production and support the necessary skills for a career in the food manufacturing industry. The class will engage participants in the development of specialty, niche food products to realize economic gains utilizing Kauai grown produce and farm products as a way to create more competitive “shelf ready” foods. This is valuable training for farmers, food distributors and others in the “farm-to-table” food chain.
The training series is instructed by Ken Love, a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Food Preserver.
All participants will be updated in the latest principles and procedures of food manufacturing including such areas as proper food handling and sanitation, knife skills, basic food science, food fermentation, jelly and jam production, pressure canning, meat curing and food preservation in a professional kitchen setting.
Attendance of all classes is mandatory to achieve certification. Space is limited, so reserve your spot as soon as possible.
Below, please find the dates of the class. Please note that all classes will run the entire day, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. Included is a 1 hour break for lunch. In order to receive certification, attendance is mandatory for all dates.
To apply, please email your RSVP and contact information to Kalen Kelekoma at [email protected]. The cost of the course is $200 and includes all course materials as well as certification. A 50 percent deposit is  due by January 31st, with the balance due on or before the first day of class. Space is limited, and applicants will be accepted according to criteria set by the Waipa Foundation.
Class Dates:

• February 7,8. (Friday, Saturday)
• February 13, 14, 15. (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
• February 20, 21, 22. (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)

Saturday Feb. 8 – Saturday, March 8

Introduction to Aquaponics Systems

Kauai Community College, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., five Saturdays, $165
I met the instructor for this class when I first covered aquaponics in Kauai Midweek for a story called “A Growing Trend in Aquaponics“. Bernie Tsao launched the Aquaculture Technology Training program at the University of Nations, Kona, where he was the director for 11 years. Today, he is the Aquaculture and Aquaponics instructor at KCC, and provides consultation services to the community, including the Hyatt, which is considering implementing its own aqua-culture system. Aquaponics is the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics. It is a closed cycle bio-integrated system becoming the cutting edge technology of intensive food production. To register, call 808-245-8318.

Farmer John Wooten holds a jackfruit. 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.

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.
 

Art Walk at Kukuiula

The Shops at Kukuiula, 6 to 9 p.m.
Join The Shops at Kukuiula for an enchanting evening of fine art, fine dining and live music under the stars on the second Saturday of each month.

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.