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Entries in kitchen (144)

Thursday
Aug142008

made in hawaii festival sneak peek

with the made in hawaii festival set to open its doors tomorrow, it's time for this year's peek of edited picks to keep an eye out for as you navigate the blaisdell this weekend:

1 - stock up on soap box hawaii's elegantly wrapped handcrafted soaps and keep a stash of thoughtful hostess gifts on hand.

2 - tropical accessories from the rare orchid have been spotted in the pages of real simple and are just the thing to pretty up your office space.

3 - coconut, kona coffee and butterscotch are just a few of the flavors to be found at island nut roasters (and further proof that a good photo is worth a thousand words).

4 - the i ku mau mau! design from hilo's the hawaiian force is just one from their tee collection which highlights the values and history of the islands' native culture.

 

5 - spice up your next meal with one of the many blends of organic seasonings from aloha spice company.

6 - stop by lynn's treasures and order a custom hand stamped necklace for mom.

7 - the hawaiian vanilla company made their name proving that vanilla beans could be grown in hawaii and now the homegrown bean is the inspiration for their new bath and body line.

8 - artisan francisco clemente reveals both gorgeous organic shapes and an inner glow in his handcrafted woodturned bowls.

be back later with a roundup of festival specials from a few h|h faves that will be making an appearance at the show!

Wednesday
Aug132008

aloha kona coffee

truth be told, the closest i ever come to drinking coffee is when i order up a mocha milkshake, however the abundance of coffee farms in the islands combined with the number of coffee lovers in my 'ohana means i am always on the lookout for small producers who grow their beans au naturale.

an abbreviated version of six degrees of separation was all it took for my recent discovery of aloha kona coffee, a small sustainable family farm located up on the fertile, coffee-producing slopes of holualoa on the big island. the farm was started by dana & mark leong and their story is a sweet one - maui girl meets oahu boy. marry & start a family. fulfill dream of ditching the corporate rat race and moving to the country to live off the 'aina. oh, and in between they both crossed the finish line of the ironman a few times.

although akc is not certified organic (which can be a lengthy and expensive process), the leong 'ohana nixes pesticides in favor of organic homemade teas to keep their coffee plants healthy and happy. production is kept in-house with every family member pitching in from tending to their own section of the farm to assisting with harvesting, roasting and packaging the final product.

the estate grown beans are roasted fresh (from medium to espresso) for each and every order, and, if you prefer your cup o' joe to have a different intensity or fancy a batch of green beans to roast yourself, simply drop aloha kona coffee a note to request a special order.

and, coffee aficionados will be happy to hear that the akc 'ohana is sweetening the pot for h|h readers with savings of 10% off your next caffeine fix!

  • secret code: kona08
  • expires: dec 31st, 2008

p.s. behind the scenes farm tours of akc's holualoa property is available by appointment (email for more details).

Thursday
Jun262008

styrophobia challenge

in the land of plate lunches, the styrofoam clamshell is a familiar sight and one that makes me feel just a little guilty each and every time the remnants of a meal-on-the-go disappears down the trash hatch. last year, a much needed alternative finally arrived in the islands via styrophobia which stocks eco-friendly packaging products like sugar cane plates and utensils made from corn starch.

it may sound a little sci-fi but, lucky for us, these sustainable alternatives just may be the 21st century's answer to petroleum based plastics. bioplastics and its friends not only reduce our reliance on oil, but, unlike its counterpart, these products are designed with the cradle to cradle philosophy and when added to a compost pile will decompose back to mother nature in a few month's time.

[as you may know, old school plastic is not biodegradable and, if it's not recycled or diverted to a hermetically sealed landfill, will somehow find its way to our oceans where it photodegrades into little plastic pellets with devastating consequences not too far from hawaii. these pieces of plastic are ingested by ocean life and eventually make their way up the food chain to you and me. plastic: the gift that keeps on giving.

kidding aside, it's really disturbing when you stop and think about it so take a few minutes to watch this video and see where all this floating plastic ends up. one visit to the pacific garbage patch and you really will think twice before walking past stray rubbish again.]

a growing number of local restaurants are making the switch so show them a little love and patronize eco-conscious establishments who are helping us reduce our environmental footprint by keeping more waste out of landfills and keeping our 'aina and beaches free of pollution.

fyi - styrophobia's website seems to cater more to businesses, however retail packs which are perfect for greening your next party or picnic are now available at a handful of island stockists. even better, styrophobia has committed to donating at least 5% of profits to sustainability programs.

learn more about how styrophobia came to be here.

Saturday
Jun212008

merriman's culinary & farm tour

the official arrival of summer seems to be a good time to reinstate the saturday travel post which went on an unintended holiday of its own sometime last year. if you have checked airfares to/from hawaii lately, it will come as no surprise that fewer travelers will be taking to the (un)friendly skies this summer and opting for the budget-friendly staycation (vacations close to home, natch).

lucky for us, hawaii's to-do list has something for everyone so whether you are on island 24/7, returning home for a visit, or just looking to get the most bang for your buck on your hawaii getaway, stop by every saturday to discover a little off the beaten path inspiration for your next round of wanderings around the islands.

if summer plans will be taking you to the big island and good eats are your fancy vacation splurge, book a behind-the-scenes peek and follow your meal from farm to table with merriman's culinary & farm tour. after an afternoon spent touring two of merriman's favorite local purveyors, the ranchlands of kahua & the organic honopua farm, the culinary excursion winds down with a four course dinner at the acclaimed restaurant, one of the original vanguards of hawaii regional cuisine.

  • when: mon - thu, 2:30p to 7:30p
  • tix: $155 (dinner included)
  • fyi: reservations required; ages 8 & up

learn more over at the star-bulletin.

Friday
Jun062008

little kitchens = good eats

the place to be next friday evening will be the 2008 little kitchens foodie fundraiser at the hawaii state art museum. enjoy nibbles from island restaurants, farms, and food producers while supporting slow food oahu. if you are unfamiliar with the slow food movement, as you might expect from the name, it is the opposite of fast food focusing on locally produced food, treating animals more humanely, and growing organic.

take milk as an example. as i like to point out to friends, organic milk should simply be known as milk since that is the way it was made prior to the industrialization of the once bucolic dairy farm. if the milk most people schlep home from the market were labeled truthfully - unhappy cows chowing on an unnatural diet of feed to fatten them up (instead of grazing on the grass they were meant to eat) and shot up with hormones - most folks would think twice about taking yet consume every time they pour themselves (or their little one) a glass of milk - perhaps more people would reach for the organic offering.

yes, it will cost you a few more pennies but it's better for the environment and your body since studies have shown that organic milk has more antioxidants and vitamins compared to conventional milk.

alrighty, off my soap box. if my little rant has piqued your curiosity, click over and watch this episode from diary of a foodie for a look at how people around the world are doing slow food right.

  • when: fri, jun 13th - 5:30p to 8:30p
  • where: hawaii state art museum, 250 south hotel street
  • tix: $60
  • fyi: 21 and over

p.s. big island readers: if you have a bounty of fruits and veggies growing in your garden and don't want it to go to waste, contact your local slow food chapter which has volunteers in waimea and waikoloa happy to pick the extra produce and deliver it to the food bank.