The sun was starting to angle for the horizon when Cas Schwabe looked at me, eyes watering, the hair on her arms standing on end—a phenomenon Hawaii residents call chicken skin, and the rest of the world refers to as goosebumps. We had been sitting on a bluff at the edge of a horse pasture […]
This past Sunday evening, the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival kicked off its third annual week of grand epicurean events with “Malama Maui”—the fest’s first-ever gourmand gathering away from its traditional home island of Oahu. To our eyes and sated palates, Malama Maui was a great success. Hosted oceanside, just after sunset, at the Hyatt
You can’t have a Spam musubi or the makings of a decent Hawaii-style plate lunch without one very necessary ingredient: rice. So it’s no wonder that (as with Spam Jam for Spam) this starchy staple has a popular local celebration dedicated to it every year. The 4th annual Hawaii Rice Fest, happening from noon to
So you’re on Maui this Labor Day weekend, consider yourself something of a foodie and, maybe, feel like noshing on some of the best cuisine on the island? Plan on a visit to the second annual Kaanapali Fresh, a three-day series of culinary events at the hotels and resorts of the Kaanapali Beach Resort, dedicated
If every plant species needs a superhero, the ever-benevolent warrior for Hawaii-grown mangoes is surely Mark Suiso. When it comes to Hawaii’s favorite chilled fruit for a warm summer day, the owner of Makaha Mangoes is on a threefold mission: Plant new mango trees; return older, neglected trees to productivity; and, in true superhero form, extend
We’ve counted all of the votes from our latest HAWAII Magazine Facebook Ohana poll question: What’s your favorite Hawaii snack? Your hundreds of responses ranged from healthful papaya, apple bananas, and fresh mango to deliciously decadent chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and haupia pie. Among the vote-getters on the salty and savory side: assorted manapuas, musubis, taro-and-sweet
*This story was published on May 1, 2013, and updated in February 2026. The phone in Mike Hirao’s office is ringing off the hook. He doesn’t answer it. “I bet this person wants chichi dango,” he says, eyeing the noisy phone. It’s 3 p.m. on a Thursday. Nisshodo Candy Store has been open since 7
The fifth annual Kau Coffee Festival is slated to start this weekend in the Big Island’s southeast district, where the beans are bringing home international honors in gourmet cupping competitions. The fest’s lineup of events, which spans two weekends, offers everything from coffee farm visits and coffee-tastings to Hawaii-focused cultural performances, and, for aspiring connoisseurs,
The Kona Coffee Blossom Banquet, a fundraiser for the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, will be held on Sat., April 20, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Proceeds from the event will be used to continue research and education tied to the island’s ongoing fight against the coffee berry borer,
Elmer Guzman was so desperate for a poke bowl while working in New Orleans for Emeril Lagasse he came up with a version using Louisiana ingredients. Instead of Hawaiian ahi, he used escolar (a deepwater fish similar to tuna). With no kukui nuts, he resorted to grinding pecans to give the poke its signature nutty flavor. Some sea
If you happen to be in the Islands during the Thanksgiving holiday, you may hear talk about turkey cooked in an imu. Note: the Hawaiian word sounds like emu — an ostrich-like Australian bird. If you’re unfamiliar with the Hawaiian term, it’s possible that you may find yourself wondering whether traditional holiday tables here feature
Though our state still imports 85 percent of its food from the U.S. mainland and international sources, a growing number of Hawaii farmers, ranchers and food producers are trimming that dependency with edibles born, raised and/or created right here in the Islands. This is fantastic news for folks like us who appreciate, say, a tomato
