On the North Shore of Oahu, a 200-acre orchard of 10-foot-tall trees on former Waialua Sugar lands stand poised to shake up Hawaii’s ag scene. Planted in 2015, the experimental plot holds hundreds of pongamia (also called Indian beech), trees native to Asia. The planted acreage is experimental not because pongamia are new to Hawaii—you […]
One of Hawaii’s fabled chefs, the quiet, unassuming Alan Wong offers tastes that are anything but demure. His food speaks loudly: Bold flavors, unconventional but seamless pairings, the freshest of locally sourced ingredients—all crafted with finesse, common sense and a splash of whimsy. No wonder this critically acclaimed chef and his restaurant win awards year
This past fall, the Culinary Institute of the Pacific (CIP), the University of Hawaii’s flagship culinary campus, opened. “It’s beautiful,” says Kapiolani Community College culinary arts professor Alan Tsuchiyama of the $25 million dollar, 7.8-acre culinary facility on the slopes of Diamond Head. “The stoves, ovens and burners are all modular: you can unplug each
School is in session at the new Leahi Concept Kitchen in the heart of Waikiki. The restaurant is a partnership between Kapiolani Community College (KCC) and the Waikiki Parc Hotel to connect students with a changing lineup of international chefs in a working environment. KCC’s new program, the Guslander Distinguished Visiting Global Chef series,
Transforming abandoned plantation fields into a boost for local food production, Ohana Farm Parcels in Central Oahu is offering a unique opportunity for small farmers to own their own land. On 35 ready-to-farm plots in Wahiawa, new and seasoned farmers have a chance to purchase fields that are proven to produce delicious fruits, vegetables and
A lot of ink has been spilled about the closure of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar and the end of an era, but it’s worth spilling a little bit more. The sugar plantations, after all, shaped the Hawaii we know today, both physically and culturally. Everyone who lives here now can see, hear, and taste the
I’ve never understood ‘support local business’ until now that I have my own.” Big Island chef Bonita Lao is thinking out loud. “Support people’s work, their visions. It’s hard because of the cost of living and so many factors, but it’s important to get people on board because that’s what’s really going to make a
Pat Iwamoto and Mark Suiso, Hawaii’s best-known mango growers, have a lot in common. It was their fathers who, in the middle of the last century, planted the mangoes that would become Yee’s Orchard in Kihei, Maui and Mākaha Mangoes in Oahu. Neither was a farmer: Wilbur Yee was an optometrist when he and his
Farming isn’t what it used to be. In the information era, probes monitor growing conditions and aid decision-making, unconventional growing systems like vertical, rooftop and indoor farming are becoming increasingly commonplace, and customers are as hungry for specifics about what they consume as the produce itself. Mari’s Gardens, an 18-acre aquaponics farm in Mililani, has
Coming from New York City, where the bounty of farms, orchards, dairies and vineyards is within easy reach, Hawaii’s food scene was an eye-opener for Lee Anne Wong. While national press was picking up on an emerging new Hawaii cuisine showcasing local ingredients, the state was importing upwards of 80 percent of its food and
Most people looking for fresh milk end up at a dairy. Not Jean-Marie Josselin, whose search for fresh milk to make cheese for his restaurant led him to the Hindu monastery in Kapaa, Kauai.
