Pau Hana Friday for December 6

NEWS:

Lotus Fudge holiday Truffle Gift Pack. Katie Ranke photo

Lotus Fudge

Katie Ranke, owner and fudge maker at Lotus Fudge, says she made an amazing local PB&J. “I used whole wheat bread, from any of the awesome bakeries here, with our Original Mac Butter and Mango Chipotle Jam from Monkeypod Jam. It’s so good!” Katie’s heard that fish dipped in original or toasted mac butter and fried is really good. “I think they call it Mac-Butter crusted,” she says.
Lotus Fudge Truffles and Mac Butters can now be found in five new venues: Blue House Booksellers (Truffles only), Kojima’s store, Princeville Wine Market, Northshore General Store (Princeville gas), and Robin Savage Gourmet Gifts. Lotus Fudge is always 100 percent organic, GMO-free, gluten-free, and sustainably packaged in recycled paper or compostable plastics made from sustainable harvest trees. All Lotus Fudge items make great Holiday gifts and include:

• Refrigerated Raw Fudge in five flavors
• DIY Fudge Mix
• Mac Nut Butters in Original (Raw), Toasted, Chocolate, and Honey
• Truffle Singles make great stocking stuffers
• The Truffle Gift pack is an ornament box with one of each four flavors: Coco, Mac Nut, Mint Crunch and Lava.

For more information, read Midweek Kauai’s “Lotus Fudge Blossoms On Kauai“, visit the Lotus Fudge website, or Facebook page.

Carolyn Ornellas, founder of Da Food Chain. Daniel Lane photo

Da Food Chain

If you live on the east side, you can order Lotus Fudge online from Da Food Chain, as well as farm fresh produce. Da Food Chain now carries Coco Vida fresh coconut water in half-gallon jars, which are available for Friday deliveries (order Monday through Thursday). Wootens’ Produce of Kauai has avocados now and Kauai Juice Co.‘s kombucha is available and their Kale Chips have an updated price of $5 (previously $6.50) and come in new, compact bags.
“We just got updated for round one next week,” says Da Food Chain founder Carolyn Ornellas. “Baby bok choy is prolific, as is kale, cucumber, cilantro and citruses. Also, this season is really a good time to have real honey on hand for colds and scratchy throats or just teas and treats.

Roy’s Poipu Bar & Grill

Roy’s Poipu Bar & Grill will be closed next Thursday, December 12, for their annual employee appreciation party. They will re-open for service on December 13.

Passion Bakery

Passion Bakery has some new equipment including a double convection oven, double door refrigerator, double door sandwich prep table and a new double Granita machine. “We will be experimenting with different homemade flavors,” says Michael Sterioff, baker and owner of Passion Bakery. “Right now we have a passion, lemon, ginger granita, which is made from Kauai Grown produce.  We are getting ready to make a Soy Chai Spiced Granita, too. I’m looking forward to experimenting with different house-made flavors and seeing how much savings we get from new energy efficient appliances!”

Rambutan and cocktails, a perfect match! Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Kunana Dairy

Besides making delicious goat and feta cheese, Kauai Kunana Dairy also grows organic fruit and vegetables. “We are adding a road side stand through the season at the mauka (mountain side) entry to Waipake Subdivision from 3 p.m. to dusk every afternoon,” says owner Louisa Wooton. “We are inviting bartenders and mixologists to use this gorgeous fruit to dress up their tropical drink delights by floating a rambutan on top!”

Grass-fed Cow Dairy on Kauai

The Garden Island newspaper’s article “Got Milk? Drink up, Kauai” says Ulupono Initiative hopes to revitalize the dairy sector in Hawaii, where local dairies produced all of the state’s milk until 1984. It hopes to accomplish this by drawing upon and adapting best practices from farm systems in both New Zealand and the United States. Building permit applications have been filed for the dairy farms, which will be in the Mahaulepu area of Kauai on a 582-acre pasture parcel of Important Agricultural Land leased from the Grove Farm Co. Ulupono Initiative is a for-profit impact investment firm that strives to improve the quality of life for the people of Hawaii by working toward solutions which create more locally grown food, increase clean renewable energy production and reduce waste.

Wilcox Elementary School Garden Program

In November, Sean Doi and the Lizama’s did a 7-8 minute segment on the Garden Program at Wilcox Elementary School, representing students, teachers, hydroponics, gardens and curriculum. The webchannel link, which allows worldwide access any time of day on any computer or smartphone device, is scheduled to begin on Dec. 8. The episode will air on Oceanic Channel 6 from Dec. 8 until Jan. 4. Showtimes are: Sundays: 6:30 – 7 p.m.; Mondays: 6:30 – 7 p.m. and 9 – 9:30 p.m.; Wednesdays: 6:30 – 7 p.m.; Thursdays: 9 – 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays: 9 – 9:30 p.m. Also, on Channel 54: Sundays 8 p.m.; Mondays 5 p.m.; Thursdays 10 a.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m.

Annie’s, Inc.

Annie’s, Inc. announces Garden Funder (TM), a crowdsourcing tool to help schools and individuals raise money for school and community gardens across the nation. Using leading-edge social tools powered by Network for Good, Garden Funder empowers grassroots fundraising and includes incentives from Annie’s to help fundraisers reach their goals.
EVENTS: 
Friday, December 6

Kauai Beer Company

Kauai Beer Company will be open for the Lights on Rice Street parade. They will be serving beer brewed on the premises and a limited menu for parade goers. Seating will be provided right in front of the brewery at 4265 Rice St.

Local musicians at Waipa’s Kalo Festival will return this April. Daniel Lane photo

Kalo Festival

Waipa Foundation Halulu Fishpond, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $3 adults/ $1 keiki (0-18)
Waipa throws some great parties. And this year’s 4th annual Kalo Festival will be no exception. Located on Kauai’s majestic north shore, at the Halulu Fishpond, there will be music, dancing and food that honors Hawaii’s staff of life: taro, called kalo in Hawaii. Chef Mauro of Hanalei Pasta will make kalo and pork stew as well as a kalo and pork meatloaf. Poi Dog Catering will serve their award-winning Taro-riffc Cheesecake. Black Dog Farms will have their hot sauces and mustards as well as black bean soup with roasted kalo, potatoes and  cilantro lime creme, fresh lemonade, fresh ginger chai, carrot harissa hummus and a mango buckle. Braddah Dave’s Taro Burgers will be available as well as ice cream from Powerhouse Creamery. The Spencer family will sell their popular kulolo. Limahana, Waipa’s high school interns, are doing chicken lau lau and the kids have a sugarcane press and will be making juice to order. Warung Bali will feature Balinese dishes that include taro as well as a unique taro dessert. There will be a recipe contest for best taro entrée and dessert and this is the second year that I get to be a judge!
We will have a table to sell our restaurant guidebook and craft vendors and artisans will be there as well.  Musicians include Lady Ipo, Kalalea, Kelii Kanealii, Carlos & Pancho, Mike Keale, Waipa Serenaders, Mango Brothers and Halau Palaihiwa O Kaipuwai. There will be a Biggest Kalo contest, a poi pounding demonstration, keiki activities and kalo varieties exchange. Waialale Kava Source will serve awa and you can get information about the kava workshop on Sunday. To request an entry form for any of the contests, email waipaonline@waipafoundation.org.
Sunday, December 8

Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill

As a way to say thank you to Kauai residents, Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill will take 50-percent off the entire food bill if you can show a Hawaii driver’s license. Reservations are recommended, call 808-742-7117.
Wednesday, December 11

Hawaiian Regional Cuisine pioneer Jean-Marie Josselin. Daniel Lane photo

Jean Marie Josselin and Marta Lane Cooking Demo

The Shops at Kukuiula Kauai Culinary Market, 5 p.m., free
Join local legend Jean Marie Josselin and myself for a Kauai grown cooking demonstration. Chef Josselin is featured in our restaurant guide and he is the only HRC chef on Kauai that cooks at his restaurant. As he makes something tasty that everyone gets to sample afterward, I will talk to him about what cooking in Hawaii was like 20 years ago. Josselin helped put Hawaii on the world culinary map by winning the National Seafood Challenge in 1989. A Pacific Café was one of Hawaii’s earliest chef-driven restaurants, and Josselin one of the movement’s most creative chefs. Josselin’s cookbook, A Taste of Hawaii, was the first from one of the Hawaii Regional chefs. At one time, Josselin had seven restaurants across the state, and restaurant 808, which brought a taste of Hawaii to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Today, he is the only Kauai HRC chef that cooks at his restaurant.

Enjoy Kauai Beer Company on tap during Truck Stop Thursday. Daniel Lane photo.

Truck Stop Thursday

Kauai Beer Company, 5 p.m.
Kauai Beer Company will inaugurate Truck Stop Thursday. Beginning at 5 p.m., three food trucks will parked in front of the brewery at 4265 Rice Street. Trucks rotate each Thursday. This week, expect to see BE Food Truck Cafe(normally in Kojima’s parking lot), Little Greek Town (next to Otsuka’s) and Anatta’s Authentic Thai Food (Ace Hardware-Lihue). Order your food and wait inside the brewery and sip a pint. When your food’s ready, it will delivered to you. This is a terrific opportunity for the hundreds of people in the downtown area to have a place to go between work and home. Truck Stop Thursday is part of the brewery’s effort to be one of the landmark businesses committed to revitalizing downtown Lihue. The weekly event will feature some of the island’s favorite food trucks, in addition to Kauai Beer Company’s array of beers brewed on the premises. Tours of the brewery happen when there are people interested enough to spend time with one of their experienced brewers. For more information, call 808-245-1777, or visit Kauai Beer Company’s website and Facebook page. You can also read about them in Kauai Midweek’s “New Brewery Keeps It Fresh“.
 

Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers

National Tropical Botanical Garden Education Center, 3530 Papalina Road Kalaheo, 4:30 p.m.
Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers – Kauai Chapter meeting will show the docudrama film “The Fruit Hunters” with Bill Pullman and HTFG Executive Director Ken Love.
The Fruit Hunters – Official Trailer

Daniel Braun of the Princeville Wine Market. Daniel Lane photo

Italian Wine Dinner

Nalu Kai, 5:45 p.m., $150
“I am doing an Italian wine dinner with Galen Crippin, the Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Export Manager for United States, ” says Daniel Braun, owner of the Princeville Wine Market. “I have been able to secure an awesome venue for this dinner at Nalu Kai in the St. Regis Princeville Resort. Nalu Kai is a poolside restaurant that is perhaps the best location on the island. Chef Angèle Ting has put together an Italian menu using Hawaiian ingredients, and is offering a vegetarian option as well. Cocktail reception begins at 5:45 p.m., dinner will be served at 6 p.m. I think this will be a wonderful dinner and I hope that you can make it.”
Antipasto Passed

• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, Tomato Caprese Sate, Lump Crab Cake, Chorizo & Fennel Caponata ~ Prosecco Cocktail

Primi Piatti

• Grilled Kauai Prawns, Campanelle Pasta, Portobello Mushrooms, Truffle Oil ~ Frescobaldi, Vermentino, “Ammiraglia” 2012

Secondi Piatti

• Pistachio Crusted Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, Cauliflower Puree, Parmesan Crumble, Red Pepper Coulis ~ Frescobaldi, “Montesodi”, Chianti Rufina Riserva 2006

Secondi Meat Course

• Grilled Angus Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Fingerling Potato, Foie gras Cromesqui,, Porto Liquorice Reduction ~ Castelgiocondo, Brunello di Montalcino 2006

Il Dolci

• Winter Spiced Poached Pear, Trio of Biscotti ~ Frescobaldi, “Pomino” Vin Santo 2006

A credit card number is needed to hold a reservation. Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. They will be dropping checks after the meal so if there are any special payment requests please let Daniel know ahead of time. To make reservations,  call the Princeville Wine Market at 808-826-0040.

Lunch on a previous tour includes Wild Wailua Fern Shoots, Kauai Fresh Farms Tomatoes and Pulehu Kauai Grown Shrimp. 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. This tour ends at Oasis on the Beach with a presentation by the Koloa Rum Co. Afterwards, mixologist Joel Downs will make two hand-crafted cocktails with Koloa Rum.
For more information, visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page or 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. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.

Buy Kauai Grown and Kauai Made holiday gifts at the Holiday Craft Fair.

Holiday Farmers Market & Craft Fair

Kauai Community College, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Celebrate Kauai-style with local farmers and product makers from around the island. Shop for Kauai Grown produce, flowers, specialty and holiday products, artfully crafted Kauai Made gifts, plus delicious local foods, holiday treats, demos and entertainment to enjoy. For more information, contact Melissa McFerrin at 808-652-3217 or email info@kauaigrown.org.
 
 
 
 
Sunday, December 15

Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill

As a way to say thank you to Kauai residents, Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill will take 50-percent off the entire food bill if you can show a Hawaii driver’s license. Reservations are recommended, call 808-742-7117.

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 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. For more information, visit A Taste of  Kauai, Yesterday and Today, or visit check out our Facebook photo album. To make reservations, call 808-635-0257.

Sunset on Kauai. Daniel Lane photo

3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Music Fest And Fireworks Celebration

3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Music Fest, 5 p.m., free
Poipu Beach Resort Association and Kalapaki Joe’s Announce the 3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Music Fest And Fireworks Celebration at Poipu Beach Park.
Poipu Beach Resort Association, in partnership with Kalapaki Joe’s, is hosting the New Year’s Eve celebration, which is complimentary and open to the public. The party includes live, local music; food vendors; keiki (children’s) tent; and culminates with a spectacular fireworks show at 9:20 p.m.
The Music Fest features bands from the Islands including Russell Wellington, Cruz Control, The Greenstone Project and Revival.
Food booths are set up around the main county pavilion at Poipu Beach Park and spotlight local fare for families, from members of the Poipu Beach Resort Association. Food vendors include Kalapaki Joe’s and Uncle’s Shave Ice.
The Keiki Tent, sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Kauai, is located next to the beach playground and features Hawaiian games and much more. The tent is complimentary to the public, but donations to the club are highly recommended.
The fireworks show is hosted by Poipu Beach Resort Association and is a long-standing New Year’s Eve tradition in Poipu. Numerous sponsors from the Southside community, as well as the County of Kauai support this fun filled family event.
Parking in the Poipu area is on a first come first serve basis. Please be mindful of no parking signage.
Call Poipu Beach Resort Association at 808-742-7444 if you would like to request an ASL Interpreter, materials in an alternate format, or other auxiliary aid support seven calendar days before the event.
ONGOING:

Farmer John Wooten holds a jackfruit. Daniel Lane photo

Farmers Market Class

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. I saw friends at the farmers market who were visiting from Colorado. As we hugged and said hello, I saw a table full of near-rotten mangos. It was still snowing in Denver and my friends were excited about the big, beautiful tomatoes they just bought. Their faces fell when I told them they were not grown on Kauai. I felt bad for them, and was inspired to offer this 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. Customers unfamiliar with the seasons can insure their dollars are spent on local products by learning how to identify locally grown 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. For reservations, call 808-635-0257.

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, local crafters sell their wares, and there’s stilt walkers, classics cars, live music and entertainment. Two of our favorite food artisans are there. The Right Slice sells fresh-baked pie by the slice and whole and Midnight Bear Breads makes pizza fresh from a wood-burning oven. parking is tricky. Call 808-335-6469 for more information.

Art & Wine Thursdays

Kauai Beach Resort, 6 to 7 p.m., $15
The first Thursday of every month Kauai Beach Resort showcases art and wine. On Nov. 7, the work of award-winning artist Glenn T. Ichimura will be on display. The mini exhibition includes his botanical, landscape and seascape paintings. Ichimura will also do a live painting demonstration. The wine tasting features Spain, and includes Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut, Cava; Fillaboa Albarino Rias, Baixas 2011; Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha, Calatayud 2011; Palacios Remondo “La Vendimia” Rijoa 2011; Antano Crianza DOC, Rijoa 2008. Light appetizers of cheese, fruit and vegetable crudites will be available. For more information, call 808-245-1955. Guests will receive at 15-percent discount on food at Naupaka Terrace with the purchase of any dinner entrée.

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.
 
 

Second Saturday at the Shops at Kukuiula

The Shops at Kukuiula, 6 to 9 p.m.
Meet local artists on the second Saturday of each month. Six art galleries are featured and previously, an electric violin was played while an artist completed a painting; jazz was played outside of Halelea Gallery where local artist Robin McCoy was featured. Restaurants pair with artists and provide food inspired by their work.

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.