NEWS:

Hawaiian Kukui Brand Mai Tai made with Koloa Rum. Daniel Lane photo

Koloa Rum Co.

Yesterday, the Koloa Rum Company announced the appointment of Robert M. “Bob” Gunter as President and CEO, and Alicia Iverson as Chief Financial Officer.
“I am pleased and honored to have the opportunity to continue building on the remarkable growth and success that has been achieved over the past five years,” said Gunter, President and CEO. “The innovation, entrepreneurship and dedication of our employees, combined with our strong portfolio of outstanding products, give me great confidence that the Company is on a winning path. Going-forward, we will continue to develop exciting new products, expand distribution and sales in local, domestic and international markets and establish strategic relationships and alliances needed to realize our full-potential.
“Since joining Koloa Rum Company as Controller in 2008, Alicia’s business leadership, expertise and broad financial experience have greatly benefited our organization. The commitment, focus and value that she brings on a daily basis strengthen our organization measurably as we strive to reach our growth and development plans in Hawaii and beyond,” says Gunter.
Koloa Rum Company produces premium, artisanal, single-batch Hawaiian Rum at their distillery in Kalaheo, Kauai and operates Hawaii’s first and only distilled spirits Tasting Room & Company Store on the grounds of Kilohana Plantation, near Lihue. The Company’s multiple award-winning portfolio includes Premium Kauai White, Gold, Dark, and Spice Rum in 750ml and 50ml miniatures, Koloa Ready-to-Drink Mai Tai and Koloa Rum Punch.

Casablanca chef Sarah Foster and owner Elizabeth Foley-McGinn — cheers! Daniel Lane photo

Casablanca

We are sad to learn that Casablanca at Kiahuna Plantation closes for good on Sunday, February 24. Dan and I especially enjoy their lamb chops. In fact, after we tried them, all others paled in comparison. The house-made mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto, baked and drizzeld with port fig sauce is excellent as well. It’s especially bittersweet for us because they are the first story I wrote for MidWeek Kauai‘s Tastes of Kauai column. Stop by and enjoy a last meal, if not, their new restaurant LA SPEZIA, in old Koloa Town, will open very soon.
EVENTS:
Friday, February 22

Waimea Town Celebration

Old Sugar Mill, 4:30 to 11 p.m.
Join Waimea Town for two days of small town fun at the old Sugar Mill in Waimea. Live entertainment includes a ukulele concert. There will also be an ice cream contest as well as local food, crafts, game booths, a beer garden and loads of sporting events including a canoe race, baseball and basketball tournaments, rodeo and Captain Cook Caper 10, 5, and 2k Fun Run.
Saturday, February 23 

Kauai Nursery & Landscaping

Compost and soil workshop, 9:05 to 10:05 a.m., free
Compost is a simple way to add nutrients to your soil. It not only encourages plant growth but restores vitality to depleted soil. It’s free, easy to make and good for the environment. For more information call 808-245-7747.

Waimea Town Celebration

Old Sugar Mill, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Join Waimea Town for two days of small town fun at the old Sugar Mill in Waimea. Live entertainment includes a ukulele concert. There will also be an ice cream contest as well as local food, crafts, game booths, a beer garden and loads of sporting events including a canoe race, baseball and basketball tournaments, rodeo and Captain Cook Caper 10, 5, and 2k Fun Run.

Kauai Museum Talk Story

Kauai Museum, 13:30 a.m., free to members, $10 for non members
Kauai residents Aileen and Niles Kageyama will talk story about growing up on Kauai “plantation-style” when the sugar industry dominated the island, when neighbors trusted each other implicitly, of “picture brides,” of Aileen’s parents’ colorful mom-and-pop general store and an overview of how the sugar industry shaped Kauai and the entire state of Hawaii for 150 years.
Aileen and Niles are both included in Kauai Stories: Life on the Garden Island told by Kauai’s People, a collection of more than 50 touching, inspiring and humorous stories about island life, available for purchase at the Kauai Museum.
 
 
 

Wine Tasting

The Wine Garden, Puhi, 4 to 7 p.m., free
The Wine Garden has selected some wine varietals outside of the mainstream. Sample wines made from grape varieties that you may have never tasted before, or even heard of including Carmenere, Nebbiolo, Charbono and Tannat.
Wednesday, February 27

Hawaii’s Rising Star Chefs Benefit Dinner

Kauai Community College Fine Dining Room, 5:30 p.m., $75
Two of Hawaii’s 14 Rising Star Chefs will prepare a special five-course dinner to benefit The Culinary Institute of the Pacific as well as the Kauai Community College Culinary Arts Program.
Christopher Kulis, of Maui’s Capische?

“CIA-graduated and Keller-trained, Chef Christopher Kulis is so well versed in the farm-to-table approach (or as he calls it, dirt-to-mouth), that he won’t cook East Coast scallops and builds his menu largely upon fish he gets from the off-the-clock Maui construction workers who work part-time as fishermen,” says the Star Chefs website. “The result is an Italian menu at Capische? that always challenges but never baffles. Kulis deftly weaves together pepper, acid, sweetness, and salt to create bold, challenging dishes. And his rustic, naturalistic approach to plating is clearly inspired by the product he works with, most of which comes from the organic garden that Kulis started and each cook at Capische? tends. With a side catering company and a pop-up restaurant in the works, the sky is the limit for Kulis.”

Dishes that Clinched It:

• Hawaiian Ranchers Beef Carpaccio, Horseradish Aïoli, Watermelon Radish, Garden Greens, Preserved Meyer Lemon Oil, Croutons, Fried Capers, and Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Laulima Farms Organic Beets, Goat Cheese, Fried Beet Ravioli, and Sherry Beet Vinaigrette

Pastry Chef: Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Alan Wong’s

“When Michelle Karr-Ueoka first started cooking, she could barely hold a knife. But with 11 years at Alan Wong’s (first on the savory side, then moving to pastry) she has become one of the dominant pastry chefs on the islands, with a contemplative, mature approach to sweets. Her pastries are explorations waiting to be savored and slowly navigated, as crunchy textures give way to silky mousse, and sweet begets sour. With stages at New York’s Per Se, Daniel, and the now-closed Union Pacific, and a full-time position at The French Laundry, Karr-Ueoka certainly has the pedigree. But what she really brings to the table is a deep knowledge of her native Hawaii’s terroir. For most pastry chefs, dishes reflect something about themselves; for Karr-Ueoka, it’s about reflecting the heart and soul of Hawaii.”

Dishes that Clinched It:

• Hanaoka Farms Lilikoi: Custard, Brulée, and Dice
• Hawaii Sweet-Gold Pineapple “Shave Ice”: Coconut Tapioca, Haupia Sorbet, Dehydrated Pineapple, Shaped “Pineapple”

We are in luck because Karr-Ueoka will be preparing that winning shave ice for dessert! For more information, check our the February 27 issue of MidWeek Kauai and for reservations call Darilyn Fernandez at 808-645-0878.
Thursday, February 28

A Day of French Cooking with Hawaii’s Rising Star Chefs

Kauai Community College, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., free
Open to industry professionals only, this half day workshop covers the art of French cooking. Join Tiki Restaurant & Bar executive chef Ronnie Nasuti on a discussion about French staples pate and terrine. Christopher Kulis will cover sous vide cooking techniques and Michelle Karr-Ueoka will share her secrets when it comes to French pastry and pate a choux. For reservations, call Darilyn Fernandez at 808-645-0878.

Traditionally, Hawaiians used maile to scent kapa cloth and as perfume. Today, it’s used in lei making. Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Native Plant Society

Guest lecture series, 5 p.m., Frear Center at Island School, free
Join KNPS for pot-luck pupus and a lecture by Kumu Sabra Kauka. Sabra will explain the cultural uses, significance, and the protocols involved with native plants. Protocols include chants used in the forest, hula plants, and Kinolau (plant forms of gods and goddesses). There will be time for questions and answers afterward. Kumu Sabra Kauka is a Kauai educator, artist, and environmentalist. Kauka is the Kumu Hula of Na Pua o Kamaile Halau at Island School where she also teaches Hawaiian Studies, and she is the Kauai coordinator of the Hawaiian Studies Kapuna component for the Department of Education. As an artist, Kauka is a kapa maker and lauhala weaver, keeping the ancient traditions alive; is the president of Na Pali Coast Ohana, caretakers of Nu alolo Kai State Park and serves on the board of Garden Island Resource Conservation & Development, Inc.
The event starts with pot-luck pupus from 5 6:30 p.m. Lecture will be from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Space is limited. RSVP for this event by calling Keren at 652-0403 or email keren@kauainativeplantsociety.org.
We will be meeting at the Frear Center at Island School, in Lihue. Island School is located just behind Kaua`i Community College. The Frear Center is to the right as you enter the school grounds, by the reservoir.
UPCOMING:
Tuesday, March 5

Around the World of Plants

KCC Campus Center Cafeteria, 5:30 p.m., free
National Tropical Botanical Garden(NTBG) and Kauai Community College (KCC) have announced a new lecture series, Around the World of Plants. The first lecture of the series will feature Professor Sir Ghillean Prance on ‘Ethnobotany of the Guarani of the Argentina Rain Forests’. The next two lectures in the Around the World of Plants series are on April 23  with NTBG Director Chipper Wichman with a film showing of A King in China: the Life of Joseph Francis Rock. On May 21, NTBG Librarian Richard Hanna will discuss ‘Captain Cook’s Artists in the Pacific’. NTBG and KCC have collaborated to bring this series to the public as they share a common goal of quality education to change lives. For more information visit the NTBG website.
Saturday, March 9

CKMS Street Fair

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Campus, 5 to 8 p.m.
Once a month, Chiefess students organize the CKMS Street fair, a fundraiser for student field trips. Choir students are responsible for the February event and proceeds will be used for a music competition in California. Food trucks include JC’s Puerto Rican Kitchen, Paco’s Tacos, Hanalei Taro & Juice Co., Kauai Marriott Resort, Yamato’s Ice Cream, as well as fresh squeezed juice, kettle corn, and saimin. Craft vendors will set up stalls and kids can play in the bounce house, get their face painted or play games. A bingo game starts at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place on campus at 4431 Nohou St., Lihue.
Friday, March 15

Sampling seasonal fruit at Kilohana Plantation. Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Culinary Tour

9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., $130
Tasting Kauai’s Culinary Tour offers an intimate glimpse into the Garden Island’s culinary scene. We start with a farm tour and learn about 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. Our last stop is at The Feral Pig where we’ll learn about how the Koloa Rum Co. makes their award-winning rum. Afterwards, Dave Power, co owner and bartender will show us how to make two cocktails, which we get to drink! You can read what LandingStanding said about this tour, or visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page. We have a Facebook photo album that shows how much fun the tour is, and today we got a 5-Star TripAdvisor review for last week’s tour! For a complete list of 2013 dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.
 
 
 
 
 

Get Kauai Grown seeds from Regenerations Botanical Garden at the Seed Exchange. Daniel Lane photo

11th Biannual Seed and Plant Exchange

Church of the Pacific in Princeville, 5 p.m., free
Regenerations Botanical Garden is joining forces with Ohana o Kauai, who will offer an all Kauai luau at the seed exchange, a service they regularly perform at special events on the north shore. “Food like chayote, tapioca, kalo, chaya and ulu are some of the plants that often show up at the seed exchange, but are new to many people’s taste buds. Ohana o Kauai’s gift of aloha grinds is the perfect way to share the abundance and diversity of what we can grow and eat here on the Garden Island”, says Jill Richardson, event co-founder and organizer.
The event will showcase dozens of tables of seeds, cuttings, and potted plants that community participants bring to share. Felicia Cowden of Regenerations says, “this is a generosity party celebrating the potential of our homegrown food and plants. It’s important for our leaders to see the strength of our combined citizenry, people who want food independence and resilience, individual sovereignty and home rule.”
To find out more visit the Regenerations Botanical Garden’s website, or call 652-4118.
 
ONGOING:

RumFire’s Hawaiian Paella is loaded with chunks of fresh fish, shrimp, and spiked with Portuguese sausage, corn and chayote squash. Daniel Lane photo

RumFire

Following its successful “You Dine, We Donate” charity program in 2012, RumFire Poipu Beach announces it will continue raising funds in February to benefit the 35th Annual Visitor Industry Kauai Charity Walk. All food and beverage proceeds at RumFire Poipu Beach’s Table #53 will be donated to the non-profit event during the month-long fundraiser at the south shore’s newest hot spot.
Hosted by the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association Kaua‘i Chapter, the Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk is one of the largest fundraisers in the state, providing an opportunity for Hawai‘i’s visitor industry to collectively give back to its local communities. Since its inception in
1978, the Charity Walk has raised over $24 million for Hawaii charities, and all of Hawaii’s non-profit charities are eligible to benefit.
Patrons who are interested in participating in RumFire’s month-long “You Dine, We Donate” program are encouraged to make reservations in advance by calling 808-742-4786 and requesting Table #53. The table will be available on a first come, first serve basis. All food and beverage proceeds at Table #53 during dinner service will be donated to the HLTA Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, gratuity will be paid to the server and taxes will be remitted to the State of Hawaii.