Pau Hana Friday for November 8

Kauai Coffee grows five varietals of Arabica coffee, this is Yellow Catuai. Daniel Lane photo

Kauai Coffee Koloa Rum Challenge

Koloa Rum Co. and Kauai Coffee have partnered to bring a friendly competition to the public. Professional mixologists and home bartenders are invited to submit their original recipe for a drink made with Koloa Rum or Kauai Coffee. The winner of the Rum & Coffee Drink Challenge will win a $300 cash prize. You can enter as many times as you like, and each entry fee is $15. Proceeds go to Kauai Habitat for Humanity and Kauai Culinary Institute of the Pacific. Deadline to register is January 2, 2014. Additional challenges include Entrée and Dessert. For more information, or to register visit KCKRChallenge.com.

This private tour launched A Taste of Kilohana. Details coming soon. Marta Lane photo

Tasting Kauai

We designed two culinary tours, available each month, to introduce people to the food growers and makers of Kauai. A Culinary Romp Through Paradise takes guests to three locations and includes a farm tour, four-course gourmet meal, cooking demonstration and handcrafted cocktails. A Taste of Kauai, Yesterday and Today immerses guests in Hawaiian culture and food, and includes an exclusive tour of the Waipa ahupuaa (watershed). We have received enough inquiries saying, “We are coming to Kauai and unfortunately, we won’t be here during one of your tours. Is there anything you can do for us?” Yes we can! We are in the process of designing a new tour called A Taste of Kilohana. The tour will take place exclusively at Kilohana Plantation and will include an orchard tour, seasonal fruit tasting, mai tai demonstration and a three course meal in the Private Dining room of Wilcox Mansion. We had a trial tour  yesterday, and our guests really enjoyed it. I’ll post more as soon as I work out the details.

Bill 2491

This past week, The Garden Island newspaper has covered the aftermath of the mayor’s veto of Bill 2491. In “2491 will withstand legal challenges“, Gary Hooser, a Kauai County council member and co author of the bill, calls the mayor to task. Wednesday’s article “Legal dust up” says proponents blame the mayor for tipping the county’s legal hand by sharing the county attorney’s opinion. You can listen to the mayor defend his decision to veto Bill 2491 and Gary Hooser’s reaction to the mayor’s veto on HPR’s The Conversation. Visit Stop Poisoning Paradise if you’d like to help Kauai pass Bill 2491.
EVENTS: 
Wednesday, November 6

Salty Wahine Hawaiian Turkey Brine Seasoning. Marta Lane photo

Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts 

Shops at Kukuila Kauai Culinary Market, 5 p.m.
Meet Laura Cristobal Andersland, owner of Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts during a cooking demonstration this Wednesday at the Shops at Kukuiula. She will make a turkey with her seasonal and extremely delicious Hawaiian Turkey Brine Seasoning. I love this stuff and you can get plenty of it at the market. I recommend stocking up, because you’ll want to use it year round for roasted chicken or pork chops, but she only makes it during the holidays. Laura will also show everyone how to make a purple and white potato mash and Lilikoi Cranberry Sauce with Lilikoi Syrup. Tastings follow the cooking demo and recipes will be given out.
 
 
 
Sunday, November 10

President Obama’s Sister Visits Kauai

Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Barack Obama’s maternal half-sister will talk story Maya at Kumu Camp in Anahola. Afterward, she will sign her book, “Ladder to the Moon” ($20). Proceeds go to provide mindfulness practices, such as yoga and meditation, to Native Hawaiian youth. The book, which is beautifully illustrated, is a lyrical story where a deceased grandmother relays wisdom to her granddaughter in a moonlit dream. For more information, visit the Yoga on Kauai website.
 
 
 

Dave Power, Marta Lane, Collin Darrell and Barb Ka’auwai are cooking up a good time! Daniel Lane photo

Tasting Kauai Popup Dinner and Book Release Party

6:30 p.m., The Feral Pig, $95 (all inclusive)
Join us in celebrating the release of our book, Tasting Kauai: Restaurants ~ From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island. Collin Darrell, Kauai’s pop-up dinner maestro and founder of Grow Culture will design a five-course meal with super fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Barb Ka’auwai, executive chef at The Feral Pig, will create a menu based around these ingredients. Dave Power, co owner and esteemed bartender, will start us off with a champagne cocktail, and pair each course with beer, cocktails or wine. At the end of the evening, you will receive an autographed copy of our book and a chance to win one of my husband’s metallic, landscape prints. To secure your place, call 808-246-1100. For more information, read “Tasting Kauai Guidebook is Here”

Winemakers Dinner

Dondero’s, $110
Dondero’s Italian restaurant at Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa is partnering with The Wine Shop in Koloa to bring four famous winemakers and owners together for a special dinner. The evenings begins with a reception including a seared ahi canapé served with J. Cuvee 20. Dinner includes four courses, each paired with exceptional wines, beginning with Selbach-Oster “Old Vines” Riesling and lemongrass cured Grand Banks Scallop.
Renowned Owner and Winemaker, Johannes Selbach, will be here from Germany. Despite a history dating to 1661, Selbach-Oster produces wines that are modern and fresh and reflective of the philosophy of the family: Let the fruit and the soil do the talking.
The second course will feature Foxen, Pinot Noir, from Santa Maria Valley, California and roasted Palmetto Farms squab.Dick Dore, Owner and Winemaker of Foxen, is dedicated to the creation of very small production, sustainably farmed, vineyard-focused wines using a “minimalist” approach to winemaking.
Next Larry Turley will present Turley’s “Juvenile” Zinfandel, from California paired with smoked Martinez Farms Washington lamb loin. Old vines are the key to Turley’s success. Turley wines are full flavored, yet refined, and express the distinctive character of Zin and the classic old vineyards from which they come.
The final course, before a sweet ending, will feature Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa with Alii Kula Lavender rubbed Snake River Farms Kobe rib eye. John Williams, Owner and Winemaker of Frog’s Leap, has lead the charge of environmental stewardship in the wine industry. Frog’s Leap Winery was eco-conscious long before “sustainable” entered our daily vocabulary. Williams employs “old school” techniques to sustainably coax exceptional quality from his grapes, creating great wines noted for their finesse, restraint and complexity.
Dinner is crafted by Dondero’s chef de cuisine, Alexis Gutierrez. Cost is $110 per person. For reservations, call Heidi at 808-240-6434.
Tuesday, November 19

Merriman’s Benefit Dinner

Merriman’s Fish House, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., $65
Merriman’s Fish House in Poipu will host a dinner and all proceeds will benefit the Kauai United Way and Hale Opio Kauai. The meal includes a selection of signature Merriman’s menu items, mai tais, beer, wine, live music, a drawing and a live auction. The event will be hosted outdoors in the Palm Court at The Shops at Kukuiula, seating is limited so book early.For reservations, call 808-742-8385.
Friday, November 22

A Taste of Kauai, Yesterday and Today includes lunch at Hanalei Bay. Marta 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.

Thanksgiving Specials

In preparation for holiday festivals & feasts, Da Food Chain will offer delivery service twice a week: Tuesday and Friday. Orders for twice-per-week delivery will begin on Friday, November 8. For more information, visit Da Food Chain’s website.
The Right Slice will announce two new seasonal flavors in the next week or two, and are also offering autumn decorated pies for $2 more. Autumn decorations include fall leaves, pumpkins, acorns and swirls in dough cut outs. They will take orders thru Monday, November 25th. Pick up on Wednesday, November 27, either at the shop from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., or at the Kauai Culinary Market at The Shops at Kukuiula from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Extra pies will be on hand for those who forget to order, but no orders will be taken after Nov. 25. The Right Slice will be closed 11/28-12/1 and re-opening on Monday December 2. For more information, visit The Right Slice‘s website.
Beginning Monday, Nov. 24, and up to Thanksgiving day, I will post holiday menus, specials and more.
UPCOMING:

Guests from Austria learn how to tell when a pineapple is ripe on A Culinary Romp Through Paradise. Marta 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.
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.