Superfood Elixers at The Garden Cafe. Daniel Lane photo

Bill 2491

Tasting Kauai, many island residents, as well as people from around the world, were happy to learn that the Kauai County Council passed Bill 2491 at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 16. Yesterday, the revised bill was sent to the Mayor’s office. He will veto, sign or return it unsigned. The Mayor wanted a one month deferral, so if he vetoes it, the council will have to vote again and get a 2/3 majority to win. 

Lopaka Baptista supports Bill 2491. Marta Lane photo

Todd and Michele Rundgren and staff at Tiki Iniki. Daniel Lane photo.

Tiki Iniki

More good news includes the long anticipated opening of Tiki Iniki, a restaurant and tiki bar located in the Princeville Shopping Center. Owners Michele and Todd Rundgren are widely known for their music contributions to rock and roll, and may be creating a new legacy with Tiki Iniki. The restaurant will have a soft open tonight for 85 people, reservations required. Saturday night, they will be officially open. We have our reservations for 5 p.m. and look forward to the upscale food, handcrafted tiki cocktails and totally fun decor. For reservations, call (323) 272-3128. Look for the full story in my “Tastes of Kauai” column in the Oct. 30 edition of MidWeek Kauai.
 

Look for The Green Pig across from Kealia Beach. Daniel Lane photo.

The Green Pig

In the Oct. 23 edition of MidWeek Kauai, my “Tastes of Kauai” column will introduce many island residents to a new food truck in Kapaa. The Green Pig features Southern style barbecue and will be featuring local fish for the first time this weekend. “We use  local fish for our weekend special, Blackened Fish Tacos!” says co owner Erron DePew. “We are happy to announce we will be located in Kapaa Town at The Denim Patch Lot for First Saturday Kapaa Art Walk 6-10 p.m. on November 2. We will carry the full menu plus pupu specials!”
 
 

Sheep from Akuanakamalani Ranch will be featured at this year’s Garden Island Range and Food festival. Daniel Lane photo.

Garden Island Range & Food Festival

Kauai’s locavore paina (party) is next month. It’s a time when our farmers, ranchers and  fishermen provide ingredients to island chefs and they cook up a feast. As farm chairperson, I can tell you that 21 farmers have committed to donating produce to this non-profit fundraiser. A $1000 scholarship will be awarded to a lucky student at Kauai Community College’s Culinary Arts Program and proceeds from a silent auction at the event will go to the Hawaii Food Bank. We have a meeting on Monday, and afterwards I’ll write an article for the Nov. 13 issue of MidWeek Kauai. I’ll include all of the participating restaurants, farmers, silent auction details, door prizes and, for the first time, introduce our farmers market table. If you’d like read about the event last year, check out my article called “Garden Island Range And Food Fest“. I also wrote a blog post called “Collecting Produce for the Garden Island Range and Food Festival.” For event details information, see the Nov. 17 listing below.
 
 

Waipa’s Multipurpose Building before completion. Daniel Lane photo.

Waipa Foundation

We’d like to congratulate the Waipa Foundation on the opening of their new Multipurpose Building. Stacy Sproat-Beck, executive director of the Waipa Foundation, guides us during our north shore culinary tour, we have seen the structure grow each month. Now, the building is ready for meetings and gatherings, learning opportunities and for other activities that occur within the ahupuaa of Waipa. You can learn more by reading “Construction completed on Multipurpose Building” and “Wonderful Waipa“.
 

Stacy Sproat-Beck with children at Waipa. Daniel Lane photo.

Seeds of Hope

Stacy Sproat-Beck and clips of Waipa can be seen in the new documentary, Seeds of Hope. The trailer is below and the DVD will be available by Nov. 1. It is free for every school and library in the state. Educators can Daniel Miller me a request at dmillerfilms@gmail.com, and and he will send a DVD for their school or library. Individuals can pre-order the DVD on the film’s website for $10 each.

Enjoy Kauai Beer Company’s Oktoberfest beer on tap at The Feral Pig. Daniel Lane photo.

Oktoberfest

This Saturday, The Feral Pig will celebrate Oktoberfest all day long. Barb, the executive chef, will be making sausages and serving them for breakfast, along with pork schnitzel loco moco. Four to six German-stlye beers will be served, including Kauai Beer Company’s Oktoberfest. From 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., Artistic License will play German Drinking songs.
 
 
October 17 through October 19

Na Lima Hana Festival

Auntie Janet shows how to make a basket to harvest salt at Na Lima Hana. Daniel Lane photo

Festival of Stars & Flavors of Waimea

CB Hoffgard Park, noon to sunset, free
Na Mele No Kaumualii will honor King Kaumualii by showcasing original compositions including songs, chants and poems. Musical compositions are about significant events and places connected to Kauai’s beloved King. Ethnic food will be provided by West Kauai businesses. King Kaumualii will be remembered through music and songwriter, producer and musician Ken Makuakane. The event is coordinated by West Kauai Visitor Center and sponsored by Kauai Economic Development Board, West Kauai Professional and Business Association, For Kauai Magazine, and Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Tuesday, October 22

Merriman’s Wine Tasting and Pairing

Merriman’s Fish House, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., $35
Taste four Merlots paired with executive chef Mark Arriola’s specialty pupus. Wines include Rutherford Vintners, Napa Merlot; Peju, Napa Merlot; Robert Mondavi, Napa Merlot and McIntyre, Kimberly Vineyards, Arroyo Seco Merlot. For reservations, call 808-742-8385.
Friday, October 25

Restaurant Guidebook Signing

Talk Story Bookstore, 5:30 to 9 p.m., free
Join Tasting Kauai at Talk Story Bookstore during Hanapepe Art Night. After hubby and I enjoy some fresh made pizza from Midnight Bear Breads, and maybe a slice of pie from The Right Slice, we’ll sign copies of our new book, Tasting Kauai: Restaurants. Come, enjoy a delightful evening of food, music and art, and talk story with us. We’d love to meet you! A portion of the proceeds from book sales go to the Hawaii Food Bank – Kauai Branch.
Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26

13th Annual Fall Festival

Kauai Christian Academy campus, 4000 Kilauea Road, Kilauea, 4 to 9 p.m., free
Kauai Christian Academy celebrates its 40 anniversary during their Fall Festival. The carnival atmosphere will have games, food, entertainment, and a “super-deluxe” silent auction. Live entertainment includes a bluegrass band and adult and keiki hula. Silent auction prizes include top hotel stays, zipline tours, boat tours, helicopter clothing, artwork, spa treatments and food items. For more information, call 808-639-4307.
Saturday, October 26

Compost Tea Workshop

Kekaha Community Garden, 4552 Aukuu Rd., Kekaha, 9 to 11 a.m., suggested donation $5
Instructor and gardener Kelly Ball of Greenfire Garden Service will share tips and techniques for creating healthy soil. Workshop covers how to make:

• Spirulina compost tea ~ A perpetual fertilizer formula. Demonstration will include the set up of a compost tea brewer, showing us the basic components of a brewing system and where we can get them.
• Nutrifying plant formulas using home appliances
• Essential micro-organisms formula
• Bio-active “High Bloom” solution
• Seawater Solution

There will be mulch and spirulina for sale. For more information or to make reservations, call 808-631 4982 or email kcgoutreachcoordinator@gmail.com.
Sunday, October 27

Lisa and Sun work the land by hand. Daniel Lane photo

Sustainable Island Tastes from the Garden

One Song Farm, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., $36
After this workshop, bio-intensive farmers Lisa Fuller and Sun will offer a tasting of foods that grows well on Kauai. During the workshop, Lisa will teach bio-intensive gardening basics and how to grown a lot of food in a small space. Sun’s workshop is for advanced gardeners and focuses on overcoming the challenges of growing food on Kauai and how do it successfully. At noon, sample plants that grow well and are good for you. Discussion includes recipes and plant care. For reservations, call 635-3020.
UPCOMING:
Friday, November 1

Chardonnay and a view of Hanalei Bay. Daniel Lane photo.

Princeville Wine Tasting

The Cliffs at Princeville, 5:30 to 8 p.m., $65 ($30 tax deductible), $75 at door
The Rotary Club of Hanalei will hold its annual wine tasting event at the Cliffs at Princeville. Paradise Beverages, Chambers & Chambers and Southern will showcase close to 25 wines.
“We also have a very special guest,” says John Young, assistant general manager at the Cliffs at Princeville. “Barry Kinman, owner and winemaker for Bear Cave Cellars, will be pouring one of his winery favorites. This event is unique because  guests may purchase wine directly from the vendors, at reduced prices. So, everything being poured will also be available for purchase!”
Wine orders will be delivered one to two weeks after the event.
“We will have the Kapaa Middle School ukulele band and choir performing to support their annual Mainland competition fundraising efforts,” explains Young. “They have entertained our guests in the past and are always well received, so we are thrilled they have agreed to join us for this event.”
Kauai Coffee will close the evening and a Kahiko chant, with sounds of the Pacific ocean, will follow. The event will be on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There is plenty of parking and guests will be shuttled to and from their cars. The onsite parking lot is at the end of Edward Road, in front of the property.
Nanea, the Westin Princeville’s signature restaurant, will provide pupus. Here’s the menu:

• Crispy crab cakes, Moloaa shaved fennel, grain mustard aioli, togarashi
• Grilled flat bread, two ways
• Kalua chicken, Kauai tomato, buffalo mozzarella, macadamia nut pesto
• Caramelized Maui onion, prosciutto, Kauai Kunana Dairy goat cheese, balsamic gastrique
• Ahi poke salad station, onions, carrots, heart of palm, tomato, won ton strips, miso ginger hoisin vin
• Edemame guacamole, lomi tomato, taro chips
• Watercress tofu salad
• Cheese tray
• Assorted fruit
• Triple chocolate brownie
• Haupia pie

For more information or reservations, call John Young at 808-826-2008.
Friday, November 8

Breezy and beautiful gourmet lunch and cooking demonstration at the Kauai Marriott Resort. 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 The Feral Pig with a presentation from Kauai Beer Company. After meeting the brewer and sampling craft beer, Dave Power, co owner and bartender of The Feral Pig, will make a la minute cocktails. This is a special treat as Dave has been written up as one of Hawaii’s best bartenders and he excels at making drinks customized to individual taste.
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.
Tuesday, November 12

Winemaker’s 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.

Oahu resident Tara McKellar samples three preparations of taro. 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.
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-burinig oven. parking is tricky. Call 808-335-6469 for more information.

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.