Chardonnay and a view of Hanalei Bay from the Kauai Grill. Daniel Lane photo.

Westin Princeville Jazz and Wine Festival

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

Koloa Rum Co.

Koloa Rum Co. is celebrating their 4th anniversary with a 20-percent off sale. From Thursday, September 26, to Saturday, September 28, you can receive a discount at the Tasting Room & Company Store, or at the eStore. Plus, if you wear your favorite Koloa Rum logo wear to the store, and receive a gift of aloha! Visit KoloaRum.com for details.

Shampoo Ginger

This week, Tropical Flowers Express will have shampoo ginger (awapuhi) at the Kapaa sunshine market and Kauai Culinary Market at the Shops at Kukuiula. The ginger oozes sweet scented liquid that native Hawaiians used to wash their hair with. Look for more information in my Farmers Market column in the Oct. 2 issue of MidWeek Kauai.
EVENTS: 
Saturday, September 21

4th Annual Community Appreciation Day

Papaya’s Natural Foods & Cafe, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., free
Papaya’s gives a big mahalo to the community by serving the community with a free plate lunch. Com early, because they’ve made enough to feed 500 people. Lunch begins at 11 a.m. and goes until they run out. Lunch includes:

• Marinated and Grilled GMO-free tofu
• Brown Rice with Papaya’s signature Sesame Gravy
• Pineapple Slaw with local pineapples, cilantro and zesty vinegar dressing
• House made guacamole, chips and a drink

There will also be live entertainment, samples, demos, keiki activities and an international peace day theme. I will be there signing copies of our book Tasting Kauai Restaurants alongside Pam Brown, who will be signing copies of her book, Kauai Stories. Hope to see you there!

4th Annual Westin Princeville Jazz and Wine Festival

The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, 5 p.m., $90 per person
Hawaii kamaaina and visitors from around the world are invited to mingle and savor an evening under the stars, featuring extraordinary wines, island-inspired cuisine from the island’s top chefs and live, contemporary jazz. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the event’s Silent Auction will benefit the Kauai Lifeguard Association.

Westin Princeville Wine & Jass festival. Daniel Lane photo

Seed Exchange Celebrates the Growth of a Community Food Forest

Noon to 5 p.m., Kalihiwai Food Forest and Community Garden, free
The 12th Biannual Kauai Community Seed and Plant Exchange will be celebrated at the Kalihiwai Food Forest and Community Garden, one half mile up Kahiliholo Road at Wai Koa Plantation, on Kalihiwai Ridge, Halelea. Aloha aina, music, food, and a wealth of seeds and plants will be enjoyed by all.

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

Makana Terrace offers views of Mount Makana (seen in the upper left) and Hanalei Bay. In fact, all restaurants at the St. Regis Princeville do! Daniel Lane photo

Hawaiian Seafood Journey

Makana Terrace, 5:30 to 9 p.m., $90 tasting menu, $30 wine pairing
Makana Terrace, located in the St. Regis Princeville, will host a Hawaiian Seafood Journey. Guests can watch the sun set over Hanalei Bay and dine on a five-course meal featuring Kona lobster, Kauai Clams, Kauai Shrimp, onaga, opakapaka, hamachi and tuna. Click here to see the complete menu. For reservations, call 808-826-2260.
Friday, September 27

Wine Dinner Featuring Sarah Klein

La Spezia Restaurant and Wine Bar, 6 p.m., $75
The Wine Shop in Koloa, in partnership with Koloa’s new Italian Restaurant, La Spezia Restaurant and Wine Bar is hosting a wine event featuring a 4-course dinner and renowned Italian wine specialist, Sara Klein. The festivities begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 27th at the restaurant in Koloa at a cost of $75 all inclusive per person.
They have carefully chosen an excellent combination of different Italian wines for each course. The 4-courses and their respective wine pairings are as follows:

• 1st Course: Local clams served on a pebbled beach of beluga lentils with arugula, fingerling potatoes and a chardonnay cream sauce ~ Tenuta di Nozzole “Bruniche” Chardonnay
• 2nd Course: Savory stuffed quail served in a nest of frisee, warm pancetta dressing, roasted root vegetables and pan jus ~ Michele Chiarlo “Le Orme” Barbera d’Asti
• 3rd Course: Lamb osso bucco served with creamy cannellini beans, chard, oyster mushrooms and a demi gremolata ~ Tenuta San Guido “Guidalberto” Toscana
• 4th Course: Zabaione with seasonal fruit ~ Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti

Reservations are required. Please contact La Spezia Restaurant and Wine Bar at 808-635-7856 to secure your seating.
Saturday, September 28

National Public Lands Day

Kokee State Park, volunteer work
Beautify Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow, and the historic C.C.C Camp by volunteering to work in forest gardens, grounds improvement and painting. If you’ve got a weed whip, bring it – there’s lots of trimming to do in preparation for the Emalani Festival. In a salute to the original “Civilian Conservation Corps” of the 1930s, Hui o Laka will launch “The New C.C.C.,” the “Civilian Conservation Corps of Kokee,” a citizens’ effort that has already begun to transform natural and cultural resources in Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park.
NPLD, supported in part by Toyota, celebrates its 20th anniversary. You’ll be part of the largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands in America, joining more than 170,000 citizens at over 2100 sites around the country. Reservations required. Call 808-335-9975, Ext 0 or sign up on Kokee Museum’s Facebook page (pronounced ko keh eh). There will be bottled water in the field and chili and rice for lunch. Bring salads, snacks, chips, or desserts to help round out the meal.
UPCOMING:

The cacao tree is where chocolate comes from. Daniel Lane photo

23rd Annual Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Conference and the California Rare Fruit Growers Fall Festival of Fruit

Members of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers will hold an eight-day on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. While on the GArden Island, there will be a Kauai Coffee tour with Greg Williams and NTBG/Allerton Garden tour with Scott Sloan and Diane Ragone. There will be lunch, and exotic fruit tasting and free time at the park. Kauai member will meet and presentations include hands on grafting with Joe Sabol; Fruit Tours around the World with Roger Meyer; and Jujubes with Roger and Shirley; Florida fruit with Chris Rollins; Fruits of Ecuador with Jim West and Fruit from Australia with Rick Yessayian. To become a member of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers. Grower Membership is $35 per year, and is for back yard growers and hobbyists whose total sales are less than $1,000 per year. General Membership is $100 per year and is for those who sell over $1,000 per year. For more information, visit the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers website.

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 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 made with Kauai grown ingredients. Our last stop is at The Feral Pig where we imbibe in handcrafted cocktails made with local ingredients.
You can visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page or our Facebook photo album to see how much fun the tour is. 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 2013 dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.
Friday, October 18

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 part agritourism and part ecotourism. We visit Waipa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians, which remains undeveloped. This one-of-a-kind experience was designed by Tasting Kauai and the Waipa Foundation especially for those who wish to learn about traditional agriculture systems, endangered wildlife, and enjoy real Hawaiian food while saturated in Kauai’s rugged beauty.
Waipa is nestled in the Hanalei Valley which is a National Wildlife Refuge and endangered birds flourish here. We explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams and learn about significant foods, food plants, growing methods, and overall Hawaiian agricultural and land management concepts, approaches, and complexes in ancient times and their transition to today.
At the “Poi Garage”, guests sample cooked taro corms, poi and kulolo, a traditional dessert made with coconut.
Lunch, prepared by Waipa’s chef, changes seasonally and is made with vegetables grown in on site 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 go to restore native plants and to 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.
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!
ONGOING:

Steve, Allie, Christine and Kirk during our farmers market class. Marta 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 the gallery.

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.