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North Shore: Teaching Food as Medicine

By on February 18, 2019 in Culinary Tour, From Seed, Kauai Lifestyles, Kauai Restaurant Guide, Launches, Travel Tips, Uncategorized

North Shore Kauai: Food As Medicine Tour

 

Traditional Diet

Traditional Hawaiian diets are considered to be some of the healthiest in the world. Living on a protein, vitamin and mineral rich diet that consisted mainly of poi (pounded taro root), fresh fish along with fruits and vegetables such as banana, coconut, breadfruit and sweet potato made for a clean and nourishing foundation. Even Hawaiian sea salt that was harvested in large amounts held minerals and rich health benefits. We aim to teach you about a variety of the beautiful canoe crops that the Polynesians brought to the Hawaiian islands over 1,000 years ago and how they are still being used today. 

Modern Food Practices

Fast forward to modern day Hawaii – you do not see this traditional health based diet by any means. Yes, you can still find fresh poi and poke with a variety of local fish, but much of the vegetable and fruit base has changed to fried food, rice and less healthy starches than taro or breadfruit. Of course, with modern influences come imports of all kinds of foods. We do have a beautiful and intricate cuisine here that has been influenced through the Plantation Era by Chinese, Japanese, Okinawan and Filipino food culture. Through all of these cultural influences, we want to share with you the foods with the best health benefits for your body, mind and spirit.

Balance the Ancient with the Modern

Here at Tasting Kauai we want to honor the healthy traditional foods and practices, while also sharing with you the modern health foods and techniques that locals are using to make new traditions here on our beautiful island. Come with us to a medicinal herb farm, visit a local juice company to try fresh fruits in a new way and to learn about and try for yourself some of the traditional Polynesian foods still being utilized in modern Hawaii. Let us share the education and fresh flavors of Kauai with you on our Food as Medicine Tour! And don’t worry, we still sneak in a few decadent tastings for all of your hard work learning.  We can promise that you will not leave hungry 🙂 Life is after all, about balance. 

Hale Puna Farm fresh Market

By on November 28, 2018 in Culture, Farmers Markets, From Seed, Kauai Life, Kauai Lifestyles, Travel Tips, Uncategorized

The Market

Our foodie staff at Tasting Kauai loves to check out new restaurants and stay up to date on new chef innovations & creations  here on island, and while there are few things that excite us more than the search for a heavenly meal, they do exist! I recently had the pleasure of visiting Hale Puna in the town of Waimea. Hale Puna, or the historic Gulick Rowell Mission House, is a burgeoning small scale food forest. This community focused farm is a project we can really get behind. Every Thursday afternoon from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Hale Puna, 9567 Huakai Road you can stop by and visit their farm market and purchase your produce for a good cause. (If this time doesn’t work for you, you can also reach out to set up pickup time for a CSA basket)

Community Involvement

Working closely with farm school interns from Ke Kula Niʻihau o Kekaha, they not only have a beautiful flourishing garden, but also strive to provide hands on training to get kids on the west side involved in organic permaculture style farming. They want to show them this is a viable outlet for future employment that can benefit them, their health and their community.

Hale Puna is a 501(c)3. All proceeds from the Farmers Market go towards restoring the historic Gulick Rowell Mission House and to paying these farm school interns (middle and high school students from the west side!).

Getting the next generation to care & get involved is going to shape what the future of food security will look like on our lovely island. Creating more food growth, protecting and honoring the culture, and helping to create economically resilient jobs are all imperative goals for Kauai. They are striving for all of the above with this foundation.  Jim Ballantine, a 4th generation West side resident, owns and operates the Kōkeʻe lodge along with Hale Puna. His daughter Fanny runs the market and farm project and is the driving force behind getting this project flourishing. 

The Food

Here at the farm the students have already planted over 75 fruit trees and many other crops including papaya, ulu(breadfuit), avocado, banana, liliko’i, ‘olena(turmeric), sweet potato, sugar cane and kabocha. The traditional forest garden will focus on presenting classes and workshops around food, sustainability, permaculture and the history of West Kauai agriculture. Any food that isn’t sold at the market on Tuesdays or in CSA baskets, is taken up to be utilized at Kōkeʻe Lodge, so no food goes to waste! 

History

Whether you are a foodie, a history buff, a cultural guru or just a curious visitor – there is something for everyone at Hale Puna. Inquire about a donation based guided tour of the oldest house in Hawaii and their surrounding food forest. This home was built in 1829 and has been majorly renovated only once in 1927. The original wood floors are still inside! They hope to use the house once it is restored as a community center for events and performances that contribute to the cultural richness of West Kauai life. It is so cool to see the home being brought into the modern world with this food focused non profit!

 

You can find out more about this incredible project and all of the dedicated local people behind it on their website at http://www.halepuna.org/ and be sure not to miss their farmer’s market on your way down from the canyon!

Eat Healthy – Made Easy!

By on November 20, 2018 in Uncategorized

Author/Foodie Explorer: Sabrina Petrov

Welcome to Eat Healthy Cafe! Nestled  in Wailua, at the southern end of Kapaa, you can find many delectable places to eat, including the aptly named Eat Healthy Cafe. Owners John and PJ, partners who moved here from New York, took over ownership of Eat Healthy in December 2017. Running strong for almost a year now, this wonderful restaurant offers vegan comfort food! With a goal to be as welcoming and inviting as possible, the menu offers foods similar to the ones we all grew up with- but instead of scrambled eggs with bacon, you have tofu scramble with tempeh. Less the animals, but no less the flavor! Eat Healthy Cafe is living proof(no pun intended) that vegan food is not scary, but rather  quite delicious and beneficial for both you and the planet.

Outdoor Dining Delights

As you walk into the Cafe you’re greeted by a friendly face behind the counter who will bring you to the cozy al fresco seating area. Once you’re here, you’ll notice the tumbled glass ground- not to worry, the pieces cannot cut you! It is evident that great care was taken when decorating this space, and the adorable, hip atmosphere fully adds to the eating experience. Luckily for us, Eat Healthy has a beautifully varied menu. Serving breakfast until 3, an all day menu, and a dinner menu that begins at 5, anyone can find their perfect meal. I opted for the summer rolls with peanut sauce as my appetizer, and the tofu katsu curry with purple sweet potato salad as my entree. I was blown away by the quality and flavor of both of these dishes.

All Local Everything

Eat Healthy utilizes about 90% locally sourced produce in their food. For us here at Tasting Kauai, this is an impressive feat!  You can feel good about eating here because it benefits both the animals and the environment, all the while supporting sustainable agriculture in Hawaii. With a plant based menu you find Hawaii plant based dishes coming out of the kitchen all day long. You can find the cafe’s rainbow inspired menu, pictures and more on their website http:// eathealthykauai.com and check them out on instagram @eathealthykauai.

 

Nixtamal – The East Side’s newest tasty food truck

By on August 10, 2018 in Uncategorized
Our newest guide, Sabrina Petrov is scouting out new food for us on her home turf on the East side of the island. Here is what she has to report about the newest addition to Kauai’s food truck ohana:
Nixtamal (pronounced Neeks-tamal), Kapaa’s newest food truck, packs some serious yum! Opened three weeks ago, by couple Will and David, Nixtamal offers a simple menu of tamales, chicharrones, rice and beans. Vegans will be delighted to learn that there are  tamales for them too!
Born and raised on Kauai, Will brings his passion for food to his hometown. David, raised in Arizona, moved to Kauai after graduating high school and went on to graduate from the culinary program at KCC before the pair opened Nixtamal. This food truck serves up Mexican-Sonorran food, offering tasty, wholesome meals at a great price. A combo plate, with two tamales, rice, beans, and salsa, is $10.25.
We at Tasting Kauai do our best to introduce you to local family owned businesses which utilize local produce to the best of their abilities. The sweet potato offered in the veggie tamale comes from the little island of Moloka’i! The love and appreciation for food and for cooking can be felt in each bite of this delicious fare.
I opted for the veggie tamales and was delighted to taste fresh pumpkin and sweet potato inside of the moist tamale masa. The beans and rice were a perfect, creamy side. The red salsa did not disappoint – you can surely feel the heat! Make sure to try the green sauce as well as the house made pico de gallo, they both add nice texture and flavor to any dish. I enjoyed my tamales at the food truck’s bench, right by the ocean, while feeling the refreshing sea breeze.
If you find yourself in North Kapaa, craving something other than the usual taco, this is a great spot to check out- and you get the bang for your buck!
Check out @nixtamalkauai on social media and be sure to check us out @tastingkauai.

Pau Hana Friday for July 25

By on July 25, 2014 in Uncategorized

Tasting Kauai

Helen Lacono opens the doors to Hanapepe Cafe only during Hanapepe Art Night. Daniel Lane Photo

Helen Lacono opens the doors to Hanapepe Cafe only during Hanapepe Art Night. Daniel Lane Photo

Today in The Garden Island, we head to the Hanapepe Cafe to visit chef Helen Lacono and her family in “Evening Delight” as she returns to cooking on just Friday nights during Hanapepe Art Night.

If you’ve ever had noni, you’ll likely never forget the taste. In last week’s On the Farm column, we examined why you may want to make the pungent fruit a regular part of your diet. The benefits of noni include that it’s 75 percent as effective at killing pain as morphine, and not at all addictive. Here’s a little insight from organic noni farmer Steve Frailey into why it’s better to drink unfermented noni juice and how to make your own.

We’ve had folks inquire about where to find us online. We’re on Twitter at @TastingKauai and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TastingKauai. Be sure to check Tasting Kauai’s Pinterest page!

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