The digital version of our restaurant guide is finally finished!

Here’s a brief  look inside:

Introduction

When I travel, I like to drench myself in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the area. I submit to local customs and crave regional food. After all, food defines a destination and connects people to the land and cultural history. On my first trip to Kauai, I longed for a book to help me plan a vacation steeped in local food. This is that book.

Written by a foodie, for foodies, Tasting Kauai: Restaurants is for the adventurous eater, who likes to try new things. An inspiration for the sensual eater, who rejoices in the juiciness of perfectly ripe fruit, the springy crumb of well-made bread, the tang of fresh cheese, and the clean taste of the ocean presented on a plate.

From food trucks to fine dining, the following eateries have two things in common: they make fresh food from scratch and use local ingredients whenever possible.

This book is about real food. Real. Fresh. Food.

I have a fantastic job. I’m paid to find the best food producers on Kauai, and write about them for MidWeek Kauai. My husband, a freelance photographer, works by my side. Together, we find innovative artists who care deeply about the journey their food takes, from seed to table, and introduce them to the world.

Searching and sampling our way to the sweetest tropical fruit, we get our hands sticky, to the delight of our taste buds. As we follow a farmer through waist-high Guinea grass, tropical rainstorms send us scampering under bamboo groves. Standing among 100 raucous chickens, we get the story on farm-fresh eggs. We set sail with small commercial fishermen, and watch them reel in tomorrow’s fresh catch.

I profile chefs and artisans who mix a passion for cooking with fresh island ingredients. I write about elite restaurants with sweeping views, swanky lounges and tapas bars, and roadside food trucks that make fresh, affordable meals. I hit the island’s lone highway, or bump along isolated red dirt roads, in search of the best fruit, vegetables, beef, fish and pork.

We also work with the Kauai County Farm Bureau, Hawaii AgriTourism Association and the Garden Island Range & Food Festival. With all this reconnaissance, I feel it is my mission to spread the seeds of aloha through this resource guide.

This book does not contain an exhaustive list of restaurants on Kauai. Rather, it’s an exclusive list of the food growers and makers whom I have met through my work.

If your idea of comfort food includes making macaroni and cheese from scratch, then this is the book for you. If you prefer unique and sometimes funky environments, where the creativity of the chef spills into the dining area, then this is the book for you. If you’re partial to the comforting predictability of chain restaurants, you’re in luck, I hear they’re opening a national steak house soon. But don’t look for it in this book.

Hawaii Food Bank

We feel very fortunate to have our cupboards and refrigerator stocked with healthy, vibrant food grown and made on Kauai. We realize that not everyone is as lucky. With a strong desire to make fresh food available to everyone, we are donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book to the Kauai branch of the Hawaii Food Bank. Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for all the work you do to keep our children, women and men fed.

Tasting Kauai: Restaurants is FREE for Kindle starting on May 25 and ending on May 29. After that, you can order it on Amazon for $3.99. The full-color print version is being formatted and will be available in the coming weeks. Don’t worry, you don’t have to remember! I’ll post reminders in Pau Hana Friday as to when you can download the guide for free and when the paperback will be available.

Mahalo!

Tasting Kauai: Restaurants ~ From Food Trucks to Fine Dining, A Guide to Eating Well on the Garden Island.