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August 26, 2009
Wednesday
“The Future of
Hawaii Regional
Cuisine”
Menu by
Kapiolani Community
College’s ACF National
Champions “Team Hawaii”
•Prix Fixe:
$75 per person
•With Wines:
$105 per person
•Seating:
5:00 to 10:00 p.m.
For reservations, call
(808) 949-2526
[SEE MENU]
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This is a dinner held quarterly at the King Street Restaurant. The main goal is to bring the farmers into the restaurant to be available to meet our guests and talk about their products. A by-product is that our staff learn from them through questions and sessions whereby they become more aware of who grows it, how it grows, why it is a certain way, and the philosophy behind the farmer. What I do know is that besides the product they grow, there is a spirit, an attitude, and a way of thinking behind all of it. You will hear about passion, about loving what you do, from them; all of the good ones have that. What makes them unique is this personal story of theirs. Our staff can now better tell you, the customer, their story.
When I visit the farms in person, I get to walk among the goats. I get to roam between tomato vines and pick and eat at will. I get to talk with the growers and discuss the product. I get to see the “terroir”---which to me means “taste the land”---and feel the soil, the moisture, the climate, the environment, in which it grows. That is the best. The second best, is to have the actual farmer come to your table and 'talk story' a little with you about what you are about to eat. On an everyday basis, our staff needs to get trained and educated by these farmers and us, so that we can do justice to the fruits of their labor, the hard work, the passion that goes into doing what they do on an everyday basis.
One of our goals is to give our guests a taste of Hawaii. There are many ways to do that. One sure way is to serve locally grown produce and products. When you read our menu, you will see products from all parts of Hawaii. I don’t like overly written menus, however, our guests want to know where their food comes from, who grows it, how it's grown. Our servers are trained to tell the story if asked, and be able to identify and explain every ingredient on your plate.
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As part of the six-man team, Tate Nakano-Edwards, Keaka Lee, Rena Suzuki, and Ken Yi recently won the prestigious Americian Culinary Federation's National Student Championship competing against 400 teams across the U. S. Each chef will create a specially themed menu inspired by the event, "The Future of HRC in Hawaii — The Next Generation Culinarians Meet the Next Generation Farmers." Expect only the best as "Team Hawaii" chef hopefuls, guided by Chef Alan Wong create special dishes for the evening incorporating local produce from Ho Farms, Kahuku Farms and Nozawa Farms. Meet Shin Ho, Kylie Matsuda, and Stephanie Nozawa, the next generation farmers, at this anticipated sell out event Wednesday, August 26th.
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Back Row (L-R): Keaka Lee, Rena Suzuki, Tate Nakano-Edwards, Ken Yi
Front Row (L-R): Kylie Matsuda, Stephanie Nozawa, Shin Ho |
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