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February 2, 2010
Tuesday “You Like Beef?” featuring Al, Sami
and Michelle Galimba
of Kuahiwi Ranch
•Prix Fixe:
$80 per person
•With Wines:
$110 per person
•Seating:
5:00 to 10:00 p.m.
For reservations, call
(808) 949-2526
[SEE MENU]
| | 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. | | |      | | |  | | | Our featured rancher is Al Galimba and his family of Kuahiwi Ranch. For seventeen years, Al Galimba, his wife Sami, and their children Guy and Michelle have been raising cattle on the Big Island in the district of Ka’u, the southern-most tip of the United States. Their 10,000-acre Kuahiwi Ranch stretches from sea level to the 2,100’ elevation where the cattle roam freely in the pastures and graze on grass. Raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones, these happy cows are given a 3-month period of access to all-natural corn and barley to supplement their grass diets when they mature.
We arranged to have a side-by-side taste test of the Kuahiwi Ranch All Natural Beef vs. a commodity beef purchased from the supermarket. I found the flavor of the Kuahiwi beef to be far superior. Our ranchers produce delicious beef. What can we do to support them?
Tonight we bring back Ron and Lita Weidenbach’s North Shore Tilapia — this time it’s smoked and served as an appetizer. We are also introducing a new product — Big Island Farm-Raised Sturgeon. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the amazing flavors and textures of these two fish.
The farmers, ranchers, and producers in Hawaii love what they do and treat their animals and products with extraordinary care and respect. It matters greatly to them that they give you, our local community, top-quality products. Farming and ranching has experienced a resurgence in Hawaii, but they will remain only if they receive our support. This is a time to help other people, to keep our money in Hawaii, to buy local, and to support local.
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