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January 28, 2008
Monday
featuring
Bob and Janice
Stanga
•Prix Fixe: $75
•with Wine Pairings: $105
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[VISIT HAMAKUA
MUSHROOMS WEBSITE]
For reservations, call
(808) 949-2526 |
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This is a dinner held once a month 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 slice of Hawaii. While that has many meanings, one slice is to serve locally grown produce and products. Another goal is that you take a short tour of Hawaii when you read the menu. 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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HAMAKUA MUSHROOMS
Owner Bob Stanga, a former helicopter pilot, began Hamakua Mushrooms when he sold his company, Makani Kai Helicopters, and his Kailua home and moved to the Big Island. He bought 35 acres of land and began reading about mushrooms. By 2003, with his wife, Janice, and son-in-law Joshua Martinez, he built a 16,000-square-foot facility that today produces nearly 4,000 pounds of mushrooms a week, employing 20 people from the Laupahoehoe area. He has literally created a fungal jungle.
Hamakua Mushrooms uses a growing process that allows them to produce mushrooms without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, hormones or chemicals. They use steam and air filtration to control the growing process and protect the natural resources available to us in Hawaii. Using environmentally friendly techniques, they produce soils and compost that will help Hawaii create a sustainable future. Now, you can be assured of a variety of beautiful mushrooms that taste great and are good for you and Hawaii, too.
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