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March 10, 2008
Monday
•Prix Fixe: $75
•with Wine Pairings: $115
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[VISIT HAMAKUA SPRINGS
COUNTRY FARMS WEBSITE]
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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 SPRINGS COUNTRY FARMS
At Hamakua Springs Country Farms we are still —first and foremost— a family business.
And a dedicated one. We've been in the banana business for 30 years, and now three generations of our family are researching, developing, growing and selling not only bananas, but also the best-tasting tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and watercress you can find. We know that if it doesn't taste great, customers won't come back for more. So, when we're researching new products to grow, taste is our highest priority.
We get an amazing 130 inches of rainfall per year on the Big Island's Hamakua Coast, and found many ways to make all that water an asset. We're excited about using our farm's readily-available resources to keep expanding into a ever more diversified agriculture. We have other products in the works that will be here soon.
"Sustainability" is a buzzword these days, but here at Hamakua Springs, it stands for some very specific practices and it's a philosophy we live by. We practice sustainability in the terms of our family and workers, the environment, and our community.
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