CHEF ALAN WONG COOKS UP THE HAMAKUA COAST
FORMER SUGAR COAST IS HAWAII’S NEW AGRICULTURAL HOT BED
HAMAKUA COAST, BIG ISLAND—Stretching from Honoka‘a to Pepe‘eko, the Hamakua Coast is home to a growing number of innovative farmers who are producing world-class products. Whether it’s exotic mushrooms, goat cheese or hydroponically grown vegetables, these quality foodstuffs are in demand by top island chefs.
One of them is renowned master of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, Chef Alan Wong. The acclaimed culinary wizard recently brought staff from his O‘ahu and Big Isle restaurants on a two-day educational visit to the Big Isle’s east side. They visited the operations of Hamakua’s food producers, plus surveyed Hilo’s mid-week Farmers Market. The experience was one of foraging for products and ingredients—according to Chef Wong—and developing relationships and partners in the creation of good food.
Stops at companies like Hamakua Springs Country Farms in Pepe‘eko was a learning experience for both kitchen staff and farmers. Chefs scouted for ingredients among a cornucopia of food products that they later prepared for the enjoyment of farm workers who could “taste and see” the value of good growing practices.
“It’s important for farmers to know how food is used and recognize its value in the kitchen.” Chef Wong explained. “And it‘s grounding for my staff to know the source of a product and understand all the effort that goes into nurturing that product. Once a connection is made, they respect the food and put the same care into how they prepare and serve it.”
From the farmer’s perspective, Hamakua Springs’ Richard Ha feels the educational visits are very valuable. “When Chef Wong’s staff prepared us a meal, it hit home that our job doesn’t end when the tomatoes leave the dock,” he emphasized. “It ends when the consumer eats the tomato and smiles.”
Hamakua Springs, which grows greenhouse hydrophonic tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers, is one of the many Hamakua suppliers to Chef Wong’s restaurants and statewide supermarkets. “We get valuable advice and insight from Chef Alan. When we improve our product for him, we improve it for the supermarket. It’s the same product,” Ha stressed.
While at Hawaii Island Goat Dairy in Ahualoa—where Chef Wong got to milk a goat—restaurant staff learned first-hand about the making of the company’s national award-winning cheese. “It’s important for chefs to see that we keep a super, ship-shape operation,” explained owner Dick Threlfall, whose main product is chevre cheese. “Then they know they can depend on our product being good quality every single time they use it. After Alan’s initial visit, his orders with us increased considerably.”
Janice Stanga of Hamakua Mushrooms in Lapahoehoe agreed, adding that once a chef comes to visit their 16,000-square-foot, high-tech facility, “they want to support us.”
“After a chef visits, they usually add our name to the menu item,” explained Stanga. “Once that happens, our orders at least double from that restaurant. Visitors want to taste Hawai‘i-grown foods and locals want to buy local.”
In business for over two years, the company grows seven varieties of wood-decomposing mushrooms and bills itself as “Hawai‘i’s gourmet fungal jungle.” Stanga said she provides mushrooms for “about 200 chefs” and grows specific sizes and a native variety for Chef Wong. “Alan wants the native local mushroom, pepeiao; so we went outside and hunted for some,” she remembers. “We took the best, cloned it and we now have pepeiao in incubation. We hope to have it ready by December.” According to Stanga, the pepeiao has never been commercially cultivated in Hawai‘i.
Other local, Hawaii-grown-and-produced foodstuffs regularly used by Chef Wong include hearts of palm from the Wailea Agricultural Group in Honomu, vanilla from The Hawaiian Vanilla Company in Pa‘auilo, Volcano Island Honey made in Ahualoa and 100% Hawaii Grown Beef.
True to the tenets of the cooking style he helped originate in 1992—Hawaii Regional Cuisine—Chef Wong emphasizes fresh, local ingredients in his food to give diners “a true slice of Hawai‘i.” He enhances the Big Isle’s bounty by fusing French culinary techniques with local and Asian influences. The result is an innovative menu that melds East and West and provides jobs for local farmers, aquaculturists and ranchers who produce 100% Hawaii Grown Beef.
“I use all local beef,” Chef Wong stated matter-of-factly. While he gets his local beef from several sources: JJ Andrade’s and Kulana Foods from the Big Island and the North Shore and Maui Cattle Companies; he says the reasons for using local beef are straightforward. “It’s grass-fed so it’s more healthy for the consumer,” Chef Wong detailed. “It’s got a good amount of Omega 3’s (acids) and is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.
Another reason to use local beef is it benefits the economy. “It’s important to establish beef from Hawai‘i for Hawai‘i for the next generation,” Chef Wong added. “The time is now to teach the next generation about supporting our local food producers.” Restaurant staff used beef cuts from the Big Island, O‘ahu and Maui for the feast they shared with farm workers.
“The chef-farmer connection is a very valuable one,” concluded Ha. “It highlights how much Chef Alan’s staff appreciates our effort to produce a good quality product and it gives us more reason to do a good job.”
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