Monkeypod Jam is made in Mauviel’s classic hand-hammered copper pots. Daniel Lane photo

Monkeypod Jam

We’ve been fans of Monkeypod Jam since June 2011, when we did an article about them for Midweek Kauai. It seems we’re not alone. In the March/April edition of Hawaii Magazine, a Reader’s Choice issue celebrating Hawaii’s Best of the Best, Monkeypod Jam is listed as having an obvious flair for sublime creativity. We couldn’t agree more!

Scotty’s Beachside BBQ

On Oct. 26, we reported that Scotty’s had been sold and today, we are sad to report it’s closed. Though Scotty’s Beachside BBQ is no longer serving up daily feasts at his beautiful restaurant, Scotty is still cooking amazing BBQ under Scotty’s BBQ & Catering Co. Scotty’s BBQ Catering specializes in wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, and birthday and anniversary parties. Scotty’s Catering features plated or buffet style dinners with an affordable menu plus some “local style” favorites. All while you and your party gaze upon the vast blue Pacific Ocean from every table in the house! Scotty’s Catering offers breakfast, lunch or dinner options.

Making dried fruit with Uncle Mikey. Daniel Lane photo

Uncle Mikey’s Dried Fruit

According to the Chocola Tas website, “Maître Chocolatier Wim Tas was trained at Belgium’s most respected chocolate house, “Maison Wittamer” – exclusive suppliers to Belgian royalty. When he first met his wife Veve, it was their love of chocolate and passion for creating it that drew them together. In 2002, they immigrated to Canada to share their delicious obsession.
ChocolaTas flavours are created using natural ingredients from around the world. Whether it’s Kyoto Cherry Rose or Agassiz organic hazelnuts, Wim and Veve search the globe for inspired flavours that will delight your palate.”
That sounds pretty yummy to us! What’s even yummier is Chocola Tas has started using Uncle Mikey’s Dried Fruit because it’s 100 percent fruit, and “no weird stuff added” as Uncle Mikey says. We got to see first hand how Uncle Mikey makes his delicious dried fruit, and it’s definitely 100 percent Hawaii grown fruit!
EVENTS:
Saturday, March 9

March in March

noon, Mahaulapu
Since there are 12,400 acres on Kauai alone used for GMO test crops, there has been an underground group of non-GMO advocates here for a long time. When Dr. Vandana Shiva, Andrew Kimbrell and Walter Ritte spoke to more than 1,600 people on Jan. 16, they left a hotbed of controversy in their wake.  On March 5, The Garden Island reported on a lecture given in Waimea about the chemical atrazine, a pesticide sprayed on GMO test crops on the westside. The article concluded that the U.S. Department of Agriculture tested the water in Waimea for Atrazine and “found positive results at this very middle school in the drinking fountains.”
Kauai is fighting to get all of the GMO seed companies to leave this island. At noon, anti GMO advocates will meet at the beginning of Mahaulepu Road in front of the Hyatt and march to Poipu Beach. There will be a potluck afterwards, and Walter Ritte and Dustin Barca will be marching also.

Merriman’s Crispy Day Boat Mahi Mahi with silky Moloka`i sweet potatoes. Daniel Lane photo

Merriman’s

Now’s a great time to save 20 percent on a meal at Merriman’s. They’re hosting a Charity Night with live music from 6 to 8 p.m., as well as a cocktail garden during the concert. Merriman’s is honoring the Waimea Project Grad, a high school senior function that celebrates graduation and supports a non-alcoholic and non-drug environment.
When you bring in a flyer for Waimea Project Grad, you’ll get 20 percent off food sales. That 20 percent will be donated to Waimea Project Grad. It is very important that you bring a flyer or request one. For more information, or to obtain a flyer call 808-742-8385.
 

CKMS Street Fair

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Campus, 5 to 8 p.m.
Once a month, Chiefess students organize the CKMS Street fair, a fundraiser for student field trips. Choir students are responsible for the February event and proceeds will be used for a music competition in California. Food trucks include JC’s Puerto Rican Kitchen, Paco’s Tacos, Hanalei Taro & Juice Co., Kauai Marriott Resort, Yamato’s Ice Cream, as well as fresh squeezed juice, kettle corn, and saimin. Craft vendors will set up stalls and kids can play in the bounce house, get their face painted or play games. A bingo game starts at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place on campus at 4431 Nohou St., Lihue.
Sunday, March 10

Spring Detox Workshop

5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Healthy Hut Market & Cafe, Free
Gretchen Imdieke, ND, will be speaking on natural methods of detoxification, signs to look for that may suggest when our bodies are in need of detox and what type of detox we should choose to address certain symptoms. Dr. Gretchen Imdieke graduated from Bastyr University with a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine. She now lives in Kilauea and is a practicing naturopath at Ohana Health Care Center. Imdieke is experienced in treating gastrointestinal disorders, thyroid disorders, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal pain, and autoimmune conditions.

Verde’s Sopapilla Burger for one day only. Daniel Lane photo

Verde

Celebrate the 5-year anniversary of Verde and grind on a Sopapilla Burger ($12.95), a popular meal in New Mexico, where Verde executive chef Joshua Stevens hails from. The deep deep-fried dough is turned into a bun and stacked with hamburger, Cheddar cheese, pickled red onions and spicy green chili. All proceeds from the sale of the Sopapilla Burger will be divided among staff working that day, a mahalo from owner Maris Manzano.
Friday, March 15

Sampling seasonal fruit at Kilohana Plantation. Daniel Lane photo

A Culinary Romp Through Paradise

Various locations in Kapaa, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., $130
Tasting Kauai’s Culinary Tour offers an intimate glimpse into the Garden Island’s culinary scene. We start with a farm tour and learn about exotic fruit grown on Kauai. At the Kauai Marriott Resort, we join executive chef Guy Higa for an outdoor cooking demonstration and gourmet, four-course lunch. Our last stop is at The Feral Pig where we’ll learn about how the Koloa Rum Co. makes their award-winning rum. Afterwards, Dave Power, co owner and bartender will show us how to make two cocktails, which we get to drink! You can read what LandingStanding said about this tour, or visit our Kauai Culinary Tours page. We have a Facebook photo album that shows how much fun the tour is, and today we got a 5-Star TripAdvisor review for last week’s tour! For a complete list of 2013 dates, check out our Kauai Culinary Tours Calendar. Call 808-635-0257 to make a reservation.
 
 
 
Saturday, March 16

Anthurium Workshop

Kauai Nursery & Landscaping, 9:05 to 10:05 a.m., free
Learn how to care for and multiply your anthurium collection. For more information call 808-245-7747.
 

Get Kauai Grown seeds from Regenerations Botanical Garden at the Seed Exchange. Daniel Lane photo

11th Biannual Seed and Plant Exchange

Church of the Pacific in Princeville, 5 p.m., free
Regenerations Botanical Garden is joining forces with Ohana o Kauai, who will offer an all Kauai luau at the seed exchange, a service they regularly perform at special events on the north shore. “Food like chayote, tapioca, kalo, chaya and ulu are some of the plants that often show up at the seed exchange, but are new to many people’s taste buds. Ohana o Kauai’s gift of aloha grinds is the perfect way to share the abundance and diversity of what we can grow and eat here on the Garden Island”, says Jill Richardson, event co-founder and organizer.
The event will showcase dozens of tables of seeds, cuttings, and potted plants that community participants bring to share. Felicia Cowden of Regenerations says, “this is a generosity party celebrating the potential of our homegrown food and plants. It’s important for our leaders to see the strength of our combined citizenry, people who want food independence and resilience, individual sovereignty and home rule.”
To find out more visit the Regenerations Botanical Garden’s website, or call 652-4118.

Rob’s Good Times Grill

St. Patrick’s Day Party, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Celebrate St. Patty’s Day with Rob and the gang. From 1 to 3 p.m., Kong Radio will be there with a keiki tent that includes face painting, tattoos and games. Blaze Entertainment is the DJ from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. when DJ Jason takes over. There’ll be corned beef and cabbage, a Guinness tent, Jameson Irish Car Bombs and green Coors Light. Live music starts at 3 p.m. with The Quake followed by Ooklah The Moc.
 

Kalua Turkey lau lau made by Waipa’s chef for the Kalo Festival. Daniel Lane photo.

A Taste of Old Kauai

Waipa, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., $155
Tasting Kauai offers this new tour of the Waipa ahupuaa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians to settle on Kauai. Guests are saturated in timeless beauty as they learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. This one-of-a-kind experience was designed for those who wish to explore traditional agriculture and food, and how it relates to today. In a verdant valley surrounded by majestic peaks, guests explore a vast loi (taro garden) fed by auwai, or irrigation system, that supplies water from mountain streams. While learning about Hawaii’s staff of life: taro, or kalo as it’s known in Hawaii, guests sample cooked taro corms, poi and kulolo, a traditional dessert made with coconut. Lunch, prepared by Waipa’s chef, changes seasonally and is made with vegetables grown in onsite gardens, locally sourced meat or fish, and mamaki tea with lemongrass and mint. Afterwards, will visit a garden and learn the difference between native, canoe and introduced plants. For more information, visit our A Taste of Old Kauai page or call 808-635-0257.
 
 

Dragon fruit is a special summertime treat. Daniel Lane photo

Value-Added Innovation for Hawaii Growers: Making the Family Farm Profitable

Kalaheo, National Tropical Botanical Garden, free
This workshop helps growers hone their skills at adding value to their products and services. Competing with cheap imported agricultural goods, many Hawaii farms have a difficult time selling their products profitably as raw commodities. The workshop will show how Hawaii farm enterprises can differentiate their products to become more profitable, and therefore viable businesses.
The workshop will be led by Craig Elevitch, Ken Love, and specialist presenters at each workshop location. Elevitch is an agroforestry educator whose most recent book Specialty Crops for Pacific Islands (2011), provides insights into sustainable cultivation and processing techniques for local and export markets with an emphasis on production methods, postharvest processing, and marketing. Love, widely known as a passionate advocate for the innovative small farm, is co-owner of Love Family Farms in Kona, Hawaii, which produces a range of value-added products including jams, jellies, dried fruits, and coffee.
For more information and to register, visit the Value Added website or call 808-756-9437.
UPCOMING: 
Monday, April 29

The Power of the Indigenous: Native Success in Education and in Life

This event takes place in Honolulu, but I thought I’d post it because there is a lot of interest in this subject. Indigenous Educators, Ku-A-Kanaka and the Native American Alliance for Charter Schools (NAACS) presents The Power of the Indigenous: Native Success in Education and in Life, at the Hawaii Convention Center, in conjunction with Pacific Rim 2013 International Conference on Disabilities and Diversity.
This one-day Indigenous Education Institute brings together Hawaiian-focused and Native American Charter School leaders, as well as other global Indigenous educators to share Best Practices in Indigenous Education.
Topics include:

• Native Values Inform Modern Instruction
• Pedagogy of Place Drives 21st Century Curriculum
• Traditional Practices Shape Modern Assessments
• Local Communities Impart Global Skills and Responsibility

Each of the four 90-minute exchanges will be moderated by a facilitator and involve four, 15-minute speaker presentations, followed by a 15-minute small group discussion on the same topic, with the final 15 minutes to be used for discussion summaries and comments from the audience.
For more information about the Institute, or other information re: PacRim 2013 visit http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/pacriminfo/pacrim2013/specialevents/indigenous/, or call me at (808) 775-0867.
KU-A-KANAKA – Indigenous Institute for Culture and Language
P.O. Box 1764 Honokaa, Hawaii 96727
808-775-0867
ONGOING:
March 16 – March 30

Prince Kuhio Week

Two weeks of numerous events are set to celebrate Prince Kuhio’s birthday (an official state holiday in Hawaii). Kuhio was one of Hawaii’s most beloved alii (royalty) and statesmen. Located in Poipu, Eleele, Lihue and Wailua these events provide many interactive educational sessions about Hawaiian cultural practices and arts. Most events are free to the public. There are also diverse opportunities for entertainment and observing cultural traditions as well as attending luaus, an outrigger canoe race and commemorative ceremonies honoring Kuhio and his efforts to foster Hawaiian values. Proud to be a part of the Prince Kuhio Celebration. For more information, visit the Prince Kuhio website.

Foodie Highlights:

White, red and pink Hanapepe Sea Salt. Daniel Lane photo

Dining on the lanai at Plantation Gardens. Daniel Lane photo

Entrepreneurial Apiary Workshop

Kauai Community College

•  March 16, 23
• April 6,13,26,27
• May 3

Jimmy Trujillo offers four comprehensive classes beginning with an Introduction to Honey Harvest. Each class is $25. Register for all four classes at once and get the whole package for $75. Call 808-245-8318 for details.

Growing aquaponic lettuce at the Kauai Community College. Daniel Lane photo

Introduction to Aquaponics

Kauai Community College, $25
Learn the basics of aquaponics, which is a combination of two technologies. It’s aquaculture, or fish farming, and hydro-ponics, a technology that enables people to grow plants without soil. The class is taught by Bernie Tsao. He launched the Aquaculture Technology Training program at the University of Nations, Kona, where he was the director for 11 years. Today, he is the Aquaculture and Aquaponics instructor at KCC, and provides consultation services to the community, including the Hyatt, which is considering implementing its own aqua-culture system.
 
The workshop is three sessions for a total of 21 hours.
Dates and times:

• Saturday, March 16th, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 23rd, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, March 30th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Registration & Payments:
Deadline: Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 – payments must be in by deadline.
If you are interested, please contact Melanie P. Marshall UH Kauai Community College – Office of Continuing Education And Training. 3-1901 Kaumualii Hwy., Lihue, HI 96766.
808-245-8318

RumFire’s Big Eye Tuna with Kauai Kunana Dairy feta. Daniel Lane photo

RumFire

After raising over $18,000 in four months with its “You Dine, We Donate” charity program, RumFire Poipu Beach announces it will continue raising funds for local charities in March. All food and beverage proceeds at RumFire Poipu Beach’s Table #53 will be donated to the The Kauai Independent Food Bank for the March fundraiser.
RumFire Poipu Beach, located within Sheraton Kauai Resort, features Hawaiian-rooted cuisine with a global. Guests dining at RumFire enjoy 180-degree oceanfront views from all 240 seats. Facing the beautifully landscaped Ocean Courtyard and inviting fire pits, Table #53 is prime seating for viewing Kauai’s lovely sunsets. A new menu features enticing dinner additions and exciting new cocktails – including a flaming Mai Tai – and is further reason to enjoy a night out to support a great cause.
The Kauai Independent Food Bank is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization that has served the Kauai community since 1994, distributing over 12.5 million pounds of food, equating to over 16.6 million meals.
“We are thrilled to assist a local charity that does so much good for our island,” says Sheraton Kauai Resort General Manager Chip Bahouth. “As a member of this community, we are proud to offer Table 53 as a fun and delicious way to raise money for worthy causes.”
Patrons who are interested in participating in RumFire’s month-long “You Dine, We Donate” program are encouraged to make reservations in advance by calling 808.742. 4786 and requesting Table #53. The table will be available on a first come, first serve basis. All food and beverage proceeds at Table #53 during dinner service will be donated to The Kauai Independent Food Bank, gratuity will be paid to the server and taxes will be remitted to the State of Hawaii.
For more information visit the RumFire Poipu Beach website or call 808-742-1661.