sweet nothings 2011 - take three

because sometimes the sweetest thing is a locally made, sugary confection . . .

1 - between its gorgeous bars, 'ono flavor profiles, and committment to fair trade & locally produced chocolate, my sweet tooth is already swooning over madre chocolate. no online shop yet but follow madre on twitter for the 411 on valentine flash sales happening around oahu this week! or find at sweet paradise chocolatier's kailua & lahaina outposts. {via honolulu magazine}

2 -  the order deadline for bliss! cake pops is just hours away (6p hst) if you hope to play cupid and share the chocolate or red velvet mini dipped delights with your favorite work mates on valentine's day. {$27/dozen with a two dozen minimum order. $20 delivery fee or free pickup.}

3 - cupcake love maui bakes up petite treats from tiramisu to carrot cake with the most delightfully decorated flourish. {$36/dozen with a one dozen minimum order. $10 delivery fee or find at maui ocean grill in kahului.}

4 - the hamakua fudge company in honoka'a mixes in local fixings like coconut, kona coffee, mango and lilikoi for their sinfully layered gourmet fudge. {$9.95 with a one pound minimum for online orders. complimentary shipping over $50.}

p.s. today is the deadline to order the always 'ono and exquisitely packaged boxed treats from big island candies for valentine's day delivery!

maui culinary academy

 

in anticipation of the "top chef" finale tonight (sam was my man and since he was knocked out last week all i have to say is go ilan!), today's post is all about the culinary scene in the islands which we all know is foodie nirvana. the maui culinary academy is just one of hawaii's top notch cooking schools and straight out of their test kitchen is a gourmet product line developed by the students.

the line ranges from raspberry wine jelly (made from tedeschi vineyards' raspberry remnants that would have otherwise been scrapped) to mango sugar & thai basil sea salt. you can find the line around the islands (i've spotted it at na mea hawaii at ward warehouse) or click over to tedeschi's website to shop online.

class act

also, an off the beaten path lunch idea is the school's pa'ina food court where you can taste what the students have been cooking in class that day. there are six choices including farm to table's locally grown menu, sushi at raw fish camp, and freshly baked pastries at the patisserie. for those who prefer to indulge in a fine dining experience, the class act serves a four course prix fixe lunch menu every wed & fri for $25 (reservations required).

anyhoo, back to "top chef" . . . the finale was filmed on the big island and last week's episode featured the contestants putting their spin on the traditional luau for chef alan wong's birthday bash. if you want to whip up sam's ono sounding haupia, click over to bravo's website which has just posted the recipes online.