field of greens

nalo farms

it's been quite some time since the last saturday travel post, but today's pick is one sure to pique the interest of kama'aina and visiting foodies. nalo greens have become a staple on local menus whether it's served up on a plate lunch or presented with your gourmet dinner.

now you can actually walk the famous fields of waimanaolo's nalo farms for a behind the scenes tour of how your greens get from farm to table. the 45 minute tour sounds like a delicious diversion for foodie fans who want to peek inside the operations of one of the earliest purveyors of hawaii's resurgent slow food movement.

farm fresh greens & herbs are also in abundance at nalo's booth at the weekly farmers markets in kailua and at kcc.

tour details:

• ten person minimum per group
• reservations required (ring 808.259.7698 for more info)

{via hawaii magazine}

radical sabbatical

ever dream of starting a new life on your very own artisan farm? before you ditch your 401(k), consider testing the waters and signing up for an internship at hawaii island goat dairy which is looking for volunteers to assist in whipping up their award winning goat & feta cheeses.

if you are willing to exchange some sweat equity (i.e. tending to the herd, milking duties, farm maintenance) for room & board, you will be immersed in the age old craft of cheesemaking so long as you can commit to farm living for 2-3 months.

the honoka'a dairy specializes in mouth watering goat cheeses with flavors like smoked guava, dill & garlic, and basil macadamia pesto, and counts hawaii's top chefs like alan wong & daniel thiebaut as some of their biggest fans. big island goat cheese is plated at many of the islands' best restaurants (merriman's, café pesto, as well as many luxe resort eateries), however foodies on a budget can find fresh batches of cheese not already spoken for at the waimea farmers market and a few big island food shops.

check out the full stockist list (and learn even more about life on a farm) via hawaii island journal's visit to the dairy earlier this year.

hina adventures

 

the saturday travel post is back after an unintentional hiatus just in time for summertime!

today is all about hina adventures, a company owned by two local girls which specializes in cultural eco tours of oahu. one of the coolest things about hina is that both travelers and locals are welcome to join them on one of their many explorations around oahu. this is a very good thing since i know more than a few kama'aina who would enjoy learning more about all the historical hot spots that are literally in their backyard but may not know where to begin.

hina owners ena & uluwehi spent many years as eco guides and their backgrounds include stints as a vatican tour guide and voyaging to rapa nui. their passion for the islands really shines on their super informative website which is filled with field notes about the various sites to give you a sneak peek of what you can expect on your adventure.

there's a tour for everyone whether you want to stargaze, pay your respects at an ancient heiau, or scout the island's terrain on a custom hiking adventure with the safety & knowledge of an experienced guide. and for the socially conscious traveler, twice a month hina offers their ho'olaulima community service project/tour where you get to roll up your sleeves and help maintain one of the island's sacred sites.

{update | jan 2010: alas, hina adventures shuttered last summer}

chef for a day

with a family filled with foodies, i am always on the lookout for gifts that will tempt their palate or inspire them in the kitchen. cooking classes have always been on the top of my list, however, due to either budgetary constraints or the level of commitment they demand on my time crunched giftees, the idea was stuck in the land of possibilities never to be.

until now. i am happy to report neither one poses a problem at pacific gourmet which opened its doors last month and offers recreational cooking classes where both kama'aina and visitors can learn a few new culinary tricks. inspired by fellow foodie friends, owner chef laura (who trained at the prestigious le cordon bleu in paris) was determined to create a relaxed atmosphere where everyone from beginning to advanced cooks could explore global cuisine as well as fresh trends in the kitchen without breaking the bank.

pacific gourmet cooking classes are both affordable ($48 a pop) and intimate with a limit of 15 students per session. of course, hunger is not an option since the finale includes a sit down meal to savor all the plats du jour (dinner classes also include a wine pairing). 

private parties can be booked at your home or at pacific gourmet's classroom which is located at the laniakea ywca and, beginning next month, at nu'uanu's art zone. and, due to popular demand, gift certificates will arrive in a few weeks (yay!).

here's a peek at the upcoming class schedule:

• may 6th - healthy organic cooking
• may 8th - homemade pasta
• may 11th - hors d'oeuvres & cocktails
• may 13th - mother's day tea party

bon appétit!

a printmaker's perspective

i'e kuku

i just wanted to share the work of maui artist abigail romanchak who has a website filled with eye candy very deserving of a peek if you happen to adore the graphic style of prints. abigail dabbles in a variety of mediums (linocut, screenprint, etchings, collagraph) and last year had a thought provoking exhibit called mahele which explored the impact development has had on her island home. 

her artist's statement is just as eloquent as the images she has created:

"I see my prints as a way to empower and assert a Hawaiian sense of identity and to perpetuate Hawaiian culture through art. I believe that native cultures are jeopardized once they stop speaking to people in the present day. As an artist, I seek to perpetuate traditional culture not through traditional means, but contemporary ones, so that it may endure for generations to come."

ho'okupu

pu'olu II

abigail received an mfa in printmaking at uh and is one of the many talented hui press artist/instructors at the hui no'eau visual arts center in makawao where you are welcome to explore the world of printmaking in the visual arts program open to the public.