Hidden Treasures: Hilo Bay Café
By Devany Vickery-Davidson Hilo Bay Café sits in an unpretentious strip mall in a busy Wal-Mart shopping center, and regardless of what the location suggests, they are consistently producing some of the finest and most innovative food on Hawai’i Island.…
Paris Without the Jet Lag: Restaurant La Bourgogne
By Fern Gavelek If you think Restaurant La Bourgogne is Kona’s best-kept culinary secret—think again. Booked way in advance for Valentine’s Day and other major holidays, the classic French restaurant is abuzz with new and loyal, satisfied patrons dining on…
The “Cool Factor” Bonds Youth and Farming
By Andrea Dean Dashiell Hammet was a famous detective novelist. Dashiell Kuhr, of North Kohala, is the energetic, articulate, handsome (dare I say dashing) driving force behind the Hawai‘i Youth Agriculture Program and the operations of Uluwehi Farm and Nursery,…
Good Tasting and All Hawai’i Grown: Meet the Mind and Muscle Behind Our Local Food Producers
By Fern Gavelek Big Island ranchers are putting meat on the table at local restaurants—whether beef, pork or lamb. In fact, the island boasts about 60 percent of the state’s cattle operations. In addition, the Big Isle is considered the…
Exquisite Kohala Cuisine and World-Class Wine Pair up at the New, Manta & Pavilion Wine Bar
By Fern Gavelek Since its opening in 1965, The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has relied on the bounty of local farmers to supply its kitchen. The hotel’s first manager, Les Moore, knew the wisdom of using Big Isle products to…
Garden Fresh, Asian-Style Cuisine with a Masterful Touch
By Fern Gavelek The enticing aroma of kaffir lime and ginger wafts through the entrance to Lotus Café and floats in the air like the expanse of silk that drapes from the ceiling. Water trickles down a lava-like fountain and…
How do You Make Liquid Aloha?
By Fern Gavelek In a 3,500-square-foot brew house, carefully measure barley malt and blend with hot Hawaiian water to form a “mash.” Heat mixture until grain converts into a fermenting sugar liquid called “wort.” Separate the “spent” grain from the…
From Farm to Table: Touching the Earth Farm and Blue Dragon Restaurant—It’s All in the Family
By Fern Gavelek Fresh! That’s the best word to describe the culinary ingredients at the Blue Dragon restaurant. In fact, you can’t get much fresher. Most of the fruits and vegetables used at the Kawaihae restaurant are grown just 15…
