Archive for category: Local Eats and Flavors

On the east side of island is Ein Rogel Farm. A 26-acre sustainable exotic fruit farm nestled in Kauai’s Kahuna Valley. There are 80 varieties of tropical fruit on the estate and the five-million-year-old Makaleha Mountain range provides the trees with pristine
spring water.

A fresh morning dawns as a couple from Colorado eagerly wait for the farm tour to begin. It rained through the night and into early morning, and the group that was to be ten is now three. The birds don’t care. As the clouds break, they sing with the emerging sun.

Kauai is known as the Garden Island because of the abundant rainfall due to Mount
Waialeale. An east facing peak grabs warm, moist trade winds and turns them into
tropical showers. Plants thrive in the graceful dance provided by water and sun, and
somehow being in their midst draws out the life in you.

Under a covered awning in the warm morning air, we chew sticky-sweet sugarcane and
learn it’s called the Hawaiian toothbrush. “I always tell people to have a light breakfast
because when you come on the tour, you’ll be eating a lot!” says our guide, Jesse
Schwartz.

As water spills from Makaleha Falls into one of two streams on the property, we cross a
bridge festooned with bright tropical flowers and shaded by towering camphor trees.

Jesse coaxes a succulent prize from the center of a purple fruit with plump, white
flesh. “Mangosteen is known as the Queen of Fruits,” he says as we slip a piece into our
mouths. “The inside is so sweet that the Queen of England, when Captain Cook was
exploring this area, paid $125 in today’s currency for one of these.”

Pineapple plants and 12 types of citrus thrive with hundreds of colorful flowers. Trees
such as ylang ylang perfume the air. Chickens and turkeys roam freely while bees are
busy in their hives making tropical honey.

Whack! Jesse breaks open a coconut with his machete. We take an ambrosial sip and
learn it is not milk but water that we are drinking. Redheaded Brazilian cardinals spy the
cracked nut and wait for our departure so they can free the husks of whatever sweet
meat we overlook.

Shaded by the canopy of a cacao tree, Jesse compares chocolate to wine. Pumpkin-
orange, crimson-red and chestnut-brown pods dangle from the tree’s branches like sun kissed jewels. “You’ll notice a difference in taste between Kauai chocolate and
chocolate from Ghana or the Dominican Republic,” he explains.

An emerging trend is classifying chocolate. Single estate means it comes from one
farm, and single origin means it comes from one country. Rarely will there be a single
varietal, a common practice with wine. There are ten edible cacao species or varietals,
and Ein Rogel Farm cultivates three.

Nature’s kinetic energy transfers to us as we romp along the orchard. Childhood
memories blossom from the recesses of our minds. We recall our first taste of an
orange, or our mother, cutting a star fruit, and wondering at its shape.

As a freelance farm and food writer based on Kauai, I have met artisans who create
with aloha: Farmers that delight in nourishing bodies with organically grown produce,
and chefs who are deeply gratified when one bite makes a person close their eyes, let
out a deep breath, and sigh in pleasure: Mmmmmm!

A Kauai Culinary Tour

I wanted to spread these seeds of aloha, so decided to create a day-long, farm to fork
culinary adventure. We start the day with a two-hour tour at Ein Rogel Farm, of which I
was inspired to write the story above.

After the farm tour, we’ll meet at the Kauai Marriott Resort. While we sit at the outdoor
courtyard lanai, executive chef Guy Higa will serve a four-course lunch made with Kauai
grown ingredients. He’ll also do a cooking demonstration, so you can ask questions and
learn how the professionals cook.

For Reservations or inquiries call 808-635-0257. Deadline to register is Wednesday July 11

I head north along Kuhio Hwy toward Kilauea and catch the splash of a breaching whale out of the corner of my eye. Winter is here. I reflect on how amazing these creatures are and how the ocean is their lifeblood. I don’t pull over to watch, I am on my way to dinner with Outstanding in the Field.  I am excited about the evenings event. Dinner on a farm, “Restaurant Without Walls”, where local chefs pair up with a local farm to create a meal.  The concept seems novel, the idea romantic and the opportunity unique.

I arrive early to meet the guest farmer chef and staff.  I am greeted by Tim O’Connor Host farmer. He politely asks me to park at the top of the freshly mowed pasture. I park, grab my camera and head over to introduce myself. Tim welcomes me to Olana Farm and gives me a little background on his vision and history of the farm. He has had the property for twelve years and has lived on it full time for the past seven.

The farm is beautiful. The house sits at the top of a gentle sloping hill, manicured and flourishing with life. Off in the distance the views of the Pacific. Tim tells me that he sells his produce at two of the weekly local farmers markets as well as to local restaurants. I am impressed by the pure organization of his garden beds of produce, herbs and fruit.

From the top of the farm nestled between the neatly planted rows of greens and citrus fruit sits a long table set with white linens and wine glasses. So simple and elegant is the contrast of green and white. An outdoor covered work area has been been transformed into a kitchen. The Kiawe wood burning grill, the crisp January air, and the natural surroundings make this a comfortable working space. Chef Aaron Leikam and Todd Oldham are busy prepping for the meal. I ask Aaron how he ended up on Kauai, he simply replies “It was serendipitous!”

I meet Leah and the crew, who In the past year alone have created over 87 farm to table dinners across the United States, Europe and now Hawaii. The team is busy making signs, putting the final touches on the table and setting up the service tables for the evening events.

I love the behind the scenes of what undoubtedly will be a spectacular event.  A band of dark clouds is slowly moving in from the west. This is not the usual weather pattern, and a drastic change to the past two weeks of cloudless skies and light air. This is a brave time of year to hold an outdoor event on the North Shore of Kauai. There is no back up plan.

Casual and relaxed, Jim Denevan, founder and visionary of Outstanding in the Field, arrives on the farm just before the first guests start to arrive. He has been surfing. He had to catch just one wave and what surfer can resist the call of a Hawaiian surf session.

The evening starts off with a glass of Kava, not the ceremonial root found throughout the South Pacific, but in the form of a sparkling wine. Glass in hand we are given a tour of the farm, a history of its beginnings and future vision. Our pleasant and educational stroll ends at the beautifully set table in the field.

The night is a gracefully choreographed work of art. The creative vision, a farmers endeavor and a skilled passion for creating a meal that not only nourishes and is visually exquisite,but also tells a story.  A simple story.

Outstanding in the Field will be hosting two more events in the Hawaiian Island this month. tickets are available through their website.