local food

Eating Around -- we all do it! It’s time to take stock of what we’re eating and how we can leverage that to work for us, economically and culturally. In this episode, we see what made Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine important, and a chef/educator throws down the gauntlet to the new generation.

Hawaii's oldest grocery cooperative has launched a fundraising campaign to save itself from closing. At the end of 2018, Kokua Market was on the brink of financial insolvency. The company’s governing board elected a new chairwoman who has launched a last-ditch effort to reorganize the business for survival in the highly competitive market for health food.

The locally produced TV series Family Ingredients has just the right mix of food, culture, and local history. The show has been airing on PBS to a national audience with the season finale airing tonight. Closer to home, Hawai‘i residents have been gathering to watch it in a unique viewing experience. 

Summer is upon us and that means one thing for fruit lovers: mango season. HPR’s Molly Solomon paid a visit to an O‘ahu farm to learn more about this local treat.

On a one acre-plot of land, Mark Suiso has made the most of his backyard in Mākaha. That’s where he tends dozens of mango trees, some planted by his father more than 60 years ago. His business, Makaha Mangoes boasts more than 70 trees and 12 different varieties.

   Summertime puts a different focus on food, with holidays, picnics, and family gatherings.  In time for all-American July 4th parties, the James Beard Foundation has a new book of recipes from favorite local restaurants across the U.S.  While it’s fun to acknowledge regional tastes, HPR’s Noe Tanigawa discovered, Hawai’i’s “local food” may be ripe for redefinition.

 In the wider world, tofu is getting beyond its bland white cube image, turning up barbecued or even as a mousse.  In Hawai‘i, we’ve had a wealth of fresh tofu since the plantation days, and over the years, Hawai‘i has enjoyed a unique range of neighborhood tofu styles, often available direct from the factory.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports recent closures have left just a few local makers serving the fresh tofu market today.   

Tofu was definitely made on the plantations by Japanese and probably Chinese immigrants.  Tofu followed them off the plantations too.

  Shopping is more than necessity or recreation for Americans, the global economy relies on American consumption and this is the height of the season.  Locally, retail accounts for 25% of Hawai‘i’s workforce and is the largest contributor to the state’s excise tax revenue. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports Honolulu shoppers have some new options this year in the ‘Ewa wing of Ala Moana Center.

    Avid food truck enthusiasts will find the recent nexus at the old Fisherman’s Wharf  gone this week.  It will reopen in ten days as part of the new Makers and Tasters Kewalo community marketplace.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports on this new revolving collection of curated food stands.

   Poke, chicken long rice, lū‘au stew, pork katsu, ox tail soup---we all know what local food is, and we’re watching it evolve.  Changing demographics, food media, and travel are introducing new formats and flavors even as we continue to flock to our favorites.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports.

If you’ve ever been curious about where and how the fish on your dinner plate was caught, now there’s an app for that. HPR’s Molly Solomon reports on new technology that’s tracing the fish on your plate back to the sea.

After eyeing the akule appetizer at a Kaimukī restaurant, Jason Chow whips out his smartphone and scans a code on the menu to find out more about the reef fish. “You just scan this QR code,” said Chow. “And you discover who caught it, when it was caught, where it was caught and how.”

Buying local can often come at a price. But a few incentive programs are encouraging shoppers to support Hawai‘i-grown produce. One of them targets older adults on a fixed income --- making it easier for our kūpuna to get their fair share of fresh fruits and veggies. HPR’s Molly Solomon explains.

This weekend Hawaii’s new wave of cacao lovers will descend on the Chocolate Festival at Dole Cannery. Hawaii is the only state in the country where cacao is produced from seed to bar. HPR’s Molly Solomon spoke with a local business that’s seeing the sweet return on keeping chocolate local.