QuickBites

Celebrity chef Sam Choy is getting a chance to deliver more Island flavors to the Mainland under a deal with Costco to sell his sauces.

Costco to sell Sam Choy sauces

Hawai‘i chef Sam Choy is spreading the flavors of the Islands to the Mainland. He has just arranged for more than 40 Costco stores on the West Coast to sell his bottled stir-fry, sweet sour and garlic ginger teriyaki sauces.

The sauces are produced on the West Coast and are available in supermarkets in Hawai‘i, too. In the meantime, Choy played in last week’s Sony Open Pro Am at Wai‘alae Country Club and cooked some dishes for the PGA tour wives alongside "Wheel of Fortune’s" Vanna White.

AAA honors La Mer restaurant

The Halek¬lani Hotel’s La Mer restaurant has won the AAA Five Diamond restaurant award for the 11th consecutive year, the only restaurant with this distinction on O‘ahu. Chef de cuisine Yves Garnier’s "cuisine du soleil," or cuisine of the sun, reflecting his French Mediterranean origins, has placed La Mer among 60 restaurants in the United States, Canada and Mexico to receive the award. The Halek¬lani Hotel has also received its 16th consecutive Five Diamond award for lodging.

Best sous chefs in U.S. sought

Behind every great man, there is a great woman, the adage goes. Likewise, behind every great chef, there is a great sous chef. In this vein, Bertolli, the olive oil company, is launching its First Annual Sous Chef Awards to recognize the unsung heroes of the culinary world. The competition is open to sous chefs in any U.S. restaurant.

Ten finalists will be selected for recognition at an Aug. 3 reception in New York. Three top sous chefs will be selected by a panel of judges. Nomination forms and competition rules may be requested from: Bertolli Sous Chef Awards, c/o Jaime L. Marland, Vorhaus & Co., 1700 Broadway, 16th floor, New York, NY 10019 or e-mail jmarland@vorhaus.com. Entry deadline is March 30.

Ka ‘Ikena reopens through Feb. 23

Lunch and dinner service at the Ka ‘Ikena Dining Room at Kapi‘olani Community College is under way as students in this semester’s practicum classes hone their cooking and restaurant management skills. A three-course lunch with entrees such as beef bourguignon, chicken cacciatore or French rib lamb chops is priced from $11.95 to $14.95. Complete dinners with a Pacific Asian theme have four courses, priced from $21.95 to $29.95. Entrees include Thai chicken or shrimp curry, Szechwan-style roast duck, tenderloin of beef, lamb chops and fresh fish. Lunch is served 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and dinner 5:45-8:30 p.m. through Feb. 23. 734-9488.

Canned, frozen fruit nutritious too

Eating a variety of fruit is good for you, but sometimes variety isn’t available. Apples, pears and citrus abound in winter months at reasonable prices, but other fruits may not be as plentiful.

Health experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research say frozen and canned fruits can provide the same health benefits as fresh fruit. New technologies such as flash-freezing can trap nutrients and phytochemicals immediately after harvest.

Nutrients like vitamin C and folate are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature, light and atmosphere; fresh fruit can lose vital nutrients during transport and storage.

You can mitigate lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance affects many folks in Hawai‘i, especially Asians, causing a queasy stomach when dairy foods are eaten. Here are some tips from the National Dairy Council to help tolerate dairy products, which are important for those at risk for osteoporosis:

Introduce dairy products into the diet in small portions, increasing the serving size until you notice symptoms, cluing you in to the limit for the amount of lactose you can tolerate.

Drink milk with other foods, not on an empty stomach. Solid foods slow digestion and allow time for you to digest the lactose.

Cultured milk products such as yogurt contain friendly bacteria that help digest lactose.

Aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Colby and Swiss are lower in lactose and easier to digest.

Recipes offered for ham, peanuts

Prosciutto de Parma, the Italian ham that requires a year of curing, is brilliant when paired with fresh mango or papaya. But it’s also terrific in other dishes. For a free recipe leaflet, send a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to: PDP Leaflet, Lewis & Neale Inc. 49 East 21st St., New York, NY 10010.

Free peanut recipes from peanut farmers and the National Peanut Board will help celebrate National Peanut Month in March. E-mail: peanutboard@aol.com or send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Recipes, National Peanut Board, 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1220, Atlanta, GA 30303.

Utensil made for popcorn

So your fingers get sticky and buttery from popcorn and its furikake coating?

Don Sothman of Menomonee Falls, Wisc., has invented the popcorn fork, a three- tined plastic gizmo that you hold like a pencil, pinching the tines with two fingers. He sells them for $9.95 a dozen on his Web site: www.popcornfork.com.

Replacement parts available via Web

Have a broken glass coffee carafe or need an extra food processor bowl or blade? Culinary Parts Unlimited is the place to call (1-800-543-7549) for appliance parts and accessories for almost every brand on the market. Or find them on the Web: www.culinaryparts.com. For major appliance parts, go to Appliance Parts Co. at 1550 Kalani St., 847-3271, or 94-472 Ukee St., 676-2664.

Quick Bites appears every Wednesday in The Advertiser food section. Food Editor Joan Namkoong welcomes tidbits of food news .Write to her c/o The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Call: 525-8069. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com

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