QUICK BITES
KCC changes culinary curriculum
By Wanda A. Adams
Food Editor
The restaurants staffed by culinary students of Kapi'iolani Community College are among the best deals in town: fine dining at reasonable prices in a wide range of styles. But until this year, the restaurants were only open during the fall and spring semesters. Now a recent curriculum change, which created a straight-through, 2-year study schedule, means that both classes and restaurants will remain open in summer.
The fine dining restaurant, Ka 'Ikena, is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Friday, closed weekends and holidays. This pleasant room on a hillside looking out toward Kahala offers three lunch seatings (11, 11:30 and noon) and two dinner seatings (5:15 and 5:45 p.m.) and reservations are strongly advised. Friends have found the early dinner seating the perfect solution for where to have dinner before attending a Friday night performance at nearby Diamond Head Theatre. Tamarind Café is an interesting lunch place, also open Tuesday-Friday (seatings at 11 and 11:30 a.m.); menu items range from All-You-Can-Eat stir-fry stations to a sushi bar plus an intriguing variety of hot and cold pupu and entrees.
While a certain institutional feel can't be helped when the restaurant is in a school building, it's nice to know that you're helping young chefs get a start. Both restaurants allow you to bring your own wine or beer. For reservations, call weekdays, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. 734-9499.
Honors for local food folks
Island restaurants and food producers have netted a number of recent honors: Parker Ranch was among winners of the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau "Keep It Hawai'i" Certificate of Merit in the products category for its coffee and beef jerky. (www.parkerranch.com). ... Kona Brewing Co. has won another award from the U.S. Beer Tasting Championships. It's Menehune Marzen was declared "Best of the Northwest/Pacific" in the Marzen Lager category at the eighth annual winter session competition. (Previous awards came in the summer competition last August.) (www.KonaBrewingCo.com). ... The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation announced the first annual America's Best Wine List Awards at the recent Monterey Wine Festival and two Hawai'i restaurants were among those recognized: Roy's Restaurants (in the fine dining/chain category, for the restaurants both in Hawai'i and in California) and L'Uraku (in the casual dining category). ... Diane and Tony Garnier of Honolulu wrote to alert us that their son, Chris, a Saint Louis School and KCC culinary program graduate, now executive chef of Roy's of Newport (Calif.) has been named Chef of the Year by the Orange County Business Journal for what restaurant critic Fifi Chao called his "aloha comfort food." His photo was on the cover of a special pull-out section in the Journal.
LCC to benefit from two events
May Day is Lu'au Day in Honolulu this year as the 15 chefs of the Hawaiian Island Chefs group play host to the First Annual Lei Day Lu'au 6-9 p.m. May 1 in the Mauna Kea Ballroom of the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki. The event came out of brainstorming at the chefs' meetings and sets a challenge for the group's 15 members and their kitchen colleagues: Take a traditional lu'au menu item and give it a new spin. The event is a fund-raiser for HIC (the second generation of Hawai'i Regional Cuisine chefs) and a portion of the proceeds will also benefit the culinary program at Leeward Community College. Na Leo Pilimehana will entertain while guests graze among the nouveau lu'au dishes. Tickets are $75; call 956-1111, Ext. 4022.
And while we're discussing Leeward CC fund-raisers, you have until April 26 to take advantage of the advance ticket price of $70 for the third annual Taste of the Stars event 6-9 p.m. May 5 at the college. The impressive chef list includes Fred De Angelo of Palomino, Darryl Fujita of Halekulani, Hiroshi Fukui of L'Uraku, Cyrus Goo of Café Laufer, Wayne Hirabayashi of the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Randal Ishiku of the JW Marriott Ihiliani Resort and Spa, Douglas Lum of Miraposa, George Mavrothalassitis of Chef Mavro, Dean Okimoto of Nalo Famrs, Philippe Padovani of Padovani's Restaurant, Ivan Pah of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Russell Siu of 3660 on the Rise, Goran Streng of the Hawaii Prince Hotel, Troy Teruya of Catch of the Day, Richard Wagner of O'ahu Country Club, Alan Wong of Alan Wong's Restaurant and Roy Yamaguchi of Roy's Restaurant and, of course, graduate chefs of the LCC program. There will be a martini bar, beer and wine stations, a silent auction and live entertainment with Emme Tomimbang and Friends. Tickets: 455-0392.
Chef David Paul cooks again
On Maui, Chef David Paul Johnson is doing a free live cooking demonstration with chef Arnulfo Gonzales noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at Whalers Village center stage. It's another in a continuing "Cooking With Fire" series every third Saturday. He also does a live call-in radio show 2-3 p.m. Wednesdays from the Whalers Village, aired on KAOI FM on the Valley Island. Information: www.playingwithfire.net; (808) 876-1947.
Send items of culinary interest to Food Editor, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: taste@honoluluadvertiser.com.
