FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Cookbook captures taste of Hawai'i
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
When the Kona Outdoor Circle asked Irene Croft Jr. to organize a fund-raising cookbook for them, she said no. And no, no, no. And then yes, but only if she got to pick her team and do the book her way. "You cannot do anything creative by consensus," said Croft, who describes herself as a "professional volunteer."
She asked that the organization, which operates an educational center and the Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens, agree to the designer she preferred — Sunny Pau'ole of Kona. And, final condition, she'd do it if she could land the artist she wanted — a guy whose work she'd seen in an in-flight magazine, name of Avi Kiriaty. She had no idea of Kiriaty's stature as a sought-after island artist or she probably wouldn't have added that last caveat. But when she called his office in Hilo out of the blue, she got the OK within 24 hours to use any image of his that she wanted.
Croft had done two previous benefit cookbooks, and she was determined to bring her best ideas to this one: Scrupulously tested recipes. Quality from paper to binding.
Thirteen months of 17-hour days later, "Kona on My Plate, A Hawai'i Community Cookbook by Kona Outdoor Circle" already has sold one-third of its small first printing of 3,000 copies without any advertising and very little distribution. And it's as far beyond the average community cookbook as crepes suzette are beyond pancakes.
The book is enlivened by delicious Kuriaty art and contains 690 recipes submitted by almost 400 Hawai'i residents, an informative introduction that serves as a short history of Hawai'i food ways, and — like delightful little sweetmeats scattered through a piece of pastry — more than 250 quotations from 18th- to 21st-century observers of Hawai'i culture, lore, history and food.
"I wanted this not only to be a treasury of recipes but also of Hawaiian historical and cultural lore, plus culinary lore. To me, this was as fascinating as any part of the cookery," said Croft.
She knew there were a lot of people out there like herself: "I'm no longer a primary cook, but I collect recipe books to read them. The best recipes are the ones in which the cook has invested something of herself, ones that tell you how it came about, who gave it to her, how she altered it. That's wonderful history in itself."
Each recipe in the book is preceded by the name of the donor, where he or she comes from, and a brief line or two about the recipe. A section on local and lu'au recipes has been particularly well received. "It's like oral history. People in families have passed down their kanaka stew recipe, but they've sort of held these recipes to their breasts, they don't share them. So, oh, boy, did we have to scrounge for these," said Croft.
And recipe screener Estela Halverson was "ruthless," she said, seeing to it that each recipe was tested three times and that the recipes use fresh, local ingredients wherever possible.
The organization solicited sponsors to cover the costs of publishing the hefty book, so all of the proceeds go to Outdoor Circle projects.
"Kona On My Plate" sells for $28.50; $35 priority-mailed within Hawaii; $38.50 priority-mailed to the Mainland. Send check to Kona Outdoor Circle, 76-6280 Kuakini Highway, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740. For Visa or Mastercard orders, phone (808) 329-7286 or e-mail cookbook@kona.net or fax: (808) 334-9646. Web site: konacookbook.com
