QUICK BITES
Chef's new duties include host jobs
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
Chef-restaurateur Peter Merriman has a new gig: he's radio show host Peter Merriman and cooking demo host Peter Merriman. Merriman has taken over a weekly Maui radio cooking show from David Paul Johnson, who is off to the Big Island to create a restaurant for a resort there. The radio shows air at 2 p.m. Wednesdays on Maui's KAOI radio, live from Merriman's Hula Grill Barefoot Bar at Whalers Village. Today's guest is Harold Hardcastle of The Bakery in Lahaina. And Merriman also is in charge of monthly "Cookin' at the Village" demonstrations, featuring guest chefs preparing recipes suitable for the home cook, 5 to 6 p.m. every third Thursday at Whalers Village. Coming up: Bobby Masters, dinner chef at the Hula Grill on Nov. 21; and a holiday demo for Dec. 19.
Jams, chicken at Queen Emma fest
Time to stock up on those jams and that piopio chicken again; the annual Queen Emma Festival, a benefit for St. Andrew's Priory School, is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 9 on campus. On sale will be the usual lineup of interesting preserves: starfruit lemon jelly, starfruit apple chutney, liliko'i curd, mango chili pepper jam, peach raspberry jam and more. Those frozen, pre-roasted piopio chickens ($7.50 each) will be on sale, too (piopio, by the way, is Hawaiian onomatopoeia for the sound a chicken makes), along with Priory Paniolo BBQ.
Taste of Waipahu has food, crafts
The second annual Taste of Waipahu, organized by the Waipahu Community Association, is set for 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Waipahu District Park, with food vendors from throughout the area participating. There will also be craft items and food gifts for purchase. A historical tent will showcase the plantation history of Waipahu. Free trolleys will provide transportation every 15 minutes from Waipahu Town Center, Waipahu High School, Hawai'i's Plantation Village, Leeward YMCA and the Waikele Employees' parking lot on Koaki off Paiwa Street. Information: 677-6939.
Restaurant news
- The chief executive of Blimpie Subs & Salads, Jeffrey K. Endervelt, has been here for meetings on the future of the franchise. All 10 Blimpie restaurants in Hawai'i are being renovated with new color schemes and a new line of grilled subs, plus a group of sandwich sauces tailored to local tastes. Blimpie franchisees David Reed (University and Waimalu) and Keith Kiuchi (regional subfranchiser) received honors from the national organization.
- Don Ho's Island Grill chef James Dela Cruz received an award in a soup and sauce competition held recently by HFM Food Service.
- D.K. Kodama of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar has announced promotions: Tom Selman to corporate chef, Ivan Pahk to senior executive chef at the Kapalua restaurant; Reis Llaneza to sous chef in Kapalua; Keith Endo to executive chef in Honolulu; Eric Arbogast to executive chef in Kihei; and Bert Balbas to senior sous chef in Kihei.
- Hawaii Doggie Bakery is publishing a cookbook, "Paws in Paradise," offering recipes popular with the canine set — particularly Ipo, the founding dog, and a tour of the people, places and produce that inspired the bakery's popular doggie biscuits. They're taking pre-orders through Nov. 16 at a discounted rate. Visit one of the three outlets or see www.hawaiidoggiebakery.com.
- Cold Stone Creamery — the national franchise that offers the mix-and-match ice cream and topping dessert — will open at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel next month.
Direct news of culinary interest to Taste, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: taste@honoluluadvertiser.com.
