Poke first course for tastes of Big Island

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

Kerry Kakazu peers into his fridge for ingredients at his home. Kakazu won the poke contest in the nonprofessional category last year. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

You've picked up a few tricks, maybe some tips from an uncle who was cutting fish back when the Hawaiian sampan fleets still hauled their catch into Kewalo Basin or the Hilo fish auction each day.

And naturally you've added innovations of your own, those little secrets to get you that special taste. Very special.

Maybe you're ready to compete with the likes of Kerry Kakazu, a Red Hill, O'ahu, resident and two-time first-place winner in the nonprofessional category of the Aloha Festivals' Poke Contest in Kohala .

The contest is one of a series of Big Island festivals coming up this year to celebrate the tastes of the Big Island, from grass-fed beef to Kona coffee to the poke contest, which celebrates Hawai'i's best raw fish concoctions. All the food fests offer an opportunity to meet chefs, taste the food of many restaurants all in one place, enjoy various events and take a little time off for beach-going or exploring. Most offer kama'aina rates or special rates for those who buy a package.

The Poke Contest was founded in partnership with chef Sam Choy, but he's launching a festival on O'ahu later this year, so the event has changed its name, but not its focus.

If you decide to haul six pounds of your best poke to South Kohala to enter it in the annual competition at the Hapuna Prince Hotel on Sept. 24, be aware. Kakazu reports that once the judges finish their work, the taste-testing public stages a small-scale feeding frenzy.

"They announce the winners, and then they go ahead and let the public taste," Kakazu said. "When they open those ropes for the public to come in, it's a mob scene. There's just a little bit of time to replenish the supply after the judging, and then stand back, and everybody goes wild. Most years, I've hardly gotten to taste anything," he said. But entering has its rewards, with contestants competing for $15,000 in cash and prizes.

Kakazu, who is assistant director of operations at the University of Hawai'i Cancer Research Center, said he has been there since the beginning, back when the contest was held in a tent on the Waimea fair grounds. He took third place in his first attempt, and has come back for more each year.

Last year he won the nonprofessional category with a swordfish poke with Thai-type curry-based seasoning with lemongrass on a bed of Vietnamese noodles. He invented the recipe himself, testing out variations on his wife, Ruby Takahashi.

"She's not a big raw-fish eater, so if she thinks it tastes good, it must be fine," he said.

Kakazu's recipe may sound exotic, but he has seen winners made from the simplest of ingredients. "I guess the taste is really still the most important thing, but I think it's important to have strong, distinctive flavors. Judges are probably eating so different kinds of poke that you have to sort of stand out."

Last year there were about 80 entries total in the different categories, which include traditional poke, cooked poke, poke with macadamia nuts, poke with ogo, poke with Aloha soy sauce, and poke with tofu.

This year, Kakazu tentatively plans something different, perhaps an 'ahi poke with more Japanese-style flavoring, but he always tinkers with the recipe in the weeks leading up to the contest.

"I'm not sure yet, it always changes at the last minute," said Kakazu, 46.

Admission is $5 with an Aloha Festivals ribbon. Contest information, along with the rules, is at www.pokecontest.com.

The Hapuna Prince Web site is www.hapunabeachhotel.com, or reach the hotel at (808) 880-3424.

The poke contest is just one of a series of events focusing on Big Island grinds:

Holo to Hilo. A two-day event in not-so-sleepy-anymore Hilo offers opportunities for food sampling and experiencing the many cultures that have influenced the Islands. "Stroll the World on the Streets of Hilo," 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 13, is an event during which businesses in historic downtown Hilo offer free food samples and bring in musicians, erect cultural displays (which are judged by the public) and invite everyone to dress in their own ethnic garb. the next day, Hawai'i's World Heritage Festival is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in a giant tent at Kalakaua Park in Hilo, where there will be more food and music as well as arts and crafts, demonstrations and displays. Information: Alice Moon, (808) 933-9772.

Parker Ranch parties. The first annual Parker Ranch Center Waimea Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 29, is the official opening of the Aloha Festivals on the Big Island. The Royal Court will appear (at 11 a.m.) and there will be displays and demonstrations of island crafts, cooking demonstrations using Big Island products, hula and slack-key guitar performances, the presentation of the Ka Pua Mae'ole volunteerism award, and an appearance by the contemporary Hawaiian due Pomai and Loeka. The Parker Ranch Center is on Mamalahoa Highway (Highway 19) in Waimea. Proceeds from center activities help the Parker Ranch Foundation, which supports health care, education and charitable organizations in the community. Information: 329-0833.

About beef. The Hawai'i Cattlemen's Association presents "Real Beef by Real Cowboys" 3-5 p.m. Sept. 5 at Pukalani Stables in Waimea.

The party-like event benefits the education fund of the Hawai'i Cattlemen's Association, which provides scholarships for young people involved in agricultural studies as well as money for community and consumer education on beef and paniolo culture.

It will offer taste tests of beef grilled by Big Island ranchers, and wine and beer tasting organized by Kamuela Liquors as well as paniolo music and exhibits of historic ranching photos, antique saddles and tack.

Come dressed paniolo-style — a cowboy hat at minimum — for the paniolo-dress contests. And be prepared for "Cow Pie Bingo," an event in which a field is broken down into a grid, participants pick squares, and "Sammy the bull calf" is released on the field to, ah, designate the winning squares.

Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door if available. On the Big Island, tickets are on sale at Kamuela Liquor Store, Byrd's Audio Supply, Cook's Discoveries Shop, Parker Ranch Store, Parker Ranch Grill, Tex Drive In & Restaurant in Honoka'a, and Mele Kai Music in Kona.

Information: Jessica Habein at (808) 885-9700, or at jessica@kamuelapride.com.

Grass-fed. Meat is also the focus of "A Taste Of The Hawaiian Range" on Sept. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

To celebrate the banquet of grass-fed Island meats, the Waikoloa Village will host 38 guest chefs as they prepare a feast of forage-grown beef, buffalo, lamb, mutton, goat, pork, pasture broilers and mountain oysters. The evening menu also showcases country fresh salads and goat cheese from Big Island farms, and desserts and nonalcoholic beverages from Big Island producers.

The event also falls on the last weekend of Hilton Waikoloa Village's one-month Return to Paradise celebration that showcases the best of Hawaii's local musicians.

Tickets are just $25. Information: (808) 322-4892. For a ticket order form, visit www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/InfoCenter/Forages/ taste_of_hawaiian_range_04.html.

Celebrating good eats. The third annual Big Island Festival Nov. 3-7 offers lovers of fine foods and wines a chance to follow the food trail from grower to table. The five-day festival on the Kohala Coast includes 40 events designed to showcase the Big Island's diversity, Hawaiian culture and cuisine.

Boutique and estate farm tours are planned. And all 10 of Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chefs of 2004 have been invited. A Festival Pavilion, this year at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel in the Mauna Kea Resort, will bring together farmers, growers, food producers, wine experts and chefs for taste-testing, demonstrations and seminars.

Information: www.BigIslandFestival.com. To request a brochure or register by phone, call toll-free (866) 424-3378.

Java jive. The 34th Annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Nov. 5-14 celebrates Kona's most famous harvest, including the multicultural heritage of its coffee pioneers, with the theme "Kona Coffee — Our Treasured Legacy."

Hawai'i's oldest food festival offers more than 30 events, including art exhibits, coffee tastings, a cupping competition to identify the best of the best, recipe contest, coffee-picking contest, farm tours, two parades and a scholarship pageant.

The event begins with a lantern parade Nov. 5. Various competitions, tours and celebratory events occur Nov. 6 and 7. A festival and grand parade takes place in Kona Nov. 13. And a bowling tournament and an evening pops concert wraps up events Nov. 14.

The schedule is still being finalized. Information: the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival web site at www.konacoffeefest.com; call (808) 326-7820.

Back to our roots. The annual Passport to International Cultures event will be hosted by Waikoloa Beach Resort on Dec. 4, offering a chance to sample the island's multicultural heritage through cuisines of each cultural group in a grand tasting at the Kings' Shop in Waikoloa.

Foods from China, Japan, Italy and Hawai'i will be among those featured, with dishes prepared by Waikoloa Beach Resort chefs. The event includes live cultural entertainment and a visit from Santa Claus.

Passports are $10 per booklet, with a booklet required for each person. For more information, call (808) 886-8811.

More holiday fun. The Kona-Kohala Chapter of the American Culinary Federation will host a grazing event, "Christmas in Kona Village," featuring food and drink from chefs along the coast. Tickets are $75 and proceeds benefit scholarshiops and services for culinary students. Information: (808) 329-2522

One other Big Island culinary festival deserves mention, though it's over for this year:

Dolphin Days, June 23-36, 2005, will celebrate its 12th anniversary at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Events include a food, wine and music festival; a golf tournament and a swimming, running and walking race that benefits local charities.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.