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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, August 28, 2005

THE INSIDE SCOOP
'Grazing' event scheduled for Sep. 16

By Simplicio Paragas
Dining Out Editor

Alan Wong will once again participate in this year's 10th Annual Taste of the Range at the Hilton Waikoloa.

Photo by Randy T. Fujimori

10th Annual Taste of the Range

Where: Hilton Waikoloa Village, Big Island

When: Fri., Sep. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tickets: $35 in advance or $50 at the door

Information: Call 391-7459 or log on to: ctahr.hawaii.edu/taste

W hen A Taste of the Hawaiian Range on the Big Island began nine years ago, it was literally a "grassroots" movement to promote Big Island ranchers' free- range beef.

"It was an idea that we cooked up to try to support the ranchers," said Milton Yamasaki, co-founder of the event and station manager at Mealani Research Station in Waimea. "We had no funds and we were prepared to dig into our own pockets to see the event through."

Fast forward and A Taste of the Hawaiian Range is now in its 10th year and has become one of Hawaii's premier grazing events, attracting thousands of attendees from across the state, and visitors from the Mainland and Japan alike.

Scheduled for Fri., Sep. 16, this Big Island event will take place in the Grand Ballroom and Lagoon Lanai at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Advance tickets are $35 or $50 at the door.

For tickets, call 391-7459 or log on to:www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/taste

Roberts Hawaii is also offering special day and overnight packages, including air, car, one-night stay for two people at $205 per person.

For an air-and-car package, cost is $171 per person.

These special packages are only available by logging on to www.RobertsOvernighters.com.

"We're expecting more than 2,000 attendees," Yamasaki pointed out. "We'll have 30 chefs and as many vendors participating that day."

Among them will be Miles Togikawa, executive chef at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott and a member of the event's planning committee.

"We'll have some heavy hitters here, including chef Mavro, Alan Wong and Russell Siu, as well as top chefs from all the major resorts on this island," Togikawa said. "The chefs are pulling together to keep it Hawaii. If the farmers and ranchers succeed, the chefs succeed because we'll be able to serve the freshest ingredients to our guests."

A Taste of the Hawaiian Range supports Hawaii and Big Island agriculture, and is an integral part of University of Hawai'i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource's (CTAHR) initiative to promote the local beef and forage industry.

"When we started this event, we saw it as being one part of a three-phase educational program," Yamasaki said. "The overall goal of this 'food show' is to educate the public, food handlers — the chefs — and vendors about the quality and consistency of local products."

During the event, chefs will create a wide array of dishes, using such locally-grown, grass-fed meats as beef, lamb, pork, mutton, sausages, pasture poultry and goat.

A "mountain oyster" cook-off will be featured as part of the 10th anniversary celebration. And, an agriculture tour will also take place the day after.

"The event has evolved from showcasing ranchers' products to now include everything that's ag-related," Yamasaki said. "We'll get mushrooms from Hamakua, hearts of palm, tomatoes from Kamuela, and other fruits and vegetables."

While he knows he's going to be preparing free-range chicken, Togikawa was quiet about details.

"I'm going to come out with something completely different," he said coyly. "I want to surprise people."