When family meal turns to family day part deux...

Who hasn't wanted to swing from vines like Tarzan or George of the jungle? As our ohana arrived at Kapiolani park, there was one tree that called our name. It was incredibly huge and had so many limbs to scramble over. Not only that, the tree would grow roots from the limbs that swung down to the ground. Once the roots touched down, they started to grow support beams for the tree. What an incredible piece of nature. And naturally, we would swing on the vibes from one limb to the other. 

It doesn't make it a successful park day unless there is a naked baby running around. We had two volley balls and she was just big enough to hold onto one at a time. So, I would give her a ball, she would drop it and I would hand her the other ball. This became a game for about 9 minutes. Adorable. 

This was obviously followed by some incredible pool time. It was a paradise at the pool. It all just goes to show that you need to take time out of your "busy schedules" to enjoy the little things in life. They fly by quickly.

When family meal turns to family day...

As any restaurant employee knows, one of the best times at work is family meal. Usually at 4 pm, this is quite possibly the only time when the rivaling front and back of house get together and enjoy a quick bite.

This weekend, we had a family day with Pili group. It all started at MW restaurant for their "steak and shake" Sunday. A vast amount of burgers, fries, adult milkshakes and Sunday fun day add ons. There were about 10 of us there to revel in the festivities of stuffing our gullets with delicious grilled meat and mountains of ice cream. 

I even got offered gooch's cherry;) ⬇️

Once the parade of meat came, it was time for dessert and what a platter that was. Imagine back to our tester years when doughnuts were the size of our faces and we needed two hands to drink our juice. This massively incredible mountain of ice cream appeared at our table to our delightful surprise. It reminded me of a dessert food pyramid. 

It all started on a choux shell about 13" diameter. To follow was a large serving of brownie squares, cookie, strawberries and bananas. This was delicately smothered with four different scoops of ice cream ranging from vanilla to coffee. And of course, the grand finale of whipped cream, syrup, nuts and a bright cherry completed the dessert pyramid. Just... Wow. 

To be continued...

Flash flood apocalypse...

At the beautiful hour of 2:26 am, I started to receive notifications of the brewing storm. It was just a half hour later when I realized Siri wasn't lying to me. It has been at least 2 years since I have been woken up and disoriented by a storm. The angry torrents of water drops pounded at the windows and doors of the house while bright white lightning tore open the sky. It felt like being inside the head of a brilliant genius. 

These types of storms always put me back into place in regards to invincibility. We as a species may be advanced in more ways than any other species, but none of us can over power the force of Mother Nature. The ocean is the perfect mental picture. We all know that rip tides and under toes are so powerful that they can over power the best and strongest swimmers and surfers of our day. So perhaps we should respect her (our earth) more and follow the path she is constantly laying down for us. 

Standout in the field...

I'm going to be blunt, this was by far one of the most fun events I have ever worked. The people I was with just elevated it to a different level. 

Let's start with facts. For outstanding in the field, I made 80 pounds of beef stew, 45 pounds of roast veggies, 50 pounds of mixed grains and 4 quarts of a Dashi cream. The best part is that we only came home with about 10 pounds of grains and about 25 of meat. And that easily one of 5 courses. The best being traditional s'mores.  

-reheating the beef

-1/2 the veggies

We also were graced with the pleasure of baking 22 fresh Dutch crunch loaves of bread at the convention center. Rolling the dough to be proofed was so much fun and an experience I have been wanting to take part in for a while. Bread baking has always fascinated me. Perhaps this could be a great time to dip my fingers into some flour. 

And there was a chocolate waterfall...

Apparently, the chocolate waterfall we all imagined Swimming in at willy wonkas chocolate factory exists in real life!! Unfortunately there are no oompa lumpas and the waterfall isn't big enough to swim in but the fall still exists. 

I had the incredible privelage and honor to work with Lonohana and make chocolate from start to finish. Yes. I do mean from roasting the raw cocoa beans. And what an experience it was. The amount of focus Seneca Klasson exerts to make an amazing product is on par to some of the best chefs in the world. Smelling the roasting beans to be sure he doesn't smell a certain bitterness to tasting the nibs every 4-6 minutes until there is just the right amount of florality, nuttiness and chocolateyness present. What a fascinating process. 

I think we may take for granted the entire process of chocolate making. The entire process is about 3-4 days and is extremely labor intensive. Perhaps it would be wise of us to start to take note of all these elements in order to truly appreciate what the product has to offer. 

Once cooled, the beans get cracked and sorted. (While cooking they sound like Rice Krispies in milk). This process is quite loud and tedious but very necessary. As the beans get cracked, they fall to a vibrating tray to let the husk float to the top. The tray is tilted and bottle necked so the nibs and husks move forward. As they do so, a vacuum sucks up the husks so only the nibs remain. The last step is repeated to be sure as much of the husk is removed. The less husk present, the better the chocolate. 

Once the cracking and sorting is complete, it's time to grind. Stay tuned for a detailed process of how we go from coarse and crunchy nibs to the delectable silky smooth chocolate we know and love. Mahalo. 

Fernet with the pig and lady...

Being able to walk into a restaurant at 730 and stay to close it is a great experience. Especially if you know the people in the kitchen and service staff. What a meal also at the pig and lady. We started with these smokey and succulent BBQ ribs and a set of oysters for the table. When you gently squeeze some fresh kalamansi into the oyster, it greates a second explosion of flavor on your palate. The brightness and the brine dance around like the tango. 

As we each got our main courses, I was blown away by the amount of flavor that was in each bite. A broth for me to sip after eating my mazemen (cold seasoned noodles) was rich with a beautiful licorice background. Each sip was a surprise and it never got overbearing. Very powerful cooking. Then to follow, we graciously received a bowl of pho that was a touch spicy with almost a nutty broth. Absolutely fantastic. 

But the best part to it all was the quantity of beer and fernet that flowed from glass to gullet. As a part of "kitchen initiation", each green cook into the world of food must go out with the seasoned cooks. It is a tradition as old as time. It just so happened that we have just the perfect candidate. But that story is for a different time. For now just know that all the fernet we drank was due to his lack of experience. Welcome to kitchen life buddy!

The Hawaiian hipster...

Night market...an evening on the streets  in Hawaii where there are bizarre treats, baby clothing products and a bier garden. Picture a wide open warehouse with bay doors and murals swimming around the opening. A swarm of young women and men buzzing around the local artists and clothing designers. As you stroll through the street you can smell fat dripping onto the charcoal grills searing burgers and steak. Flavors of ice cream vary from lychee vodka to watermelon chocolate chip. It shouted hipster central but it was a great time nonetheless. 

So we worked Friday service...

No one can tell me they have never been ecstatic the day you leave for a weekend like the one we just embarked on. A ticket to Maui, 2 and a half days, and four friends who are now more family than ever. What an incredible weekend. It starts out on Friday after service, a few drinks to make the flight more enjoyable. 

Once we get to the above bar inside the airport, our first vacation drink, the best thing happens to me. After our clink, my elbow graciously knocks over my water glass and breaks right in half. So beautiful and so perfect and it will only keep getting better. 

Finally in Maui, we make our way to the exit of the airport in search of Maui car rental. Little do we know we were about to get ripped apart by a lovely cab driver. As the doors of the taxi slide open and all our luggage is secure in the trunk, we begin our long and tiresome 15 foot journey to the end of the sidewalk. Someone so kindly asked where Maui car rentals was and we got a stern reprimanding. "You in Maui now! Everywhere here car rental" she demands. "You pick any and they have car rental". We immediately got tossed out of the cab and was told to go find the shuttle. What a lovely welcome to Maui. 

To be continued...

Soul of a chef...

After a service at MW restaurant, I was able to have a small loon at the pop up world in Oahu. Chef John was doing a fantastic little dinner in a small room with three other chefs. I don't know how many people they served or what their full menu was. What I felt when I walked inside that box of a kitchen was love and passion. 

There are some things that I certainly cannot explain in words about what it is like to be a cook. If you want to know,  you have to experience it. While I was standing outside the dining room, I saw these four chefs standing around a bowl of something delicious. It reminded me of a bunch of brothers playing around the dinner table. That's when I knew and understood where the love and passion for making people happy came from. Not only did I feel it, I saw it which is a very rare occasion for diners. 

Volcano time...

Remember the elementary school project where you would build a clay volcano then put vinegar and baking soda to make an eruption? Hiking through Hawaii volcanoes national park brought me straight back to those times. Getting to see the lava flow of 1974 and the expansive lava tube kept me on my toes with excitement. At one time, all of those were over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit and liquid red hot lava. Fascinating. 

There was a huge hole in the ground and everything around it was either dead or dripping wet. The incredible heat that was emanating from the steam vent was almost invisible yet it would blast you in the face like a thousand fists. The magic behind volcanoes continues to intrigue me just as much as when I was a little boy. It really puts into place how insignificant, small and powerless we truly are against the whim of Mother Nature. We are not invincible. 

Circumnavigate big island...

What an extraordinary day to have filled with numerous cherry poppings. To start it all, never in my life have I circumnavigated almost an entire island in one day. Especially one as big as the big island of Hawaii. Second, it was a sincere pleasure to have seen a stereotypical photograph of what we call paradise. Third, I have never snorkeled around a fully living and thriving reef with a plethora of fish and sea wonders. Fourth, I to be able to see a zebra, longhorn, bison, lama and a donkey in one fence on an isolated island was beyond baffling. Fifth, standing on the southern most part of the southern most state in the ENTIRE United States, seeming to be where the sidewalk ends was breathtaking. Sixth and by far one of the most exciting, driving through pure darkness for it to be broken only by the raging red glow from an active volcano. What a phenomenally productive day with my impromptu travel partner, Amber. 

Hawaiian Conservation Alliance...

Traveling to Hilo so far has been an incredible journey so far. I got the opportunity to work with some incredible chefs from local restaurants. Our goal this week was to create a plate lunch that emulates the locality and sustainability of Hawaiian cuisine. Half of the products that we used for our meal were gathered either by our own hands, such as oh'i'o (baby fern), kalamansi or ulu (bread fruit). From start to finish, we knew inside and out, the life of those fruits and vegetables. 

Being able to work with chefs Mark Pumaski, Sheldon Simeon, Mark Noguchi and Cacey Halpern was wonderful. The amount of fun and hard work that was put into this event is mind blowing, and together they did it with ease. The entire Hawaiian food culture behind the scenes and open to the world  is in my opinion, the epitome of local and sustainable. Perhaps the rest of us can learn something from these islands and most other islands in the world.