Restaurant Week Hawaii Hosted by the Hawaii Restaurant Association

November 14th, 2009

In recent years, documentarians have taken to teaching moviegoers about the impacts of locally grown food as opposed to processed goods. Films such as “SuperSize Me,” “King Corn,” “Food Inc.,” “The Burning Season,” and “FRESH” all frown upon the effects of processed foods and encourage filmgoers to eat a locally grown diet.

This always sounds really good until you go on vacation and are away from your favorite farmer’s market or grocer. How can you experience the unique flavors of locally grown dining, especially when going on a Hawaii vacation? Recently, Kanu Hawaii (www.kanuhawaii.org) hosted a weeklong “Eat Local Challenge,” and it really was tough to know where to eat for many of the people involved.

The Hawaii Restaurant Association aims to change that perception by hosting Restaurant Week Hawaii. Now in its second year, Restaurant Week Hawaii is billed as “a seven-day celebration of the cuisine scene” in the state. From Nov. 16 to 22, more than 40 restaurants in Hawaii are coming together to showcase their best offerings for unbelievable prices as a fundraiser to support the Culinary Institute of the Pacific.

The Culinary Institute of the Pacific plans to renovate and expand facilities for up-and-coming chefs while including new agriculture programs to teach students about locally-grown agriculture.

“The week offers restaurants a chance to reintroduce diners to their menus and spotlight the things we’re proud of and to see what is we do, and then they will want to come back,” said Executive Chef Kapo Kealoha of Tiki’s Bar and Grill in Waikiki. Tiki’s, found at www.tikisgrill.com is one of the top buyers of local produce from Ma‘o Organic Farms www.maoorganicfarms.com, located on the west coast of Oahu in Wai‘anae. Tiki’s also buys locally grown beef and fish.

“Every major city has restaurant week,” said Kealoha, “They’re really big and visitors plan vacations to travel to these cities for restaurant week. This is where we want this to get.”

Most restaurants are offering prix fixe menus of their best-selling and most popular items on their menus. A list of restaurants can be found online at www.restaurantweekhawaii.com and include every type of food a visitor to the state can think of in terms of food offerings – and yes, reservations are recommended. Malama pono!

Posted by Laurie Cicotello  Twitter @LaurieCicotello

Entry Filed under: Big Island, Kauai, Maui, Oahu