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Sashimi at Stevenson’s Library includes freshly grated horseradish, fans of big eye tuna, snapper, salmon, Big Island Kampachi and hamachi garnished with ogo (purple seaweed, rosemary and pansy flowers, shisho leaves and daikon spirals. Daniel Lane photo. Sushi chef David “Jay” Ledee stands behind the sushi bar at Stevenson’s Library inside the Grand Hyatt Kauai….

RumFire at Poipu Beach. Sheraton Kauai Resort named Malama Pono Health Services as its June 2016 beneficiary for the Table 53 program. Net proceeds for all food and beverage at Table #53 in the oceanfront RumFire Poipu Beach restaurant will be donated to the non-profit organization this month. Over $140,000 has been raised for worthy causes…

Chloe Sorey opened Trucking Delicious in March 2014, nearly two years after graduating from the Culinary Arts Program at Kauai Community College (KCC). After specializing in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, Chloe changed her menu in Jan. 2016. Today, she takes “local food” up a notch and makes gourmet-ish plate lunch. Just so you know, that’s…

Listening to music at the Taste of Hawaii. Daniel Lane photo. For 28 years, the Rotary Club of Kapaa has hosted the Taste of Hawaii. The fundraiser benefits many things including scholarship programs for students; Kanuikapono Music Festival; youth programs; programs for the homeless and hungry and Kapaa/Wailua refurbishing projects. This year’s event takes place on Sunday June 5 11:30…

The Living Salad at Blue Dragon Restaurant is as close to live food as you can get. Daniel Lane photo The Living Salad at Blue Dragon Restaurant is served in a mini wood planter. Green and purple baby lettuces spill from the top along with a few wispy fennel fronds. Gilded gold scissors with ornate…

Jessica and Rosa Stares and Cody Meyer stand in a field of garlic. Daniel Lane photo Our tires crunch on gravel as we pull into Steelgrass Farm. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the lot is full, but there are no chocolate tours today, so parking is easy. Dan and I are here to meet Cody…

(From left) Noah Hester, Nate Hayward and Leo Woods. Daniel Lane photo Nate Hayward navigates a 15 passenger van along a rutted farm road in North Kohala. A steady drizzle of warm rain splats across the windshield. Eight foodies huddle in the van’s bucket seats, wrapped in plastic parkas, bouncing in unison. Thick dreadlocks are…

Cara cara marmalade with fresh ginger. Daniel Lane photo. Aletha Thomas, owner of Monkeypod Jam, is in her shop’s kitchen cutting rounds of cara cara oranges. The deep orange flesh perfumes the air. She puts them in a pot, covers them in water and leaves them to sit overnight. In three days, they will transform into a thick marmalade mixed with…

There are more than 60 wines at Palate Wine Bar. Daniel Lane photo Palate Wine Bar is a terrific place to relax with family and friends and enjoy esoteric wine, craft beer, or sake, and share cured olives, imported cheese, cured meat and handmade flatbreads. There are more than 60 wines at the small bar, which opened last…

Beans in the cacao pod are soft, sweet, and a little tart. Daniel Lane photo The Big Island Chocolate Festival is in its fifth year, and the gala’s theme is Lavalicious-A Chocolate Salute to the 100th Birthday of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Indulge in both savory and sweet temptations prepared by top chefs and chocolatiers while watching award-winning…

Nora, Paula’s sister, along with four other chefs cook authentic Thai food at Bangkok Happy Bowl. Daniel Lane photo Fresh, flavorful and delightfully aromatic is how I describe the Thai food at Bangkok Happy Bowl. Inside, color abounds in the half Thai, half Japanese restaurant. After opening in the Poipu Shopping Village last October, the…

Award winning craft beer and locally sourced pupus at Big Island Brewhaus. Daniel Lane photo Tom Kerns, owner of Big Island Brewhaus, sits across from me at a picnic table on the bar’s lanai. His wife, Jayne, and their cook, Dan Leishman, sit on either side of him. Inside, boisterous conversation punctuated by laughter pour…