Aloha ‘āina

Food truck popularity has been sweeping the country with most mentions discussing the New York or California markets. Now that I am in the food truck biz myself, it's ironic to think back to my own experience in the early 80s on Oahu where it wasn't uncommon to find Leonard's iconic red and white striped truck selling hot malasadas on the North Shore. It made perfect sense to bring the islands favorite donuts to the famous waves of the north shore so locals living miles away from Leonard's brick and mortar bakery would be able to enjoy them hot and fresh. The original Leonard's Bakery is located in Honolulu on Kapahulu Ave. not far from the Honolulu Zoo. Founded in 1952, Leonard is credited with bringing the Portuguese treat to the islands. One of my favorite things to do is to pick up a pink box of fresh hot malasadas and take them down the street to Queen's Beach to gobble them down with a carton of milk, also purchased at Leonard's. If you're ...

The state of Hawaii is known for its beautiful tropical landscape. The steep mountains jet out of the sea going from sea level to 2000 feet in a very short distance. Only the larger islands (there are 136 islands in total) have enough flat land for towns and cities to be established. This land restrictive lifestyle poses a major problem when it comes to material waste, making recycling a must. When I moved back to the Midwest I was taken off guard by having to pay to recycle. Paying to recycling moves if from a necessary way of life to a luxury. Many of my friends do not recycle because of its rising cost to the resident. Ironically even landfills in St. Louis become full and new landfill facilities must be established. Not so ironic is how when a family begins to recycle they will find their recycle bin fills to the brim and their waste can needs are cut in half. It's easy to assume then that our landfill needs could also be cut in half if more households were e...

During the plantation era of Hawai'i's history, workers brought to the fields their leftovers from home for lunch. The vast majority of these workers were initially from China then Japan, Okinawa, Philippines, Korean. Their "brown bag lunch" was in the form of a Bento Box . If you think Bento Boxes are a thing of the past you only need to search Amazon to find modern versions still in use today. A typical Bento Box contains rice, pickled or cooked vegetables and a protein such as fish or meat. Traditional Bentos had two or three layers of containers stacked high separating the various food types. This made it easy to pass around as the workers shared their food with one another. As the world modernized and less people brought lunch to work, the plate lunch was created by food wagons and establishments supplying lunch plates to field workers similar in fashion to the Bento box. In Hawaii the common understanding of a plate lunch is two scoops of...

The term "Hawaiian Food" can be confusing, or intriguing depending on how you look at it. We conducted an informal poll to see what type of food the public thinks of as Hawaiian. The largest comment was pineapple, second was Kabobs. Having a personal relationship with Hawaiian food I found this insight interesting because neither Kabobs nor pineapple are native to the Hawaiian Islands. It's worth mentioning coconuts are another food item not indigenous to the islands. Kabobs, more accurately Shish Kabab, originate in the Middle East. Pineapples were originally from Paraguay and were brought to Hawaii in 1813 by Don Francisco de Paulka y Marin, a Spanish advisor to King Kamehameha. Not even the famous Hawaiian Pizza is from Hawaii. It was invented by a Canadian Pizza maker in Ontario, Canada.   I would classify Hawaiian cuisine into four categories, Commercial, Modern, Traditional and Historical. These are not official classifications, but make a good way to ex...

We named our truck Koholā (Humpback whale) because of the significance these majestic creatures have in Hawaiian culture. In ancient times the Koholā's ivory was thought to bring mana (spiritual power) to those who carved its ivory, the jewelry itself and to the person who wore it. Usually the ivory of the Koholā was reserved for an Ali`i (Chiefs) of high rank. In modern day tourist enjoy a good whale watching tour, however behind the scenes the locals are most excited to see their first whale of the season. I always felt the islands were more alive when the Koholā were in town. A touch of sadness in May when I hadn't seen one for a while and realized the whales had departed on their annual 6000 mile journey to Alaska. The Hawaiian islands provide a critical breeding ground for this endangered mammal. Approximately 15,000 humpback whales are found in the island waters from November through April where they breed, and give birth to their calves. While I was...