Coordinators of the annual North Kohala Farm to Wok Cook-off invite the public to the 2013 edition of the fun and informative event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hawi Jodo Mission on Akoni Pule Highway in Hawi.
Coordinators of the annual North Kohala Farm to Wok Cook-off invite the public to the 2013 edition of the fun and informative event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hawi Jodo Mission on Akoni Pule Highway in Hawi.
Teams from Hawaiian Airlines, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Bromeliads Hawaii LLC, Sustainable Kohala, Kahua Pa‘a Mua, Honsador Lumber and Kaiser Permanente will compete in an “Iron Chef” style cooking competition featuring Kohala-grown ingredients.
A tasting featuring the results of the competition is included in the ticket price.
The community is asked to contribute fruits, vegetables and herbs, to be used as surprise ingredients in the cook-off. Community members who contribute food, which must be received the night before, will get free tickets to the event.
Farm to Wok will be hosted by LAVA 105.3 FM’S Eddie O, with live music provided by T&T Hawaiian Style, Roz & Matt Kupukaa, Sydney Case and Young Hearts.
Throughout the day, there will be informational booths on North Kohala’s food self-sufficiency efforts. The event is a fundraiser for the Palili ‘O Kohala project, a 10-family taro-growing cooperative in North Kohala.
Tickets are limited, and are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. For tickets and information, or to donate fresh local food, call Carol Fuertes at 889-5391 or visit to FoodHubKohala.org.
This event is presented by Kahua Pa‘a Mua, a 501(c)3 nonprofit; Palili ‘O Kohala, Ka Hana No‘eau and the North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Campaign.
Palili ‘O Kohala Natural Farming Demonstration Farm and the North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Campaign are collectively supported by the county of Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente, Honsador Lumber, Partners in Development and the Local Initiatives Fund of RSF Social Finance. Additional support for Farm to Wok comes from Hawaiian Airlines.
All teams will assemble at the Hawi Jodo Mission by 8:30 a.m., where they will be assigned a cooking area. Start time is 9:30 a.m., following the opening ceremony, and cooking must be done by noon.
Each team will be given four to five pounds of pork and a quart of vegetable oil, plus salt and pepper. For the donated extras, the teams will get to select their favorites using a lottery system.
Every ticket holder will have a ticket stub for judging. It will be “the people” who will select the overall best of everything. There will be first, second and third for Best of Wok. They also will choose best of taste and appearance (presentation). They will vote by placing their ticket stubs into voting boxes at each wok site.
Other key elements of the event will include early morning entertainment by the student group, Young Hearts, and then Sydney Case at 10 a.m. There will be presentations at 9:30 a.m. on the “North Kohala Food System Strategic Plan” by Andrea Dean; at 10:30 a.m., “Natural Farming of Animals” by Mike DuPont of the University of Hawaii; 10:45 a.m., “Natural Farming of Plants” by Chris Trump; 11:15 a.m., performance by Roz and Matt Kupukaa; audience food tasting at 1 p.m.; 1 to 2 p.m., entertainment by T&T Hawaiian Style; 1:15 p.m., judging and announcement of cook-off winners.