Let’s Talk Food: Events throughout town

2016 Volcano Winery Harvest Festival

Mark your calendars for this year’s Volcano Winery Harvest Festival to benefit the Volcano School of Arts and Sciences. The festival is slated for 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the winery located at 35 Pi‘i Mauna Drive, on the Volcano Golf and Country Club Road.

Music will be provided by Komakakino, a group made up of kumu Paul Neves, kumu Akala Neves and kumu Ladd Heleloa.

Food will be provided by Kilauea Lodge, which will make German sausages with German potato salad and housemade sauerkraut; Tuk-Tuk, which will make pad thai; HFM Food Service, which will provide quinoa salad; Papa‘a Palaoa Bakery, which will bring a variety of savory and sweet baked goods; and host Volcano Winery, which will provide gourmet cheeses. In addition, Ohelo Cafe, Annie’s Diets or Annie Yamanoha Catering, Eagle’s Lighthouse Cafe, Hilo Town Tavern and Kanpai also are providing delicious dishes. Rusty’s Coffee will provide coffee, the winery will provide wine and Mehana Brewery will provide beer.

Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for youth younger than 21, with all proceeds going to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) programs.

Call Volcano Winery for your tickets at 967-7772 or order online at volcanowinery.com.

You can also go Sunday to the Volcano farmers market and stop by the Volcano School of Arts and Science table to purchase tickets.

Islandwide Canopy Tents will be donating tents, tables and chairs for the event.

Fourth Annual Lilikoi Festival

The fourth annual Lilikoi Festival is slated for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 15 at Maku‘u Farmers Market.

This zero-waste event is sponsored by the Center for Spiritual Living East Hawaii.

Admission is $2 and free for keiki younger than 11 who are accompanied by a paying adult.

There will be a lilikoi-themed cooking contest, demonstrations, vendors and keiki activities.

If you are interested in participating in the cooking contest or have any questions, contact Tag at 982-5683 or check out www.lilikoifestival.com.

Taste of Hilo

The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaii’s 18th annual Taste of Hilo is planned for 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin Sangha Hall. Tickets are $50 per person in advance or $65 at the door. Call the chamber office at 934-0177 to order your tickets.

This year, the featured chefs will be chef instructors Brian Hirata and Shawn Sumiki from the Hawaii Community College Culinary Program. USDA certified Maui Nui venison will be done two ways: carpaccio and pipikaula.

For the carpaccio, Hirata will cure the venison in “koji,” searing it, then thinly slicing it. Thanks to the collaboration with the University of Hawaii College of Agriculture, baby cress, arugula and wasabi-na will be provided as the topping of this dish.

Hirata has fermented garlic to make a black garlic emulsion with balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle over the baby greens.

The second dish will be venison pipikaula, which Sumiki will be first grilling and then smoking with apple wood. That will be served with a warm Hamakua salad with a variety of agricultural products from the Hamakua area, foraged bamboo shoots, Hamakua mushrooms, foraged warabi and hearts of palm.

The instructors at Hawaii Community College really put their heads together to come up with a couple of very interesting dishes. It will be a great draw to the Taste of Hilo and, after all, the fundraiser benefits the Hawaii Community College.

HCC culinary program

Speaking about Hawaii Community College, the cafeteria will open 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 31) through Friday this week. You also can call 934-2559 for take-out orders.

Choices for tomorrow’s menu includes:

• Spaghetti bolognese, chicken katsu, kalua and cabbage, eggplant parmesan or French onion soup. Prices are from $6.85 to $7.95 for the Kalua and Cabbage.

Thursday’s menu includes:

• Italian baked chicken, salisbury steak with onions, beef stew, veggie stromboli and beef vegetable stew.

Friday’s choices are:

• Korean fried chicken, 8-ounce sirloin steak (in limited quantities), grilled fish, eggplant parmesan and vegetable soup.

Meals include a choice of brown or white rice, pasta or potatoes, hot vegetable du jour or tossed greens with house dressing and hot soup.

Pizza and flatbread only comes with a small salad and are made to order, with a minimum of 10 orders.

Baked goods, salad and sandwiches as well as short-order menus are available 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the cafeteria.

Museum to honor the Taniguchi family

If you lived through any of the tsunamis that devastated Hilo, you will remember the kindness of the Taniguchi family.

In celebration of KTA Super Stores’ 100th anniversary of sharing the spirit of aloha in our community, the Pacific Tsunami Museum will honor the Taniguchis on Oct. 22 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

The event will start at 5 p.m. with a silent auction and hosted champagne reception in the downstairs foyer, with a sit-down dinner and program at 6 p.m. in the Moku‘ola Banquet Room.

Call the museum at 935-0926 for reserved tables or if you have an item to donate for the silent auction.

Email me at audreywilson808@gmail.com.