LIHU‘E — Tammi Andersland had to stop at the Lihu‘e Patriots’ Pop Warner food booth for coffee Saturday. “This is the only place they have Kaua‘i Coffee, and after seven pieces of pie it’s time for coffee,” Andersland said. A
LIHU‘E — Tammi Andersland had to stop at the Lihu‘e Patriots’ Pop Warner food booth for coffee Saturday.
“This is the only place they have Kaua‘i Coffee, and after seven pieces of pie it’s time for coffee,” Andersland said.
A food writer, Andersland was joined by Marty Amaro of Kaua‘i Coffee and Mel Rapozo, former Kaua‘i County Council member, as judges for the open judging at the Home Economics Show at the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.
Perhaps influenced by the Kaua‘i Grown Chefs Cookoff for Charity taking place at the same time just across the Home Economics Show, Amaro asked if the ingredients in the butter sauce plum pie were locally grown.
Unfortunately, they were purchased from a local supermarket, but Lenore Klass, chair of the Home Economics Show, said four of the seven entries utilized locally produced tropical fruit.
Klass, a finalist in the national Pillsbury Bake Off earlier this year, finished as one of three blue-ribbon winners in the judging, her pie being the butter sauce plum pie.
Gladys Fujiuchi earned a blue ribbon for her mountain apple cream cheese pie, along with Janet Carveiro, who earned blue for her passion fruit chiffon pie. Locally, Carveiro’s entry is known as liliko‘i chiffon pie.
B.T. Akama earned one of four red ribbons for her Koke‘e pear pie. Michelle Blake got a red ribbon for her peach chantilly delight, Sarah Wooten earned red for her banana split pie, and Whitney Rowe rounded out the leaders for her dulce de leche apple pie.
Klass said the judges gave glowing compliments and constructive criticism to each of the bakers in audience.
Because of the number of entries, Klass said it was suggested that the judges just take a taste of each, but the pies were so good they ate entire pieces.
This was the first year the open judging took place at the farm fair, and contestants had to pre-register on Thursday, the opening day of the fair. However, the pies needed to be brought to the fair on Saturday for judging.
With more than half of the entries featuring Kaua‘i-produced tropical fruits, Klass said Kaua‘i can be self-sustaining — at least as pies go.
