WAILUA — They came all the way from Japan, said Marty Kahn of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a. Twenty Rotarians from the Higashi Osaka Rotary Club traveled across the Pacific Ocean to join members of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a,
WAILUA — They came all the way from Japan, said Marty Kahn of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a.
Twenty Rotarians from the Higashi Osaka Rotary Club traveled across the Pacific Ocean to join members of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a, its sister club, at the 22nd annual Taste of Hawai‘i, Sunday, at Smith’s Tropical Paradise.
“The Rotarians from Japan are here to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the club,” said Kahn.
The visiting Rotarians joined a sold-out crowd at the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a’s biggest fundraiser and were greeted at the gate by Ron Wiley, the on-air personality for the KQNG Radio Group who served as emcee for the event.
More than 40 vendors collaborated to serve up a wide variety of cuisine to satisfy the taste buds of anyone, with more vendors offering beverages to pair with the food.
“I take all the training I have as a chef and use it to introduce people to our local style of cooking, but with an upscale twist,” said Chef Rafael Camarillo, executive chef at the Aston Kaua‘i Beach at Maka‘iwa, in the event directory.
His offering was a Seafood Lau Lau done “My Way,” a spinoff from the New Age Lau Lau which proved to be a popular offering at the recent “Taste of Waimea” hosted by the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce.
Gaylord’s Chef Aaron Leikam joined Russ Talvi, who offered up a preview of 22 North. The new Eastside restaurant, described as Kaua‘i’s newest locavore dining spot, is set to open early next month.
“We’ll be closing for a little while to do some work,” Talvi said, handing out a sampling of Smoked A‘akukui Ranch Beef Brisket with a Black Pepper Tomato-Onion Jam, Kaua‘i Fresh Farms Watercress and Shaved Baby Onions.
Leikam relocated to Kaua‘i in 2009 and spent his first few months as a sous chef at the Hukilau Lanai before assuming the duties of its executive chef.
He will rely on his extensive farm-to-table knowledge and commitment to local agriculture in the opening of 22 North.
“We even have something people can take with them,” Talvi said, offering a recipe for Smoked Opah Salad.
Zach Sato of the Oasis on the Beach shared Talvi and Leikam’s feelings.
“It’s so cool to be working closer with farmers, fishermen and ranchers,” Sato said in the directory. “It’s great to know exactly where your product is originating from and to have the security of knowing that it couldn’t get any fresher than this.”
Sato and the crew at Oasis on the Beach will be hosting a Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce AfterHours event on June 24 where Pacific Edge Magazine will be announcing the launch of Green Drinks on Kaua‘i.
Rodney Pascua is the president of the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a and Paula O’Very-Saylor served as the chairperson for the annual event that melded an afternoon of food, entertainment, and beverage to benefit the community through contributions, grants and scholarships from the Rotary Club of Kapa‘a.
See the Kokua page of Wednesday’s edition for more photos and coverage of the event.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
