Archive for category: Local Eats and Flavors

photos and article by Eric Perez

Part of the fun of traveling is trying new things, finding your new favorite place, tasting new foods, relaxing and creating memories. No matter where you travel if you are a coffee drinker you are sure going to find your best new spot for that morning or afternoon cup of brew. Here are some of our favorite local Kauai coffee houses.

The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark,  decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

In the words of Joe Fox (F-O-X)

–You’ve Got Mail

Small Town Coffee Co., Kapaa
Near all the colorful flags towards the north end of Kapaa, Small Town Coffee prides itself in being old school. It’s got a casual island feel.  Enjoy using the internet inside or chill out in the front where its like hanging with friends in your own backyard.

Art Cafe Hemingway, Kapaa
Next to the Moikeha canal in Kapaa, in a historic two story building, Art Cafe Hemingway is run by a friendly German couple. The atmosphere is sophisticated in an artsy way but friendly in a small town way. Ordering from your table or couch, the service is warm and professional. Young couples as well as families can easily find their happy place amongst the many zones throughout the upstairs, downstairs interior and outside porch areas.

Aloha N Paradise, Waimea Town
Located one street off the highway in Waimea town and run by  Candy, a women who loves her craft. Because it’s away from the hustle and bustle of the busier towns, she has the time to passionately customize your latte or cappuccino and is happy explain the nuances of the process. The ambiance of Aloha in Paradise has a retro feel which perfectly fits the old west side town of Waimea.

Ha coffee bar, Lihue
This spacious, stylish and understated coffee bar is on the Nawiliwili side of Lihue.  It’s great place to get some online work done, read the paper or meet with friends. Take your pic of a large table, small private spots near the windows, or a comfy love seat.  It’s got the coolness factor many chain coffee establishments would love to have.  Not on the main drag but worth a trip if this sounds like your kind of place.

Java Kai, Kapaa
Located in a solid little art deco building on the main drag in Kapaa, Java Kai is the cool place to go for the “with it” in Kapaa. Even though it’s a popular spot, the staff is worm and friendly.  The funky and colorful decor makes it a unique place to stop while exploring the eclectic east side of the island.

Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Co., Kalaheo
Located on the main drag in Kalaheo, this is the kind of place you would feel comfortable taking your mom or a large family. The pies on display looked amazing. and the full kitchen serves lunch, and on select nights dinner. Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Co. was clean and relaxed and felt like a restaurant you might find in the quiet section of a theme park.

Kilauea Bakery, Kilauea
On the way to the light house in the Kong Lung Market Center you can stop here for a coffee and scone, or on the way back for a calzone or pizza. A small interior dining area and large ground level porch with “Kilauea Bakery Bookshelf” says stay a while. The internet connection was good.

Koloa Mill Ice Cream and Coffee, Old Koloa town

Lapperts Ice Cream & Coffee Island Locations
Founded on Kauai, Lapperts ice cream and coffee has multiple locations throughout Kauai, one on Maui and Honolulu . The store at Kukuiula Village Shopping center in Koloa has comfortable inside and outside seating and is a good place to grab a snack while waiting for others in your group to shop at the many nice stores at the Village. It has a franchise feel but was still a good place to eat and drink.

Little Fish, Hanapepe Town
Worth taking the curve off the main highway into Hanapepe you’ll find a cool little coffee shop. The friendly staff seams like they just got out of the water from a good surf session. It’s a small place at the writing of this, but I heard the owner discussing the design for it’s expansion. The interesting poster art and the abundance of surfer magazines give the feel of something you experience in a cool coastal town around the world. The internet connection was finicky.

Cacao Pod Photo by Daniel Lane

On the east side of island is Ein Rogel Farm. A 26-acre sustainable exotic fruit farm nestled in Kauai’s Kahuna Valley. There are 80 varieties of tropical fruit on the estate and the five-million-year-old Makaleha Mountain range provides the trees with pristine
spring water.

A fresh morning dawns as a couple from Colorado eagerly wait for the farm tour to begin. It rained through the night and into early morning, and the group that was to be ten is now three. The birds don’t care. As the clouds break, they sing with the emerging sun.

Kauai is known as the Garden Island because of the abundant rainfall due to Mount
Waialeale. An east facing peak grabs warm, moist trade winds and turns them into
tropical showers. Plants thrive in the graceful dance provided by water and sun, and
somehow being in their midst draws out the life in you.

Under a covered awning in the warm morning air, we chew sticky-sweet sugarcane and
learn it’s called the Hawaiian toothbrush. “I always tell people to have a light breakfast
because when you come on the tour, you’ll be eating a lot!” says our guide, Jesse
Schwartz.

As water spills from Makaleha Falls into one of two streams on the property, we cross a
bridge festooned with bright tropical flowers and shaded by towering camphor trees.

Jesse coaxes a succulent prize from the center of a purple fruit with plump, white
flesh. “Mangosteen is known as the Queen of Fruits,” he says as we slip a piece into our
mouths. “The inside is so sweet that the Queen of England, when Captain Cook was
exploring this area, paid $125 in today’s currency for one of these.”

Pineapple plants and 12 types of citrus thrive with hundreds of colorful flowers. Trees
such as ylang ylang perfume the air. Chickens and turkeys roam freely while bees are
busy in their hives making tropical honey.

Whack! Jesse breaks open a coconut with his machete. We take an ambrosial sip and
learn it is not milk but water that we are drinking. Redheaded Brazilian cardinals spy the
cracked nut and wait for our departure so they can free the husks of whatever sweet
meat we overlook.

Shaded by the canopy of a cacao tree, Jesse compares chocolate to wine. Pumpkin-
orange, crimson-red and chestnut-brown pods dangle from the tree’s branches like sun kissed jewels. “You’ll notice a difference in taste between Kauai chocolate and
chocolate from Ghana or the Dominican Republic,” he explains.

An emerging trend is classifying chocolate. Single estate means it comes from one
farm, and single origin means it comes from one country. Rarely will there be a single
varietal, a common practice with wine. There are ten edible cacao species or varietals,
and Ein Rogel Farm cultivates three.

Nature’s kinetic energy transfers to us as we romp along the orchard. Childhood
memories blossom from the recesses of our minds. We recall our first taste of an
orange, or our mother, cutting a star fruit, and wondering at its shape.

As a freelance farm and food writer based on Kauai, I have met artisans who create
with aloha: Farmers that delight in nourishing bodies with organically grown produce,
and chefs who are deeply gratified when one bite makes a person close their eyes, let
out a deep breath, and sigh in pleasure: Mmmmmm!

A Kauai Culinary Tour

I wanted to spread these seeds of aloha, so decided to create a day-long, farm to fork
culinary adventure. We start the day with a two-hour tour at Ein Rogel Farm, of which I
was inspired to write the story above.

After the farm tour, we’ll meet at the Kauai Marriott Resort. While we sit at the outdoor
courtyard lanai, executive chef Guy Higa will serve a four-course lunch made with Kauai
grown ingredients. He’ll also do a cooking demonstration, so you can ask questions and
learn how the professionals cook.

For Reservations or inquiries call 808-635-0257. Deadline to register is Wednesday July 11

I head north along Kuhio Hwy toward Kilauea and catch the splash of a breaching whale out of the corner of my eye. Winter is here. I reflect on how amazing these creatures are and how the ocean is their lifeblood. I don’t pull over to watch, I am on my way to dinner with Outstanding in the Field.  I am excited about the evenings event. Dinner on a farm, “Restaurant Without Walls”, where local chefs pair up with a local farm to create a meal.  The concept seems novel, the idea romantic and the opportunity unique.

I arrive early to meet the guest farmer chef and staff.  I am greeted by Tim O’Connor Host farmer. He politely asks me to park at the top of the freshly mowed pasture. I park, grab my camera and head over to introduce myself. Tim welcomes me to Olana Farm and gives me a little background on his vision and history of the farm. He has had the property for twelve years and has lived on it full time for the past seven.

The farm is beautiful. The house sits at the top of a gentle sloping hill, manicured and flourishing with life. Off in the distance the views of the Pacific. Tim tells me that he sells his produce at two of the weekly local farmers markets as well as to local restaurants. I am impressed by the pure organization of his garden beds of produce, herbs and fruit.

From the top of the farm nestled between the neatly planted rows of greens and citrus fruit sits a long table set with white linens and wine glasses. So simple and elegant is the contrast of green and white. An outdoor covered work area has been been transformed into a kitchen. The Kiawe wood burning grill, the crisp January air, and the natural surroundings make this a comfortable working space. Chef Aaron Leikam and Todd Oldham are busy prepping for the meal. I ask Aaron how he ended up on Kauai, he simply replies “It was serendipitous!”

I meet Leah and the crew, who In the past year alone have created over 87 farm to table dinners across the United States, Europe and now Hawaii. The team is busy making signs, putting the final touches on the table and setting up the service tables for the evening events.

I love the behind the scenes of what undoubtedly will be a spectacular event.  A band of dark clouds is slowly moving in from the west. This is not the usual weather pattern, and a drastic change to the past two weeks of cloudless skies and light air. This is a brave time of year to hold an outdoor event on the North Shore of Kauai. There is no back up plan.

Casual and relaxed, Jim Denevan, founder and visionary of Outstanding in the Field, arrives on the farm just before the first guests start to arrive. He has been surfing. He had to catch just one wave and what surfer can resist the call of a Hawaiian surf session.

The evening starts off with a glass of Kava, not the ceremonial root found throughout the South Pacific, but in the form of a sparkling wine. Glass in hand we are given a tour of the farm, a history of its beginnings and future vision. Our pleasant and educational stroll ends at the beautifully set table in the field.

The night is a gracefully choreographed work of art. The creative vision, a farmers endeavor and a skilled passion for creating a meal that not only nourishes and is visually exquisite,but also tells a story.  A simple story.

Outstanding in the Field will be hosting two more events in the Hawaiian Island this month. tickets are available through their website.