New agriculture site

Sabry Shehata, a professor of agribusiness at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, has come up with what looks like a good site about Hawai‘i’s agricultural products. Above is the banner for one of the companies listed at the site.

Love, marriage, and business

Over the last two or so months, I’ve gotten to know two couples: Gabe and Stephanie, of Papa Lucks, and Bruno and Kim, of Mix. These husband-wife teams are running eateries, the former on the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa campus and the latter in the heart of downtown Honolulu.

I’m pretty sure they would like each other if they had the chance to meet and would find they have a lot in common:

• trying to keep the costs of business low while keeping the quality of their food high;
• balancing the demands of doing business with those of their personal lives;
• coming up with offerings that will satisfy the customers they’re targeting;
• trying to find the right people to help them;
• thinking about their jobs constantly, to the exclusion of focusing on the present moment;
• lack of sleep.

After watching them and talking with them over the last several weeks, I’ve concluded that running an eatery has to be in the category of very difficult jobs. I can saunter over, order what I want, and then eat and leave, but they must always be there—to serve my wants and needs and those of their many customers.

Papa Lucks is located in between the art building and Miller Hall, which houses fashion-design students, among others. Students go to PL for snacks in between classes, for breakfast in the morning, and for their big meal of the day: lunch. This is quite different from what Govinda’s—which is in the Sustainability Courtyard and close to where I work—does: it opens at 10 and closes at 2, and its main customers are those who want a vegetarian lunch.

To those who frequent PL, Gabe has become a friend: someone who can trade pidgin jokes with the best of them, who can discuss anything from the surf to the latest political developments, and who listens to Miles Davis and other jazz notables but can talk about other kinds of music as well. A recent customer asked him what he does in his spare time, and he replied with a slight smile, “Experimental dentistry…punk-rock counseling.”

Gabe also cooks; he makes a mushroom quiche and bakes ginger-and-pecan scones—delicious.

On the other side of town is Mix, which was just reviewed in Honolulu magazine. Turn to page 143 of the October issue, and you can read what John Heckathorn had to say about it. I won’t spoil the surprise by summarizing the review here. Suffice it to say that you will want to try Mix immediately if you haven’t already

Re-Mix

This is what I posted in July about what has become one of my favorite places to dine at:

Mix Café has opened up at 35 S. Beretania Street. The eatery has about ten tables, including a large one at which several people may sit, and free wi-fi access. On the menu is a range of delicious dishes, including spinach-and-cheese omelettes, banana pancakes, waffles with whipped cream and fruit, pasta salads, and sub sandwiches. Things to drink include homemade lemonade and berry juice, coffee, and Perrier. Painted apple green and kept spare and clean, the eatery is a great place to start the day. However, customers in a hurry should be aware that the staff is still organizing itself; I ordered a cup of cappuccino and had to wait more than fifteen minutes even though the café was not busy. Call 537-1191 or e-mail mixcafehonolulu@gmail.com for more information.

Here’s an update.

Street construction around mid-September resulted in part of the sidewalk in front of Mix being torn apart and barriers constructed to reroute cars and pedestrians. What was supposed to take a few days ended up taking much longer, and owners Kim and Bruno felt that the construction, which made it difficult to get in the door of Mix, affected their business. The last time I was in there—on Thursday, the 27th—customer flow seemed to be back to normal.

The homemade apple cake is dense, not too sweet, and filled with good-sized bits of apple, and it used to come with whipped cream and berries. Gone are the cream and berries, I’m afraid, and by itself, the apple cake is a bit dry. I order it with iced cappuccino.

Bruno is from Italy and is the chef as well as co-owner. His dishes are made the old-fashioned way—from scratch—and have a richness of flavor that you can’t get in most places. Recently, I ordered for lunch a green salad with roasted vegetables, a mushroom omelet, and wheat toast; basalmic vinegar came in a little container, which I emptied over the salad when I was ready to eat. The whole thing was delicious, and I savored the individual and blended flavors.

There are yet many things on Mix’s menu that I have to try. When I go in next, I’ll take a picture of the menu, and you can decide for yourself what looks appetizing

Wallets & grommets

Intended as a “one-stop vegan shop,” Pangea sells shoes, wallets, belts (some with grommets), vitamins, cosmetics, clothing, home and office products, meat-free treats for cats and dogs, and other things. Here is information from the company’s website:

When we opened our doors in 1995, we were the very first company to offer a comprehensive selection of high-quality, completely cruelty-free vegan (non-animal-derived) products. We began with a very small storefront and just two employees in Bethesda, Maryland, and about a year later we put together our first mail-order catalog. Since then we’ve grown steadily, but we remain true to our goal: to make it easier for people to follow a vegan lifestyle by offering the widest variety of quality vegan products all in one place. We’re the one-stop vegan shop!

We moved to our Rockville, Maryland, location in 2000–and not a moment too soon! As our range of products grew to include our own brands, such as No Bull footwear and VeganSweets food items, we found ourselves needing a lot more space. We now have as much storefront space as we did in Bethesda, but with three times as much space in the back warehouse area to keep stock and prepare mail orders.

We work hard to bring our customers the very latest and best in vegan products, searching out hard-to-find items and, in some cases, even manufacturing products ourselves when we can’t find a suitable option that’s already available. We meticulously investigate the derivation of all ingredients and components of the products we sell, and we do not offer goods from companies that test on animals. We are all vegans ourselves, and we can relate to our customers’ experiences in meeting the demands of a more compassionate lifestyle. In addition to our commitment to being animal-friendly, we strive to maintain the highest ethical standards in every other aspect of our business. We refuse to carry products manufactured under oppressive labor conditions, and we re-use and recycle boxes and other shipping materials for our mail orders.

We strive to bring convenience and ease to the vegan lifestyle by offering cruelty-free essentials and hard-to-find alternatives to animal-based products. Tired of reading labels or researching ingredients? We’ve done the work for you — so shop confidently and enjoy!

A string of good lucks

I’ve been meaning to write about this University of Hawai‘i food stand for a while. I was even going to take a few pictures of the place and the nice people who run it, but I decided not to impose. These words will have to do.

Owner-manager Gabe is the grandson of Lucky Luck—someone I, yes, remember watching on television in the days when Hawai‘i only had three channels and every show was in black and white. He had his own program and appeared to be genial, approachable, and goodhearted. This shot from one of his shows captures the man. (He always wore that hat at a jaunty angle, and it was as much a part of him as his smile.)

Shortly after I started going to Papa Lucks and talking with Gabe, he told me he was the grandson of Lucky Luck. I was shocked and said, You’re related to Lucky Luck?! Gabe’s voice had no trace of an island accent, his hair was clipped as short as a soldier’s, and he had a tattoo on the inside of one of his forearms. However, I’ve found as the weeks have passed that imposing Lucky Luck’s quick smile and twinkly eyes on Gabe’s face takes little effort.

One hot summer day, a customer was purchasing something and complimented Gabe on the food, then said he was glad the stand was open (several of the eateries on the university campus close during the summer). Gabe said he would be closed the week before the fall semester started because he “had some things to do.”

I assumed, from a couple of comments he had made to me, that he would be changing his offerings in an effort to attract more people to Papa Lucks. I liked what the stand had to offer, but the Indian-curry place a hundred yards away had longer lines of students, faculty, and staff; and Govinda’s, located on my side of the campus (near Dole Street), had as many lunchtime devotees as it could want. When I went back to Papa Lucks after school started on August 20, it took no more than a few seconds to see that things were different.

How has the food stand changed? It now has more choices for vegetarians, such as

• a breakfast dish made with granola, strawberries, and açai fruit;
• a salad that includes cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese and comes with a balsamic vinaigrette or creamy onion dressing; and
• smoothies made with fruit, yogurt, and juice.

It has more seating choices:

• Next to the stand, a bright-red umbrella now shades customers from the sun or protects them from the rain. Formerly, people were exposed to the elements and were often discouraged from sitting at the concrete table next to the stand.
• About half a dozen tables with chairs have been set up under the roof of the art building, creating the impression of an outdoor café.

It has more presence:

• A large, artfully lettered sign announces the specials.
• On the tabletops are menus in acrylic stands so that people make the connection between the seating area and Papa Lucks.

Some things have stayed the same, of course:

• The coffee drinks—my favorite is the iced cappuccino—are made with Grounds for Change, described in Papa Lucks’s menu as “a freshly roasted, organic, fair-trade, shade-grown coffee.”
• The fresh-baked quiche and pastries are good, though the latter change frequently and I can’t be sure my favorites will be there when I stop by.
• My preferred lunch—a $5.50 special featuring (a) a sandwich made with ciabatta bread, pesto, mozzarella cheese, and tomato, (b) a bag of Maui onion chips, and (c) a bottle of Perrier—is still available. (Of course, the lunch special includes a choice of sandwiches, chips, and drinks.)

With the advent of the fall semester, Gabe’s wife came back to help, and it’s a good thing she did. Business has picked up.

When you stop by, you’ll probably hear jazz playing and Gabe talking—in between taking orders and filling them—about the surf or method acting or the collages he enjoys making. Whatever is cooking at Papa Lucks, it’s a treat.

7 whole grains on a mission

I only had Kashi snack bars a couple of times, but those few were enough to make me want more. The company also makes cereals, pizzas, and other foods, and the website has recipes for things like pancakes made with Kashi oatmeal. Here is a bit of history from the website:

Wellness isn’t a race—it’s a journey. And every day is an opportunity to live life a little healthier than the day before. We truly believe when we eat well, we feel well.

The Kashi Company was created in 1984 with that heartfelt belief in mind. With much enthusiasm and optimism we introduced our special blend of Seven Whole Grains and Sesame in the form of Kashi Pilaf. The response was, well, lack luster. People weren’t motivated to stand over a stove cooking whole grains for 25 minutes. That only inspired us to work harder. And our determination paid off. It wasn’t long before Kashi’s whole grain mix began appearing around the country, including an appearance at the breakfast tables of the 1984 Olympic Athletes.

Two decades later Kashi’s founding principle is still our guiding light. And now we have over 50 products to show for it. And we’re not stopping here. We continue to search for new ingredients, exciting flavor combinations, and new ways to make great tasting naturally nutritious foods.

To market, to market

One of the most popular farmers’ markets on O‘ahu is at Kapi‘olani Community College. Click here for information about this Saturday’s event.

Cosponsored by The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and The Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College. Call (808) 848-2074 for more information.

Noodles

Thai Kitchen’s rice noodle bowls are microwavable, and the food has no gluten or eggs in it, which means that you (and your vegan friends) can have a tasty, low-calorie meal in a few minutes. For lunch today, I made the delicious roasted garlic noodles (110 calories). Imported, the package says, by Epicurean International, of Berkeley, California.

Four pies

The following is by Tia Ballantine. 

I tend to keep my shopping local . . . Venturing into stores only when I need to buy pie crust or some such thing.

After being gifted bags and bags of absolutely delicious organic (but sometimes bruised) apples, I have been baking apples pies while working on my book—trying to get past my own dyslexia and help the poems find their rightful order, remove those that maybe just don’t belong. It’s hard. I have to listen more closely, more carefully, than seems humanly possible.

I take breaks—go for walks.

Yesterday, for example, after working for a while with cold air blowing in the window, I got up, pulled on cashmere and silk, closed all the windows, and decided that I might need to keep the oven on all day, baking apple pies just to stay warm. Soooo, after putting one pie in the oven, I headed down the hill to buy frozen crusts (yup!) at Safeway.

I love that walk—past blooming gardens and down a path that gently winds under stately redwoods overlooking the Oakland rose garden (where I always wander about), but yesterday, with crisp air and warm sun, my walk was even more delightful. I felt alive and invigorated, and the roses seemed saturated with color. After passing the reflecting pool in the rose garden, alive with sun, I thought the day couldn’t possibly be more lovely, but then, a mother turkey and her two babies wandered from between the thorns of “Unforgettable” and “Yves Piaget.” I just had to smile. On my way back, they were still moving calmly about, but now they were pecking the ground next to the spreading “Kaleidoscope.”

Nice way to begin the day. I baked four pies and got quite a bit of work done too! (Hint: frozen crusts are the secret to successful easy pies.) Today my boys will stop by and each pickup a pie to last the week!

Hawaii’s Homemade Taste

“Made from the heart of Hawaii” is the slogan of Hawaii’s Homemade Taste, which produces, among other things, a delicious cookie made with oatmeal, cranberries, and macadamia nuts. For a little less than $7, you get a dozen large, chunky cookies, and the package is so nicely designed that you can give it as a gift (the logo, the package says, is by Tracie Tsujioka, age 11). The cookies are sold at open markets; HHT’s mailing address is P.O. Box 62057, Honolulu, HI 96839.

(For the heartwarming story of how this company came to be, go here.)