Hawaii a paradise for food aficionados

Hawaii, the Big Island, offers unexpected food finds as well as unforgettable travel opportunities. In what other place can you visit a commercial coffee or cacao plantation or macadamia groves and packing plants or observe the production of sea salt from a 2,000-year-old water source deep within the ocean?

We elected to spend part of our vacation learning about agricultural tourism on this still-growing volcanic island. Hawaii exhibits 11 of the Earth’s 13 generally recognized climatic regions and has a wealth of natural resources.

Our November visit coincided with two food-related festivals: Hawaii’s Big Island Festival, in just its second year, and the 33rd annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival.

The Big Island Festival showcases the island’s cuisine, agricultural products, world-class spas, golf facilities, art and culture. Events take place at eight luxurious resorts on the Kohala Coast, giving visitors a chance to explore places they may want to visit again.

Our food exploration began on a special tour of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, an unexpected source of fish, shellfish and other aquatic delicacies. What began as an ocean thermal-energy project in the 1970s now provides cool seawater from a 2,000-foot-deep pipe and warmer Class AA pure — so defined by the federal Clean Water Act — near-surface water to more than 30 commercial enterprises. The blended water provides an unequaled medium for aquaculture. Abalone, shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels, flounder and seaweed thrive in the nutrient-rich waters.

Taylor Shellfish-Kona is one of the largest U.S. producers of seed clams and oysters. Millions of juvenile mollusks, nurtured in flowing streams of filtered, temperature-controlled water, are shipped year-round to growers in the Pacific Northwest.

Uwajima Fisheries provides superior-quality cold-water flounder to the local sashimi and sushi markets. It also produces several varieties of seaweed for the Japanese market. Hawaii Deep Marine Inc. produces high-quality mineral water for Asian markets by using a reverse-osmosis de-ionizing system to produce 40,000 gallons of fresh water daily. The concentrated saltwater brine byproduct subsequently is evaporated and reduced to coarse and medium salt and fine-grained fleur de sel.

Each evening, the Big Island Festival showcases visiting chefs from the U.S. mainland. We selected a dinner at Donatoni’s in the Hilton Waikoloa Village, prepared by chef Charles Dale of the Renaissance restaurant in Aspen, Colo., named one of America’s best chefs by Food & Wine magazine and the James Beard Foundation. We particularly liked his use of finely crushed Kona coffee beans to coat the seared tuna napped in an Aztec-inspired mole.

The following morning, we joined Wilhelm Pirngruber, executive chef at the Hilton, for his upcountry tour to nearby Waimea. Mr. Pirngruber emphasized that the indigenous people were completely self-sufficient before outsiders arrived. He is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs who work to produce food on the Big Island.

At Kawamata Farms Inc., Garren Kawamata led a tour of the hydroponic tomato greenhouses. Mr. Kawamata represents the third generation of his family agribusiness. The family began growing roses in 1952 but turned to other commodities when roses were no longer lucrative. About six years ago, the enterprise raised tomatoes in soil, with limited success. Three years ago, it turned to hydroponics and now produces several thousand pounds of tomatoes each week.

Robert and Janice Stanga displayed the shiitake mushrooms they grow at Hamakua Mushrooms. “They are completely edible and tender,” Mrs. Stanga told us. Instead of disposing of the tough stem, as is usual with shiitakes, just cut off the tip. The couple sell the container-grown fungi to chefs as well as the local Costco.

Many island visitors are surprised that cattle ranching is big business. We visited the ranch of Rick and Jessica Habein, where they raise grass-fed beef and lamb. Mr. Habein is proud of the gentle and calm method he uses to handle the herd. He said, “If the animals are stressed out, the meat tastes livery and is tough, too.” The Habeins belong to a 40-member cooperative that markets beef under the Kamuela Pride brand in island supermarkets.

The final event of the Big Island Festival was an adventure tasting hosted by chef Keith Famie of television’s “Survivor II” fame. Participants competed under the hot sun on the patio of the Canoe House Restaurant at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel. Team members vied to identify various exotic foods, some of which we had tasted during the festival. After the first round, each table selected its best candidate to take a blindfolded taste challenge. The ultimate touch-smell-taste survivors won a day of spa treatments for the entire team.

After this taste challenge, we hurried to observe the results of the Kona Coffee Recipe Contest, an annual event of the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival. Amateurs, keiki (children) and professionals competed in three categories. Winners for best entree, dessert and beverage — featuring coffee as an ingredient — receive ribbons and bragging rights for their creativity. Those attending get to taste the delicious results.

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