Sustainable Initiatives by Andrea Dean

North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Day was on Sat, Jan 16, 2010. An initiative that came out of the North Kohala Food Forum (www.nkfoodforum.com), restaurant owners Joan Channon (Bamboo), Karen Rosen (Kohala Coffee Mill), Peter Pomeranze (Sushi Rock) and farmer Tom Baldwin (Uluwehi Farms) wanted to feature local, North Kohala grown food in our local restaurants to raise community awareness about our locally grown foods and to create new connections with local farmers. Well- we did it! Hawi and Kapa’au town were abuzz with local foods this past Saturday. The initial idea grew to include other local restaurants and markets- Bamboo, Sushi Rock, Kohala Coffee Mill, Luke’s Place, Kava Kafe, Pico’s, Fig’s Mixed Plate, Snack Shack, Hawi Farmers Market, Takata’s- all who rocked the local food, drinks, and music! North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Day started early at the Kohala Cofee Mill and the Hawi Farmers’ Market and ended late with local kava and local music at the Kava Cafe and Studio 54 at Sushi Rock! We ate, we danced, we raised awareness about local food and farmers!

Karen Rosen, owner of the Kohala Coffee Mill talking up the local specials- local roast beef sandwich, carrot ginger soup, asian wrap, local fruit smoothie and more!

Sushi Rock rolled up sushi rolls with local ingredients. Then they rocked Hawi at night with the Studio 54 dance party.

Visitors from California always eat at Bamboo when they come to the Big Island because they love the local flavors! When people come to Hawaii they want to experience the local flavors! Look out for the next wave- Hawi Regional Cuisine.

Takata's Store expanded the locally grown section and highlighted the local produce with signage.

Kukuipahu Ranch donated local citrus to Takata's Store- proceeds go to the North Kohala Community Learning Center. A great partnership!

Pico's was one of the restaurants who particpated in Eat Locally Grown Day. Taro chips, taro leaf spanikopita, sweet potatoe salad, and more...

Oliver & Tom Baldwin enjoying a locally grown lunch at Pico's. Tom helped coordinate the farmer's/buyer's market where restaurants ordered produce for Eat Locally Grown Day.

Local specials were highlighted at each restaurant.

In case you missed the signs coming into town!

Is your community interested in local food self-reliance? The North Kohala community came together on August 22nd at the North Kohala Food Forum to discuss how we can supply more of our food from local sources. Check out the North Kohala Food Forum video on You Tube:

“The North Kohala community will produce 50% of the food it consumes” is one of the goals the community set forth in the North Kohala Community Development Plan. It is hard to know exactly how much of the food North Kohala residents consume is locally produced, but 10-15% is probably a good estimate.


The “local food” movement has been gaining traction all over the world and in Hawaii. Data is now bearing out the fact that eating locally grown foods are good for your health, the community and the economy.


A recent study by the University of Hawaii- College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR) entitled Economic Impacts of Increasing Hawaii’s Food Self Sufficiency concluded that if Hawaii replaced just 10% of the imported food it consumes with locally produced food, this would generate $188 million in sales, $47 million in earnings, $6 million in tax revenues and more than 2,300 jobs. Without an economic study, it would be hard to know what the economic impact of purchasing more locally grown foods would be, but we know for sure that there is an economic “multiplier effect”- when money for food is spent in the community it multiplies in the community.


There is a lot of interest in North Kohala in food self-reliance and there are many new agricultural projects springing up. The Food Forum seeks to bring together all of the parties interested in community food self-reliance in North Kohala. The North Kohala Food Forum has invited 70 panelists- commercial food producers, food markets, wholesalers and commercial buyers, as well as people representing infrastructure (water, land, energy, processing facilities), government and education- to talk about what the challenges and opportunities are for meeting our community goal of producing 50% of our own food. The North Kohala Food Forum does not have a plan for achieving this goal- rather the idea is to bring people together to share information and see where collaboration can happen.


The North Kohala Food Forum will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2009, from 9 am – 4:30 pm at the Kohala Intergenerational Center (behind the gym at Kamehameha Park in Kapa‛au.)


The public is invited to the North Kohala Food Forum and tickets are $10, which includes a delicious all local (North Kohala) grown lunch prepared by local chefs. Tickets are available at the Kohala Coffee Mill, North Kohala Community Resource Center, Nanbu Courtyard Café, and The Kohala Center in Waimea.


The Food Forum is a project of the North Kohala Community Resource Center and is partially funded by the County of Hawaii- Office of Research & Development, Ulupono Initiative, Hoea Agricultural Park, Steering Committee Members, Starseed Ranch, Susan Barnes, and community donations.


You can learn more about the North Kohala Food Forum, share information and participate in the online discussion at www.nkfoodforum.com.