Oct. 21, 2014
Contributed by Aron Dote
Foodies hungry for farm-to-table fare recently flocked to Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range, a premier beef event that promotes food sovereignty and agricultural sustainability on Hawai‘i island.
Kamehameha Schools is an annual supporter of the culinary event since some of the food came from farms and pastures on KS land.
This year’s event, held at the Hilton Waikoloa, welcomed 30 of the state’s top chefs who showcased their culinary skills using island-raised beef, pork, lamb, goat, wild boar and produce supplied by local farmers and ranchers across the island.
According to event chair Jeri Moniz one of the primary goals for the event is “to foster more communication between food producers and chefs.”
The event, which hosts over 4,000 island residents each year, aligns with KS’ 2009 Strategic Agricultural Plan. The plan serves as a guide for stewarding over 88,000 acres of high potential agricultural lands owned by the educational trust statewide.
The Ueshima Coffee Company operates a nine-acre coffee farm on Kamehameha Schools land in north Kona. This year, the company served up some special Kona coffee ice cream prepared with coffee beans grown on the farm.
“I have participated at the Taste of Hawaiian Range event for the past five years and I always receive local business from the event,” says UCC Production Manager Peggy Stevens. “I will be back next year.”
The following KS tenants were among those tho took part in this year's event:
To learn more about how Kamehameha Schools supports local farmers and the agricultural industry, visit www.ksbe.edu/land.