Jay Eats Worldwide

I was on Oahu for the  2012 Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival  as guest of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau , I thank them for the invitation and hospitality.   I knew this would be food-filled four days of go-go-go and go...  Arrangements were made for  me at the Hotel Renew in Waikiki.   When I visit Honolulu , I usually stay on the Ala Moana side of Waikiki, so I had no idea where to find Hotel Renew .  It's actually located on the Diamond Head side of the Marriott Waikiki and not far from the beach...  Photo by Hotel Renew You're probably thinking the same thing I did... Well, Hotel Renew is Honolulu's first boutique hotel, designed by acclaimed designer Jiun Ho .  Since I'm a food guy, hopefully my descriptions make sense. First off, it's not a mega resort, only 72 rooms.  It's a modern hotel with a tranquil feed, away from the Waikiki noise and the tons of people.  It didn't have a chain feel to...

Last year I attended the Hawai'i Food and Wine Festival event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village .  Besides all of the great food, I knew that the proceeds went to non-profit food and culinary organizations in Hawaii and was looking forward to this year... Day 3 of the festival and today's "Signature Event" is largest event attended.  The highlight is to showcase Hawaii's sustainable story, as well as, the many celebrity chefs who are active in the "farm to table" movement.        See What Jay Eats... Demonstrating traditional paiai, young, unfermented and undiluted taro ground with a traditional lava rock on a wooden board. Paiai used in Chef Lee Anne Wong's Crispy Paiai Chef Lee Anne Wong Cooking Channel's "Unique Eats" New York Chef Susan Feniger Border Grill and STREET Los Angeles Chilled Korean Noodles with Sriracha Grilled Skirt Steak Chef Susan Feniger Everyone enjoy...

As a guest of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Oahu Visitors Bureau , I was offered a few excursions during my visit.  One of the trips was a food tour of the North Shore.  It's been awhile since I've had time to visit the North Shore and one of my favorite places on Oahu.  Life is much different here than in Honolulu, but the food is just as good. See What Jay Eats... Our first stop Kahuku Farms 4th Generation farmers of the Matsuda/Fukuyama families. Photo by Lindsay Chambers (Oahu Visitors Bureau) Our group ready to tour the fields. Papaya trees A Kahuku Farms beauty! Kalo (taro) A Hawaiian staple The root is used to make dishes like poi, the stalks and offshoots are replanted,  and leaves are  used to cook with too. What a sustainable food source... I want to bring some of the leaves home to make luau stew... Japanese eggplant A lovely bunch of bananas After ...