B on Hawaii

This Wednesday, November 12, 2008, marks the last Alan Wong's Restaurant "Farmer Series Dinner" at the aforementioned King Street location. Let it be said that this groundbreaking concept orchestrated by one of Hawaii's most celebrated chefs is perhaps the best way to really taste what is happening in and around Hawaii.

It's no secret that Hawai'i, much like the world's most beautiful and diverse ecosystems, has an incredibly fragile landscape. Factor in that we're North America's #1 travel destination, and the dilemma isn't hard to see: How do we keep our environment as pristine as possible (read: not trampled upon), yet continue to appeal to savvy travelers and their en masse arrivals?

Furthering the effort to educate visitors to Maui on why Kapalua is so culturally significant, the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua has launched an "Ambassadors of the Environment" program in partnership with the renowned Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. This marks Cousteau's first venture in the State of Hawaii.

For those who haven't heard the rather electrifying news, two of our own Hawaii-grown coffee farms ranked among the world's best specialty coffees at a recent global competition.

It's time for Alan Wong's next "Farmer Series Dinner", and if you haven't made it to one of these spectacular events, you should make a point of it—for many reasons. First, Wong is perhaps the most innovative chef on the islands at the moment.

When it comes to eating healthy, there is an ever-expanding array of information. And it can seem at times like the more we learn about our options, the more complex the decision making process becomes.

Everybody knows fresh tastes better. Living on the islands, I find one day old fish is rather unacceptable to my palate; I'm sure most would agree. In that same vein of thinking, could you imagine if we had the luxury of demanding only the freshest of meat and vegetables?

We all want to get on the green bandwagon. But sometimes getting started on that new health regimen, or switching over to "greener" home and garden products sounds great in theory.

In our never-ending quest to provide you, dear reader, with the latest and greatest in sustainable culinary happenings (among other things), we came across a rather unique individual whom we felt compelled to share with you.

Most business owners know that in order to maintain a successful operation, one should exist in a location that warrants success. Philip K. White Architects in downtown Honolulu had always been ahead of its game. Swank Kaka'ako digs -- before Kaka'ako became the trendy design hub (and recently booming luxury condo locale) -- is where White headquartered his operations for years.