Mixing Breadfruit And New Year’s

Craig Elevitch of Hawaii Homegrown Food Network, one of the presenters at this weekend’s ‘Breadfruit from Tree to Table’ workshop | NTBG photo

Craig Elevitch of Hawaii Homegrown Food Network, one of the presenters at this weekend’s ‘Breadfruit from Tree to Table’ workshop | NTBG photo

Hopefully everyone is sticking to their New Year’s resolutions. It’s only been a week, but that’s certainly enough time to fall off the wagon. If you’ve already slipped, then let me be your personal cheerleader, encouraging you to continue pursuing your goals however big or small they may be – and that goes for any time of year …

Foodies are invited to attend the “Breadfruit from Tree to Table” workshop Saturday (Jan. 11). The half-day event will cover how to grow, harvest, prepare and market breadfruit. The workshop, which is part of the Hooulu ka Ulu project, will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Education Center at National Tropical Botanical Garden‘s headquarters in Kalaheo. Presenters include Diane Ragone of NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute, Ian Cole (Breadfruit Institute, NTBG), John Cadman (Pono Pies, Maui), Craig Elevitch (Hawaii Homegrown Food Network) and cultural practitioner Wayne Palala Harada. Registration is $12 per person and can be completed at hawaiihomegrown.net/breadfruit-workshop. Call 756-9437 for more information …

If taking the time to enjoy local cuisine is one of your resolutions, join Kauai Midweek‘s food writer extraordinaire Marta Lane as she kicks off 2014 with “A Culinary Romp through Paradise” this week at Kilohana Plantation. The culinary celebration includes a tour led by Lane, on which attendees not only learn about and stroll through an exotic fruit orchard, but also are treated to a cooking demonstration by chef Guy Higa of Kauai Marriott Resort, as well as a four-course gourmet meal created with local seasonal food. The event is set for Friday (Jan. 10), from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To register or for more information, visit tastingkauai.com

Tim and Lynn Mira of Kauai Bible Church are conducting their 19th presentation of the “Love and Respect” marriage enrichment series this month and will offer classes at six locations across the island. For more information or to register for classes, visit loveandrespectkauai.wordpress.com

Congrats to Kanesa Duncan Seraphin, director of the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Center of Excellence in Marine Science Education and associate professor at the Curriculum Research and Development Group in the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who is hosting a new television show titled Voice of the Sea on KVFE. The program highlights ocean and coastal scientists as well as cultural experts from Hawaii and the Pacific. The show airs Sundays at 6 p.m. …

And finally, I’ve saved what I feel to be the best for last – at least it’s one of the best stories to come out of the holidays this year. As a way of giving back to the community, the Pierce family, owners of Chicken in a Barrel, dished out hundreds of free meals, which included turkey, green beans and stuffing, on Christmas Day. Talk about the true meaning of the season – one I hope we all can continue to perpetuate throughout the rest of the year …

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