Computer career gives way to sharing passion for food

Food tours have been around a long time in Hono­lulu, but the field has grown with the recent move of former computer-industry dude Ryan Con­ching to take Aloha Food Tours Inc. into his full-time business.

With the expansive reach of cable channels like Food Network and the Travel Channel, and appeal of show hosts such as Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri and many others, culinary tourism is actually a viable, valid and valuable sector of the tourism industry for any vicinity welcoming volumes of visitors. Shows hosted by Bourdain and Fieri have put many a local dining spot on the map and made them "must-stops" for island explorers.

Aloha Food Tours offers "local eats" tours, which visit either the Ala Moana area or Chinatown, Con­ching said.

"It gives me a sense of fulfillment, to show locals and out-of-town guests a good time, to get to try places," he said.

"With my tour(s), you get to try multiple places, multiple dishes, in a little more time than it takes to eat a normal lunch," said Con­ching.

People on vacation who take a chance on a whole meal someplace and wind up disappointed have "wasted valuable time for one meal. (With me) you’ll try multiple places, so if you like something you can always go back for a full meal there."

In addition to guests from Hawaii and the mainland, he’s introduced visitors from Australia, New Zealand and Canada to some foods we in Hawaii take for granted (freshly prepared Spam musubi, for instance), as well as new flavors from the trendiest of restaurants, such as Pig and the Lady, Lucky Belly and Cake Envy in Chinatown, that not even every local person has had a chance to try.

"I’m just starting to market to the Japa­nese" and will soon have Japa­nese-speaking contractors to run tours, he said.

During the Chinatown tour, guests will taste Vietnamese pho, garlic chicken and "some of the most decadent cheesecake you can find," he said.

The Ala Moana area tour includes a red-velvet-style waffle, shoyu chicken, Spam musubi and unique thinly sliced short ribs with dried garlic, among other dishes, he said.

Accompanying the Red Carpet Waffle at Yogur Story at 815 Kee­au­moku St. during a sampling of his tour Friday, the artfully presented breakfast dish was accompanied by the restaurant’s lavender-hued taro latte.

Using an electronic tablet, Con­ching explained what taro is, showing guests a drawing of the plant from leaf-top to root, then a picture of the root, explaining the importance of the whole plant in Hawaiian culture.

Not every visitor wants to try poi, but the creamy, not-sugary-sweet taro latte is a nonthreatening introduction to Hawaiian taro.

Those along for the tour sampling also learned of a new off-menu, "secret" dish, the strawberry shortcake pancakes developed by Executive Chef Brandon Stover, formerly of Kissaten at Waterfront Plaza. Stover has overseen creation of a new dinner menu, which Yogur Story began serving June 6, that includes an oxtail ravioli dish.

All three treats sampled Friday were a hit with commercial real estate brokers Eric Aakhus and Josh Arango; Peter Awa­kuni, a friend of Con­ching’s; publicist Mona Wood-Sword; and Daisy Yamada, Wood-Sword’s semiretired friend.

Conching got the conversation started by having each person introduce themselves and describe what their last meal on Earth would be, were they given a choice. It was a successful ice-breaker.

In many cases Con­ching has visits prearranged, though other stops are hole-in-the-wall-type places that just take business as it comes anyway.

"We are locally owned, and we like to support locally owned businesses as well," explained Yogur Story Assistant Manager Ian Ara­kaki.

Conching does not weigh 500 pounds because, despite the multiple stops at yummy food places three days a week, he generally is unable to eat during the stops. "Honestly, I’m too busy explaining," he said.

The Ala Moana area tour includes six stops and costs $79.99, while the Chinatown tour involves five venues and costs $99.99. He tries to keep the participant total below 12 people, though he also has created custom tours for larger groups, including a group of 25 he recently escorted around Wai­kiki.

His website also includes information about self-guided tours that he will custom-prepare depending on a customer’s tastes, starting at $39.99.

Conching’s tour business is one of a handful in Hono­lulu.

Walter Rhee’s "Taste of Chinatown" tours and Matthew Gray’s varied "Hawaii Food Tours" are long-known, while well-known longtime local radio personality Lanai Tabura leads the Aloha Plate Hawaii Food Tours for Jeep Tours Hawaii. The tours’ success was boosted by the "Aloha Plate" crew’s winning "The Great Food Truck Race" competition show on Food Network.

Conching has yet to get big-time television exposure, but he nevertheless is working to make his dream successful.

"My goal is to try to incorporate a new tour at least one a year … to make it more diverse," he said. He wants his food tour business to truly represent Hawaii’s multiethnic food culture.

"I think it also gets people out of their comfort zone," but in an ono­li­cious and memorable way, said Con­ching.

Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.