Emanuela "Manu" Vinciguerra enjoyed organic and whole foods long before eating healthy was hip. The sales and marketing director for Kumu Farms on Molokai was born and raised in the town of Chieti in Abruzzo, a beautiful region in Italy between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains about 123 miles east of Rome. There, vineyards, orchards, vegetable gardens, wheat fields and groves of olive trees stretch as far as the eye can see, tended by families who have been working the land for generations.

"I grew up eating fresh, wholesome food," Vinciguerra said. "As a child, I remember coming home from school and asking my mom for a snack. She didn’t give me Oreos or Twinkies; instead, she’d make me a smoothie with fresh fruit. She never bought canned food. To this day she makes her own ‘barattoli di pomodoro,’ canned tomatoes. And she prepares her rich tomato sauce for lasagna and other pasta dishes from scratch, with fresh tomatoes."

Vinciguerra recalls going to "il mercato" (the market) in the town square to buy bread, meat, cheese and produce. "In small towns in Italy, that’s where people gather to shop and socialize," she said. "Everyone knows the farmers by name, and long conversations with them and other customers are common — what crops are in season, who sells the best eggplant, what herb combinations are good, anything and everything about food. Interaction is very much a part of the shopping experience at the markets in Italy."

Vinciguerra says the market at 120-acre Kumu Farms emulates Chieti’s lively mercato. It is open four days a week, brimming with crops harvested the same day, some within minutes of being displayed. The farm grows 40 kinds of herbs and produce — from beets, basil and bananas to papayas, parsley and peppers. Most are certified organic.

Education is one of Kumu Farms’ primary goals. Posters throughout the market describe the development of the farm (which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year) and show spectacular photos of the fields, trees, plants and products.

"We also distribute recipes, growing tips and nutritional information about our crops, all to promote a healthy lifestyle," Vinci-guerra said. "Doing this allows us to share our core belief that what is nourishing for the earth and its people is also delicious and economically viable."

The farm’s name is appropriate, she notes, because one translation of the Hawaiian word kumu is "source."

Vinciguerra often leads educational walkabouts for visitors and school groups. "I don’t lecture too much," she said. "I prefer that the kids learn through their senses. They smell the herbs, touch the leaves and stalks, and see the farmers planting and weeding. They harvest a few things so they know, for example, what a carrot or onion looks like when it’s pulled from the ground. The hands-on experience is important."

Students often hold up vegetables and ask, "Auntie, what we can do with this?"

"I don’t consider myself to be a chef, but I appreciate good food, I enjoy cooking and I love to pass along my knowledge," Vinciguerra said. "Fortunately, many chefs today are emphasizing locally grown produce in their dishes. When visitors ask questions about what we grow, it’s my chance to tell them about all the wonderful things they can do with those ingredients."

For example, she points out that kale is great for smoothies and minestrone soup, and also makes nutritious chips.

Every Wednesday is Kupuna Day — when the elders of Molokai come to sing, dance, play ukulele and "talk story." Lola Spencer, a master weaver, visits the farm a couple of days each week to demonstrate her craft and chat with visitors about it.

Vinciguerra envisions Kumu Farms as a destination where people can make friends, exchange recipes and buy and learn about fresh, healthful food. They’re welcome to bring lunch and relax at picnic tables in the shade of rubber and palm trees. On the tables are fruits for them to snack on and cooking magazines and books for them to read.

"We want visitors to experience the rhythm of a real working farm and celebrate the purity, simplicity, beauty and amazing flavors of herbs and produce," Vinciguerra said. "Our guests inspire us. Especially memorable is when they tell us they discovered something new here, decided to try it, loved it and now eat it all the time in dishes that they’ve created."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.