Spotlight shines on taro during Kauai food tour

Marta Lane comes from a family that celebrates every meal like a holiday — with joy, exuberance and gratitude.

"My mom is from Barcelona, so when I was growing up, I spent summers there," Lane said. "Spanish people are passionate about food. I remember shopping in Barcelona with my Aunt Anita. She knew which markets had the best fish, meat and vegetables for her delicious paella. Her dinner table was always filled with people and fresh seafood, baguettes, cheese, meat and produce. Good-natured arguments would break out about where the best cherries, wine and mushrooms could be found. We’d even talk about our next meal while we were eating the one on our plates!"

Lane had a successful 25-year career in television production in Denver, but her pursuits during her free time revolved around food. She joined the Colo­rado chapter of Slow Food USA, a global grass-roots movement that protects biodiversity, promotes environmentally friendly food production and connects people with the hardworking entrepreneurs who grow, prepare and serve wholesome food. She took cooking classes, toured Colo­rado wineries and earned credentials as a certified personal chef.

"I used to follow recipes pretty closely; then I started adjusting them," Lane said. "Now I’m an intuitive cook. I can take whatever I have on hand and turn it into something delicious."

When Lane moved to Kauai in 2010 with her husband, Dan, a professional photographer, she shopped at farmers markets and patronized restaurants that specialized in dishes made from scratch with locally grown ingredients. She took an organic farming class, attended every food-related event that she could and landed work as a freelance food writer (her "Tastes of Kauai" and "Farmers Markets" columns appear weekly in MidWeek Kauai).

Through her writing assignments, Lane befriended many movers and shakers in Kauai’s food industry. "Dan and I have visited just about every farm and ranch on the island," she said. "Chefs have invited me into their kitchens to watch them cook and to sample their dishes. It’s inspiring to see their commitment and creativity."

A Taste of Old Kauai is the result of one of the valuable relationships Lane has fostered. Shortly after moving to Kauai, she started volunteering at the Waipa Foundation (waipafoundation.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that manages a pristine 1,600-acre ahupuaa (ancient land division) in Hana­lei Valley.

The foundation grows taro in six loi (patches) — a key component of its mission to establish a thriving ahupuaa based on Native Hawaiian values, traditions and approaches to natural resource management.

"We volunteers spent a good part of the day at Waipa, cleaning cooked taro and making poi for families in need," Lane said. "To thank us, the foundation gave us bags of fresh poi and steamed corms to take home. I had tasted poi at a luau and didn’t care for it, but once I learned how to cook with taro, I began to appreciate it more. It’s a beautiful and versatile plant. The leaves can be used as a substitute for spinach. I use the corms the same way I would potatoes. I like to make a creamy taro gratin during the holidays."

An idea popped into Lane’s head: A tour showcasing taro would help other people appreciate it, too, and her friends at the Waipa Foundation would be the ideal partners.

"We started A Taste of Old Kauai in March to give people an authentic taste of Kauai," Lane said. "It’s a good example of how food is grown and prepared from a Native Hawaiian perspective. It’s about fresh, local, seasonal and sustainable food. It’s about caring for the land and the bounty it provides. It’s about honoring the ancient Hawaiians’ wisdom in managing natural resources and the farmers who are doing the hard work today."

Stacy Sproat-Beck, Waipa’s executive director, accompanies participants to the loi where she talks about how taro is cultivated, its cultural significance (legend says taro is the progenitor of the Hawaiian people) and the auwai (irrigation ditches) that carry water to the fields from mountain streams.

She picks a mature plant so visitors can examine its parts: the makua (primary plant), lau or luau (leaves), kalo (corm) and huli (cuttings used for planting). Guests sample poi, steamed taro chunks and kulolo (pudding made of coconut cream and baked or steamed grated taro).

Stops are also made at Waipa’s restored Halulu Fishpond, where participants learn about traditional aquaculture practices, and in gardens where they admire dozens of plant species, including those important in old Hawaii such as uala (sweet potato), ulu (breadfruit), ki (ti), wauke (paper mulberry), olena (turmeric), ko (sugar cane) and kukui (candlenut, now Hawaii’s state tree).

Lunch, served alfresco beside Hana­lei Bay, changes seasonally and always includes locally sourced meat or fish and herbs and vegetables grown at Waipa. One menu features organic chicken lau­lau, kale and red cabbage salad, roasted taro and sweet potatoes, spicy pickled cucumbers, lili­koi (passion fruit) cheesecake and mamaki and lemongrass tea.

"The tour connects people to the aina (land) and the Hawaiian way of life," Lane said. "The pace is slow and relaxed, and even kama­aina will discover something new; for example, not many of them know the Hawaiians grew 300 varieties of taro. Once people learn where food comes from, its cultural and historical significance, how it’s grown and who’s growing it, they are more receptive to trying unfamiliar tastes and textures. Food is a gift from nature, to be savored and celebrated."

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.