Hawaii cuisine, culture impress ‘Man Fire Food’ host

After a whole season of hosting the Cooking Channel series "Man Fire Food," chef Roger Mooking has seen quite a number of ways food is prepared over an open fire — and he’s been a fortunate soul to taste the results of those endeavors.

That was certainly the case when Mooking visited Hawaii for the first time recently as part of the show’s second season.

The chef accompanied Mark Nogu­chi as the local star chef prepared a traditional imu in which a whole pig, laulau and other foods were steamed.

He also profiled Scott Shi­buya of Guava Smoked, who uses both guava and kiawe wood to smoke pork, chicken and turkey tails in a smoker he built from an Air Force cargo container, an airplane food cart and a computer fan.

The episode premieres at 3:30 p.m. Monday on the Cooking Channel (available on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s digital service). It repeats at 7:30 p.m.

"American food is very regional. You go to San Francisco, New Orleans, New England — each place has a specific approach. Hawaii has its own uniqueness and in-depth knowledge as well," Mooking said.

"In Hawaii there’s a holistic approach. They use stuff like kiawe wood, banana leaves and banana stump. People are passionate about using what’s there. The guava-smoke guy used guava wood straight off the tree, and his meat had the flavor and aroma of guava."

As for tasting, Mooking gave a nod to Koala Moa’s rotisserie chicken, another stop for his Hawaii show.

"I’ve had all kinds of chicken under the sun, and Koala Moa’s stuff is really, really good," he gushed. "It’s very simple, but the skin is crunchy and crispy, the meat is tender and delicious."

Koala Moa’s operation, from its simple brine to its 30-foot rotisserie, amazed Mooking.

"Their contraption was spectacular," he said. "I thought the chicken were spinning quite quickly and didn’t have enough time to really baste, but they have the coals and the timing perfected."

Mooking says Hawaii’s multiculturalism left a lasting impression on him.

"The meshing of cultures is so dynamic in Hawaii. At the (Kapiolani Community College) farmers market, you could see how vibrant the cultures are. There was a good balance between different cuisines, with a lot of them leaning toward Asian cuisine," he said. "The Guava Smoked guy, for example, made a marinade of soy sauce, chili and garlic — that’s Japa­nese. But he used guava wood, which is not Japa­nese. He was mashing up cultures!

"People buy local produce and use a mix of influences to cook them. And people are so friendly! They love Hawaii, and you can feel their true joy at sharing their culture."