Teddy bears, fairies star at garden event
Grab your best bear buddy and head to Foster Botanical Garden on Thursday for the annual Teddy Bear Picnic.
The free event features a parade led by Jacqueline La Faerie and her Magic Harp. Kids are welcome to attend in their favorite "nature spirit," elf, fairy or other fanciful costume. Activities include making a fairy garden to take home from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and a concert by the Fairytale Ensemble at 5:45 p.m. The garden is located at 50 N. Vineyard St.
Tonouchi wins award for poetry in pidgin
Hawaii’s self-avowed "Pidgin Guerrilla" Lee Tonouchi has received another national accolade.
His latest poetry collection, "Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son" (Bess Press, $14.95), won the 2013 book award for poetry and prose from the Association for Asian American Studies.
The autobiographical collection touches on Tonouchi’s life growing up in Hawaii in the 1970s. In an interview with the Star-Advertiser soon after it was published, he said it’s about "a son trying to deal with his uncommunicative father after his mother’s death, which starts the book."
Tonouchi’s father died in June 2011, before the book was published.
In 2012, Tonouchi’s play "Three Year Swim Club," originally staged by Honolulu Theatre for Youth, was a Critics Choice Selection when it was produced by the acclaimed East West Players theater group in L.A.
Young isle cook heading to D.C.
Eight-year-old Eleanor Cowell will represent Hawaii at the White House, bringing her dish of Curried Chicken Salad & Taste of the Tropics to first lady Michelle Obama’s second Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ "State Dinner" July 9.
Eleanor is one of 54 youths whose recipes for healthful, flavorful and affordable lunch dishes were selected from among more than 1,300 entries.
Each child represents one of the 50 states, three U.S. territories or the District of Columbia. The contest is part of Obama’s "Let’s Move!" campaign against childhood obesity. The first lady teamed with Epicurious, the online food site, in the contest geared toward children ages 8 to 12.
Gourmet vegan meal offered
Summer "Sliders" with Tamarind Ketchup & Collard Wraps, Curry Sweet Potato Bisque and Hibiscus-Infused Cherry Kanten are among the dishes to be featured in a gourmet vegan and gluten-free meal at Church of the Crossroads on July 10.
Dinner service runs 6 to 7:30 p.m., and seating is limited, but to-go meals are also available. Advance price is $20; $22 at the door. Reserve a spot or place an order by July 7 at macrocommhi@hawaii.rr.com. The church is at 1212 University Ave.
Class focuses on local fare
It’s not enough to know how to cook locally produced food if you don’t know where to find it.
Cynthia Pratt will discuss places to buy local ingredients, and how to create a menu that features those items, in a "Cooking with Locally Grown Foods" class July 20.
The class runs 9 a.m. to noon at Ilima at Leihano in Kapolei, across Kapolei Regional Park.
Cost is $10, $25 per family of three. Registration is required. Visit www.malamalearningcenter.org.
Lokahi Cocktail wins contest
The Lokahi Cocktail, featuring Maui’s Organic Ocean Vodka, calamansi, pineapple, ginger and vanilla bean, won the 100 Mile Cocktail Contest for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
The drink was created by Oyvind Naesheim of Nobu and Jeremy Sidman, manager of the Kailani restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Lana‘i at Manele Bay.
The contest featured recipes with ingredients locally sourced within a 100-mile radius of the property.
