Lemonade with a twist

Pucker up for Lemonade Alley and stay healthy at the same time.

The contest, in which teams of kids compete to build the best lemonade business, will focus this year on limiting sugar in the often oversweetened beverage.

"If you drink five lemonades that are sugared, by the fifth one you’re gagging, even the kids," said Steve Sue of BizGym, the foundation that runs the event. "They think they can take the sugar, but they can’t."

Lemonade Alley, which is in its fifth year, has been helping participants learn how to limit the sugar in their concoctions. It’s an effort aimed at saving lives, one taste bud at a time.

"It’s necessary. Kids need to get healthy," Sue said. "We endorse the idea of healthiness, but we also endorse the idea of local, and sustainable and organic. These are values that we want to teach the kids."

BizGym sponsored a presentation recently by two local chefs, James Aptakin and Matt Small, on how to make lemonade using little or no sugar. The chefs also stressed good business practices, such as keeping work areas clean, displaying wholesome ingredients prominently and developing an appealing presentation of their beverages.

Aptakin, of Mac 24/7 in the Hilton Wai­kiki Beach, recommended adding natural sweeteners like agave, honey and apple juice to fresh-squeezed lemon juice, along with spring water, to make a good basic lemonade. He added zest, cucumber and fresh fruit to whip up a cool refreshment he called "spa water."

Aptakin said he has become more health-conscious in his own diet. "I’ve cut out all sugars in my diet … most of them," he said. "I’m going more natural, using vinegars, citruses, zest, local honeys and stevia and natural flavors, like apple. That’s what I make smoothies with."

Small, executive chef at ChefZone, a food service distributor and supply store for small restaurants, said kids need to learn the importance of healthy eating.

"If you start teaching kids now about healthy cooking, it will become a habit," he said. "And as they get older, they’ll pass that knowledge on to their kids."

Small said he learned from chefs who used lots of fat and butter in their cooking, and now he has to adjust to the new healthy sensibility. "New ingredients are constantly coming into the industry, so we have to keep up with the trends and be educated about what’s out there."

Small didn’t shy away from using sugar in his lemonade, but he gave it a natural touch by using local cane sugar and using canes to stir drinks. He also gave his drink visual appeal by adding in small cubes of green gelatin, giving it a space-age look.

Up to 36 teams will compete in Lemonade Alley. They will be judged on criteria like the taste of their lemonade, their sales pitch, their business plan and how much money they raise for their charities. The teams determine how much to charge, and some have asked only for donations. Prizes of $1,000 are at stake for each of the three age groups.

"We’re going to try to make it healthy but taste good," said 11-year-old Marina Choi, who will be competing for a second time. Her team, from New Hope Christian Fellowship, finished as first runner-up last year, and she and her teammates have big plans this time around.

"We’ve been meeting on Sundays, and coming up with recipes and tasting, and coming with a pitch and food ideas and things like that. We’re going to start fundraising this weekend."

Zoie Asato, an 11-year-old St. Andrew’s Priory student, is competing in Lemonade Alley for the first time. She enjoys watching the Food Network channel and occasionally makes omelets for herself at home.

"I want to maybe be a chef when I grow up, so I thought this would be a good experience to help me get into food," she said.