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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
A shank is braised in Maui Brewing Co.’s CoCoNut PorTer at 12th Ave Grill, one of the restaurants serving lamb from Niihau.
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Niihau lamb, which ranges free on that island, started popping up last year in restaurants including Alan Wong’s, Square Barrels and 12th Ave Grill.
You’ll see it this year in even more restaurants, says Jehu Fuller, general manager at Makaweli Meat Co., which processes the lamb on Kauai. Just in the past year, distribution grew to more than 1,000 head of lamb from 300 to 400. The company hopes to double those numbers.
Look for the product in more than 20 restaurants on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii island and Kauai. Add to the Oahu lineup Bloomingdale’s, Burgers and Things, the Fat Greek and Real a gastropub.
Fuller says one focus this year is getting into a retail outlet.
“We haven’t approached anyone yet. (We’re) still looking for the right partner,” he said via email.
Fuller estimates that based on current consumption, “we can provide enough lamb for the entire state.”
Each week in January, we’ve profiled a food projected to trend on the isle scene this year. The installments have come courtesy of food writer Martha Cheng.