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Like many kamaaina, Misty Kelai gets nostalgic come summer — mango season in Hawaii.
“In Kahala, where I grew up, my dad and brother built a tree house in the mango tree in our backyard,” she said. “My brother, sister and I spent many hours in that amazing play house where on summer days, dozens of big, fat mangoes were right at our fingertips.
“We put stickers on the mangoes that we wanted to reserve for ourselves, and when those mangoes were ripe, we reached our hands through the window of the tree house, picked them off the branches, tore off the skin with our teeth and savored what we were sure were the sweetest, juiciest mangoes on Earth! Those were carefree times, wonderful times.”
That’s exactly the vibe Kelai hopes people will enjoy at Mango Jam Honolulu. She is the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, which puts on the event, now in its fourth year, to celebrate what has been hailed as the king of fruits.
IF YOU GO: MANGO JAM HONOLULU
>> Where: Frank F. Fasi Civic Grounds, 550 S. King St.
>> When: 4:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday
>> Admission: Free
>> Phone: 768-6622
>> Email: moca-info@honolulu.gov
>> Website: mangojamhonolulu.com
>> Notes: Free parking in the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building garage, 1100 Alapai St., and the Kalanimoku Building underground lot, 1151 Punchbowl St.
“We wanted to feature a fruit that grows abundantly in Hawaii at a free, family-friendly event,” Kelai said. “At Mango Jam Honolulu, people can escape to the simpler times of their childhood — like enjoying a picnic under their family’s mango tree on a beautiful summer day.”
As usual, the event will feature top local entertainment, including Kalapana, Kapena, The Mana‘o Company, Maunalua and Hoku Zuttermeister (see mangojamhonolulu.com for schedule). Booths will offer food including mango burgers, mango habanero ribs, mango curry chicken, spicy mango-glazed shrimp, mango ice cream and mango cotton candy.
You can sip mango lemonade, mango smoothies and beer brewed with fresh mango. At the Mango Lounge, a pop-up bar, Tiki’s Grill and Bar will serve cocktails such as Mango Margarita, Mango Mojito and Mango Raspberry Spring Sangria.
In keeping with the theme, the Pearl Harbor Hawaiian Civic Club will offer an array of mango treats at the Mango Market, including bread, pie, scones, cookies, cupcakes, jam, chutney, salsa, pickled mango and chocolate-covered mango. Also reserve time to browse at Mango Row, where vendors will sell clothing, accessories, bags, pillows, plants, aromatherapy products and more. Members of the Honolulu Woodturners will be nearby, transforming mango wood into pens, bracelets, boxes and candleholders.
10 FUN FACTS ABOUT MANGO
1. First cultivated more than 5,000 years ago, mango is native to Myanmar, the Andaman Islands and eastern India. Its cultivation in North America is relatively recent, beginning in Florida and California in the 1800s.
2. The fruit is a member of the Anacardiaceae family of flowering plants, which also includes cashew and pistachio.
3. There are more than 400 varieties of mango.
4. Mango trees can bear fruit even when more than 300 years old.
5. Mangoes are typically 2 to 10 inches long and can weight 5 ounces to 5 pounds. In August 2009, Sergio and Maria Bodiongan harvested a mango from their tree in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, that still holds a place in Guinness World Records as the world’s largest mango. It was a foot long and weighed 7.5 pounds.
6. A mango’s vitamin content depends on its maturity. When green it is high in vitamin C; as it ripens, vitamin A increases.
7. The versatile mango can be used in drinks, jams, pickles, salads, curries, desserts and sauces, salsas and chutneys. Green mangoes make a delicious snack when dipped in soy sauce or a mixture of salt, sugar and chili powder.
8. Mango’s skin, bark and leaves contain urushiol, the same oily compound that causes a rash in poison ivy.
9. India is the world’s top producer of mango (18 million tons or about 50 percent of the global supply). It is followed by China with 4.77 million tons and Thailand with 3.4 million tons.
10. The paisley pattern, developed in India, is based on the mango’s shape.
Bring out your inner artist as you create mango-themed bookmarks and greeting cards in the Activity Tent on Friday from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a small fee, you can attend a workshop to make a handsome fabric-covered book to hold your favorite photos or recipes. The class, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, is sponsored by Creative Arts Experience Hawaii, a nonprofit organization that offers art classes statewide.
New this year are two cooking contests on Saturday: The Mango BBQ Cook Off, 10 a.m. to noon (808ne.ws/2toENo8) and the Ono Mouthful of Mango Contest, noon to 1 p.m. (808ne.ws/2yDHfgD).
In the BBQ Cook Off, executive chefs Adrian Solorzano of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar and Keith Endo of Vino Italian Tapas and Wine Bar will compete for the title of Mango Master. They’ll each create one savory and one sweet mango dish, judged on taste, presentation and use of the fruit.
Judges will be food writer Lynette Lo Tom; Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka, chef/owners of MW Restaurant; and the public (100 samples of each dish will be distributed among the audience).
The Ono Mouthful competition is open to Hawaii residents who can enter recipes in two categories: Sweet Mango Delight and Savory Mango Masterpiece. First- and second-place winners in each category will win cash prizes of $250 and $100, respectively, (yes, you can enter both categories). Finalists will present their dishes at the competition. Lo Tom, Ueoka and Karr-Ueoka will judge entries on taste, use of mango and ease of preparation.
Recipes and (optional) photos should be emailed to moca-info@honolulu.gov by 4 p.m. Thursday. Or mail entries to the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mango Recipe Contest, 550 S. King St., Honolulu 96813, but they must be received by Thursday. Entries must be original and not previously published.
According to Kelai, just about everyone has a favorite mango dish and story.
“People will remember playing on and around mango trees when they were kids,” she said. “They’ll remember ‘talking story’ in the shade of their mango tree and picking and eating mangoes right there. To this day, if your tree has a lot of fruit, you always share them with friends, neighbors and co-workers. It’s a way to build relationships and a sense of community.
“Mangoes bring people together and make them feel good, and that’s what Mango Jam Honolulu is all about.”
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.
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