One of the silver linings of this pandemic has been reconnecting with some of our vendors we bought from when the restaurant was open. As part of the structure of things, normally, you let the people responsible do the ordering, and sometimes talk to them. I did it in the beginning, established relationships, visited the farms and ranches. In order to let the next ones grow, you have to let go of this and have them do it, make the decisions. I go to farmers markets now on a regular basis and meet up with some of them: farmer Ed Otsuji, Garren Kawamata from the same name tomato farm, Naked Cow Dairy, the parents of the Ho Farms family, the staff of MAO Organic Farms, as well as meet new ones.
Recently, I ordered mamaki tea from Roberta Taira out in Punaluu. When I do an event, I always try to serve mamaki tea and guests love it. They always want to know where they can get this Native Hawaiian herbal tea.
At a dinner, I usually go out and explain each course, so when this tea is served, they like to listen and hear about this Hawaiian endemic shrub that was used to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, and was used for general debility and other things. Of course, there is a disclaimer about it not being evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and makes no medical claims nor gives advice, and so I am doing that here, too.
This tea reminds me of Chinese medicine, eat to heal your own body. I love learning about healing foods, to incorporate ingredients to my cuisine as well as improve my own health, or constitution as the Chinese say. Part of what I do when cooking is to bring ingredients together harmoniously to make food look and taste good. The word restaurant comes from the root word “ to restore,” or to replenish your body after working hard all day or on a long journey. Today, it’s about what you eat in the morning and during the day; when you eat certain foods; what to eat before or after a workout; and how you keep your gut happy.
Roberta has a 100% certified organic orchard on the Punaluu Ahupuaa Farm on Oahu. She handpicks the leaves, air dries them, and hand blends this caffeine-free tea. The Native Hawaiians knew of many things, including healing through herbs and plants. Mamaki is just one of them. The tea can be drunk hot or cold, is soothing for the day and cleansing for the night. A lot of diners at the restaurant would not drink coffee late at night, so this tea was perfect. It’s a part of our culinary history and we need to continue passing it down to the next generation. Besides, it tastes great and it’s good for us. We keep learning.
Chef and restaurateur Alan Wong has wowed diners around the world for decades, and is known as one of the founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Find his column in Crave every first Wednesday. Currently, Wong is dba Alan Wong’s Consulting Co.
