I haven't posted in this blog in a long time...too much has happened...and now it's time to say a hui hou to Hawaii and my ohana of friends. When I first came to the island at the invitation of my son 26 years ago, the plan was to open a kitchen shop and cooking school, similar to what I had in the mainland...but plans changed and we ended up opening a B&B with deli, gift shop, and cooking school in our village of Honomu. The Akaka Falls Inn was a destination place for foodies traveling from the mainland who wanted to learn more about the food of Hawaii...Several years after opening the In ..read more

It was a little bit after 9 am, on the morning of July 23rd, 20 years ago today, and the fire department in Hilo received 17 calls in succession, one almost on top of the other, from some of our friends and neighbors... a small fire caused by an electrical outlet in an upstairs bedroom of the Akita Building in Honomu, all of a sudden went out of control.  The building was built in 1923. The walls were single wall construction and the ceilings were over 10 feet high.... Before we knew it, the whole upstairs was engulfed. It was a nice, breezy Sunday morning...sheer curtains were dancing ..read more

  (Watercolor of the Akaka Falls Inn by Wanda Boyer) E komo mai!...(Welcome!) At Akaka Falls Inn Cooking School we are committed to showcasing the best of our Island! We have combined our love of food, cooking, gardening and plants, and the islands' multi-ethnic heritage to offer you the best of the Big Island for a unique culinary experience. We invite you to visit with us and " talk story " Aloha! Up to 20 years ago, you would have been welcomed at the Akaka Falls Inn with the above words! The sentiment and welcome are still in our hearts even if the building no longer exists. The Inn ..read more

Our small Facebook Tea Group is having a 'Tea Party' today.  since we're all scattered in different parts of the world, and there is a virus that is keeping us home, we're celebrating it virtually...each of us is hosting our party at home, and sharing it with our story, photos, and menu, on the group site.  The theme of our individual parties are inspired by a memory, a song, a movie, a fairy tale, a favorite book, a certain flower, a different country...whatever we chose, as long as we shared it with the rest of our group.  My theme is from a memory...bear with me for the backs ..read more

I have to laugh at times... many of the people I know think that because I love to cook, and with my background, I cook elaborate meals all the time... During these days of 'stay at home isolation' the comment I hear the most from friends is ' You must be cooking up a storm!'... No...I'm not. I still cook, mostly from scratch...but our meals are much simpler and less time consuming to prepare...after all, I am also getting older and really don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen. I love leftovers, because they represent a challenge.  I don't like to just 're-heat repeat'... I like ..read more

  We had a late breakfast today, so we skipped lunch and had an early dinner Our dinner last evening was breakfast of grits, eggs and bacon..when I make grits, I always make double, so that I can have leftovers..but I usually pour the leftovers in bowls that have flat bottoms and straight sides,. When I unmold them, they look like thick discs... Dinner tonight was one of my versions of Shrimp & Grits... using the discs as base..   Cooked grits Fresh asparagus spears Shrimp Butter, bacon grease, or avocado oil Dry Sherry Greek yogurt Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce Fresh flat leaf p ..read more

  We're staying at home...hostages to a vicious virus... hopefully we are well stocked for a longer than 2 week siege...we also need to use up the bits and dregs left in jars, fridge drawers and fruit bins before things spoil...or just to make room ...but trying hard to use up everything and not let anything go to waste.   My friend Karen did something I thought was pure genius... she found she had multiple jars of jam and jelly in the fridge, none full but all still good. To save space and be thrifty, she put them all together in a pan, brought it to a boil and recooked them, makin ..read more

In one of the groups in which I'm a member the discussion topic a week or so ago was: ''We can't really avoid this topic. If it comes down to eating from our pantry staples, what are some of your favorite recipes using canned and dry goods?'' We keep an emergency food pantry year 'round due to several reasons, and one of them is...why not be prepared when you live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and 'things can happen unexpectedly' Here is a list of some staples/canned goods we normally keep in the emergency pantry and use it periodically to rotate and keep our stock 'fresh' - below I will ..read more

So much has happened since early this year,...way too much... and I have neglected to post...I will try to remedy that. Let's just say that things were already chaotic for us before the Covid-19 pandemic started knocking on our country's door... Due to my son being diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung and liver cancer in mid-January, and all that it entails - doctor visits, lab work, chemo treatment series, etc - we cannot just hunker down and quarantine, except for short periods of times, but we are taking all the precautions we need to take to try to ward off any infections. Some of us gar ..read more

I thought I had attended them all, but I have a lot of them missing...or can't find records for them. To read them click on each link, below the date. The Chinese New Year starts on the first evening of a new year's month with a new moon and lasts for 15 days.  It is also celebrated in China as the beginning of Spring.  February 2008 Kung Hee Fat Choy - Chinese New Year Celebration in Hilo!   February 2009 7th Annual Chinese New Year in Hilo    February 2010 This Chinese New Year is called the Year of the Tiger   February 2011 9th Chinese New Year Celebration in ..read more