What a great evening we enjoyed with the Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation’s staff, board, their ‘ohana and Kim and Jack Johnson. After being rained out earlier in the year, we were so thankful that the weather cooperated with us and provided a cloudy but rain-free evening of family bonding.
We were joined by Ed (owner & chef) and Dave (corporate chef) from TOWN restaurant. Town is a farm to table establishment located in Kaimukī and they believe we should, “find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands and the mouth” (Lanza del Vasto). They brought their friends who were visiting from out of town and their families to share in our evening. Daniel Patterson, chef/owner of 3 restaurants in the bay area including Coi, Plum and Haven, along with his wife and children. Also visiting was Rene Redzepi, who is the owner/chef at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark along with his wife, mother in law and children. All guests were willing participants in our early evening mud session.
We are currently clearing our 13th kalo patch and a bunch of the gang hiked up their shorts and jumped right in. The kids, some hesitant at first, were soon covered head to toe in mud and enjoyed themselves weeding and canon-bombing the muddy patches.
As the sunset and evening set in, we gathered together around the bonfire and cooked up some delicious fresh fish while feasting on the delectable spread of homemade salads and pūpū. With our bellies full, the instruments made their appearances and the kanikapila began. It was an evening filled with beautiful music, stories to share, and laughter that filled the air.
A great big thank you to Kim and Jack Johnson and Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation for joining us for an unforgettable evening. We look forward to the next time we can all get together. For more information on Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation please visit: kokuahawaiifoundation.org
Check out Rene’s restaurant featured on the Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown episode 4 on Copenhagen.
