By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Chai Chaowasaree celebrates two anniversaries with his sisters Nikki, left, and Joy, right, and AAA regional manager Richard Velazquez.

I was wondering how Chai Chaowasaree was going to fit hundreds of well wishers into his Chai’s Island Bistro for the dual celebration of the restaurant’s 10th anniversary and Singha Thai Cuisine’s 20th anniversary Nov. 20.

No worries as the party, billed “An Evening Under the Stars,” took place at the waterfront with food provided, not only by Chai, but by an A-List team of chefs. It was like a Chinese banquet in which, just as you’re feeling you can’t take another bite, the courses keep coming, and coming.

Opening appetizers were presented in individual portions, but later, there were huge plates bearing fillets of salmon and stacks of lamb chops. I sampled everything brought to the table, but now realize I only had 10 of 16 dishes presented that evening. I guess we looked like we were slowing down and couldn’t handle more food so the servers stopped coming.

I got there an hour late so missed a performance by Jerry Santos, but arrived in time to catch a set by Sista Robi and the Brothers Cazimero, who sang the “Happy Birthday Song” to mark the occasion, while Melveen Leed provided running commentary on the food we were eating. Chai has always done a wonderful job promoting island music, as well as cuisine.

Congratulations, Chai!

Here’s what was on the table:

Hot, crisp Asian rock shrimp dynamite with Nalo greens, from chef Rod Dizor of Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar brought the meal to a good start. Having arrived late, I’m sorry to have missed the Beach House at the Moana’s diver scallop sandwich, by Rodney Uyehara.

Chef Mavro’s Kevin Chong presented this yummy Dayboat Catch Ceviche with a crisp manchego croquette with creamy center.

Chai’s offering, by chef Mark Lopez, was a luxurious dish of sauteed garlic and pepper abalone with zucchini linguine.

Vino’s chef Keith Endo presented grilled tako on Barolo red wine risotto and Nalo baby arugula salad with Sicilian olive oil.

Sharing my plate were Le Bistro’s red wine shortribs with polenta and 3660 On the Rise’s pan-seared wild salmon topped with pickled Maui onion and yuzu butter sauce.

Chai’s Island Bistro’s Steven Hamada presented Mongolian-style lamb chops with merlot demiglace, mashed potatoes and stir-fried sugar snap peas. Dishes I tried before photographing were Singha Thai Cuisine’s lemongrass and curry-crusted chicken breast with Thai peanut sauce and cucumber salad, by Joy Saetung, and dk Steak House’s filet of beef tenderloing and Crab Oscar with bearnaise sauce, by Jason Miyasaki.

Desserts from JJ French Pastry’s JJ Luangkhot: tiramisu, cheesecake and chocolate mousse cake.

Other ones that got away:

>> Michel’s at the Colony Surf’s salad of cornbread-crusted Big Island goat cheese on Hirabara greens, Muscovy duck prosciutto bits, beets, poached red wine pair and orange-cranberry vinaigrette.

>> OLA’s seared lemongrass shrimp lollipop with luau cream.

>> Poke Stop’s hot peanut oil-splashed ahi sashimi with chiso inamona pesto, calamansi juice and ginger scallion blackbean chili oil.

>> Hiroshi Fukui’s steamed kurobuta belly with torched Brie and ginger, shiso and adobo glaze.

>> Tangö Contemporary Cafe’s duck confit on rissoto cake with foie gras demi glace and Asian slaw with citrus dressing.

In my haste to find my table, missed along the way was the buffet station featuring Alaskan king crab legs with roasted garlic aioli, Thai curry puffs with tomato-mango salsa, vegetarian spring rolls with pineapple plum sauce, oysters with spicy garlic mignonette, and jumbo shrimp and crab-claw cocktails.

Among the guests were Robert Valetta, executive producer of a new reality/scripted series to be set in Hawaii beginning early 2010, with actress Hannah Cornett.

Cora Spearman and Chris Chang also were among the guests.

By Nadine Kam

Sunday is the last day to enjoy the special menus created for Restaurant Week. Here’s what was on the table at d.k. Steakhouse and Wolfgang’s Restaurant:

Nadine Kam photo
At Wolfgang’s Steak House at Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, filet mignon is one of three entree choices.

Had lunch Thursday at Wolfgang’s Steak House, where for $30 at lunch time, guests have the options of a Caesar salad, mixed green salad and soup du jour, which was Manhattan chowder. The chowder was more like a minestrone with a few pieces of canned clams, so either of the salads would have been a better option. To their credit, they offered to replace the soup because I obviously wasn’t enjoying it, but I said “never mind.”

The entree choices are a petite filet migon — delicious! — or fillet of wild salmon or lamb chops, served with sides of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes.

Dessert features a choice of ice cream, key lime pie or cheesecake, the latter your best option because it’s one of the restaurant’s specialties. I wish I had a photo, but it’s not easy to keep one’s wits when faced with dessert!

Over at d.k.’s, here’s what was on the menu:

Photos by Noel Sen
Eggplant roulade, above, and Braised Beef Mortadella Tortellini, below, are the appetizer choices in a $30 dinner menu.

The entree choices are the 12-ounce Maui Cattle Co. rib eye steak shown, King crab Florentine mahimahi or roasted Tuscan-style chicken. Dessert choices are a chocolate bomb or vanilla panna cotta.

Inexpensive options elsewhere includea 1/3-pound Hawaiian pineapple burger with an order of small fries and a medium drink for $9.05 ($11.45 value ) at Kua Aina, or Reuben sandwich with pastrami, regular drink and one scoop of ice cream for $9.95 (regular price $13.85), at Farrell’s Pearlridge.

You can check out all the menus at www.restaurantweekhawaii.com.

By Nadine Kam

Amy Herchig, President/LMT at Amy’s Haven Massage Therapy is prepared to massage for food … not for herself but in the form of donations to Hawaii Foodbank.

As an incentive to help those in need,  for every $5 in canned goods that you bring to the clinic, your name will be entered into a drawing to receive a free massage.  The more food you donate, the more chances you have to win!

Prizes include a package of three 60-minute massages, one 60-minute massage and one 30-minute massage. Preferred food items are canned meats and tuna, canned meals, canned soups, canned veggies and canned fruits.

The prize drawing will take place Dec. 15, 2009, the last day of the food drive. Drop off your canned goods at 2357 S. Beretania, Unit B. Call 220-2867 or email info@AmysHaven.com to coordinate a drop off time. Good luck!

By Nadine Kam

Good to Grill photos
Morcon, or Filipino meat loaf, is Friday’s Filipino Chalk Board special at Good to Grill, with a portion of sales from each $7.99 plate going toward flood relief in the Philippines.

Good to Grill is inviting diners to celebrate the Flavors of the Philippines through Nov. 22, with a portion of proceeds going toward helping recent flood victims.

In addition, those who purchase one of the daily Filipino Chalkboard Specials for lunch or dinner, at $7.99 per plate, will receive one 10 percent E-Certificate coupon for your next flight to Manila on Hawaiian Airlines.

Pork adobo is Thursday’s Filipino Chalkboard Special.

The specials are as follows:
Today, Nov. 17: Chicken long rice
Nov. 18: Paella
Nov. 19: Pork adobo
Nov. 20: Morcon (Filipino meat loaf)
Nov. 21: Pinakbet with chitcharon
Nov. 22: Pancit Palabok

This charity event aims to unite the community  in support of the flood victim relief efforts. Good to Grill chef and owner, Almar Arcano, was born and raised in the Philippines and works closely with the Filipino Chamber of Commerce to give back to organizations such as the
Catholic Charities in his home country.

Through the 22nd, guests can also enter a sweepstakes to win a roundtrip for two to Manila on Hawaiian Airlines. Look for contest rules at www.hawaiianairlines.com/goodtogrill

Good to Grill is near Safeway Kapahulu. Call 734-7345. The casual restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos

If you’re passing by the Menehune Mac Gourmet Hawaiian Boutique that opened on the mall level at Ala Moana Center between Dior and Neiman Marcus, you’d probably assume it’s all about chocolate. But the holiday boutique, scheduled to remain open through the end of January 2010, houses much more than chocolate and may be your solution for one-stop Christmas shopping.

An open house, featuring chocolate, tea, sauce and flavored cane sugar tastings took place last Wednesday to introduce some of the lines carried at the kamaaina boutique. Tastings will continue noon to 2 p.m. every Sunday through Dec. 20. Here’s the calendar:

Nov. 22: Menehune Mac madacamia nut cornbread, Maui Jelly Factory mango chutney and Hawaiian chili pepper jelly

Nov. 29: Hawaii’s Special papaya seed dressing and Pupukea Gardens North Shore greens

Dec. 6: Aikane Plantations 100 percent Kau coffee and forJ’s Seasoned Salts macadamia nut pesto

Dec. 13: Hawaiian Chip Co. taro chips with Kilauea Fire BBQ sauce and The Pacific Place lychee tea

Dec. 20: Hawaii Popcorn Co. kettle corn and Kona Moon Plantations 100 percent Kona coffee

It’s a wonderful opportunity for local companies to share their products, gift seekers to sample, and all the items are available to purchase on the spot, with Menehune Mac offering complete wrapping, packaging and shipping services for those who want to avoid the hassle of driving all over town to get their Christmas shopping and mailing done.

Those who want to explore further can also head to the Menehune Mac Factory Store at 707-A Waiakamilo Road in Kalihi, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Menehune Mac President Neal Arakaki and Susan Morita greeted guests at the door.

Menehune Mac offers so many flavors of chocolate, including basic milk and dark chocolate, sugar-free and this ‘Alani Creme macadamia nut white chocolate that really tastes like a Creamsicle. Neal said he worked hard to develop that flavor to match one of his favorite childhood ice cream treats, but he’s eaten so much of it over the years that he can’t eat it anymore.

You or your child can can personalize a chocolate gift by hand-making your own chocolates to fill a six-piece gift box.

Reyn Suen prepares kalua pig sliders with Kilauea Fire BBQ sauce. Below, the pork and sauce are topped with a bit of crushed pineapple.

The Hawaiian Chip Co., which makes the sauce, also offered samplings of its taro and sweet potato chips, also available on the store shelves.

The Pacific Place Tea Garden owner Lynette Jee pours glasses of lychee black tea. Those who wanted their iced tea sweetened could use a small teaspoon of flavored Hawaiian cane sugar.

Sales of specially made chocolate and white chocolate starfish, honu and shells benefit the Waikiki Aquarium.

The shelves at Menehune Mac are filled with locally made sauces and condiments including popular sauces from Sugoi restaurant.

The boutique is not limited to edible offerings. Hazel Lee was there, showing her handmade vintage obi purses, tote bags and doggie apparel.

IDK’s T-shirts and hats are also available. The Korean drama-themed T-shirts are $19.50.

Anything you buy can be packaged a number of ways and shipped for you. The boutique is also features several bridal and party favor ideas.

By Nadine Kam

From left, chef Roy Yamaguchi, with student chefs Meng-Ling Erik Kuo, Rena Suzuki and Tate Nakano-Edwards, and Robert Riggs, president and CEO of Sub-Zero Wolf, where the 6th annual Tom and Warren Matsuda Scholarship Culinary Competition took place Nov. 8.

Roy’s Restaurant presented the 6th annual Tom and Warren Matsuda Scholarship Culinary Competition at  the Sub-Zero/Wolf Showroom on Nov. 8.

Chef Roy Yamaguchi founded the scholarship competition to honor the memory of  chef Tom Matsuda and his son Warren, who was employed at Roy’s at the  time of his death.

Competing in the event, after preliminaries involving seven culinary programs within the Culinary Institute of the Pacific-Community College System, were Rena Suzuki, Tate Nakano-Edwards and Meng-Ling Erik Kuo, who took first place for dishes marked by strong visual presentation. They had two hours to prepare three courses for five: With four plates for judges Yamaguchi, Alan Wong, Hiroshi Fukui and Jackie Lau, and the last for visual display.

I wasn’t judging the competition, so did not get to sample the dishes save for a few delicious bites of Suzuki’s Kahuku shrimp fritto and grilled Kahuku corn soup, but someone asked me who I thought would win anyway.

Assuming all things being equal flavor-wise because all the young chefs were well-qualified to be there — both Nakano-Edwards and Suzuki were on Kapiolani Community College’s Junior American Culinary Federation (ACF) Competition Hawaii Team that took top national honors this year — I gave the nod to Kuo because of his strong presentation. To me, barring some calamity like mistaking salt for sugar, etc., clarity on the plate goes hand-in-hand with clarity on the palate.

The visual aesthetic makes sense because I later learned that he earned his doctorate in architecture at the University of Hawaii — fulfilling parental dreams — before deciding to fulfill his own dream of cooking. He’s also a freelance photographer and figure-skating instructor, and works in a part-time catering position with Town and Downtown restaurants.

The competition arena, with Suzuki and Kuo preparing their dishes before a small audience of friends, fellow students and culinary pros.

I like the fact that Kuo brings so many extracurricular skills to the table and in his statements, Yamaguchi also made the point that cooking skills are no longer enough to compete in a changing world. He said he was willing to put his pride and reputation on the line for “Top Chef Masters,” with the long view that participation and competition is good for elevating the cooking arts in Hawaii. He also said the point of the competition is to give students real-life experience outside the classroom in dealing with crowds, media and pressure to help them in their growth in the industry. He encouraged them to travel and see the world, then return home and make a difference.

That has been my sentiment for a long time. It’s unfortunate that Hawaii is at a disadvantage that way because it is so costly to travel and unlike the other contiguous states, we don’t have the constant influx of new personalities with new ideas that come with easy flow across borders. The result, I’ve noticed over many years of reviewing restaurants, is a dull sameness to menus, with chefs coming out of our community college system regurgitating knowledge they learned at the same place, from the same people.

That makes it critical for young chefs who grow up here, never leave the island and attend local cooking schools, to take extra initiative to explore. That means taking a break from the kitchen — the culinary equivalent of the ivory tower — once in a while and reading food magazines and memoirs or New York Times food reviews to get an idea of trends and going to art galleries, gardens and films to find new sources of inspiration. There’s a reason four-year colleges espouse a liberal arts education; that is, it’s important to nurture growth of the whole individual, rather than place focus on one talent, one interest or one aspect of personality, which can be limiting.

As for what’s coming up next for the winner, Conrad Nonaka, director of The Culinary Institute of The Pacific, said his cooking will star in a fund-raising dinner sometime next spring, so watch for the announcement after the holidays.

Kuo won the competition, due in part to this forest-y presentation of local chayote greens with roasted Hamakua mushrooms, sauteed golden beets, lily flower bulb and goji berries, drizzled with Shaoxing vinaigrette.

The judges at work, from left, chefs Alan Wong, Roy Yamaguchi and Hiroshi Fukui. Roy’s Corporate Chef Jackie Lau served as floor judge, carefully observing the students’ work process.

Nakano-Edwards’ entries started with this appetizer of a Trio of Hawaiian Seafood. Featured were island tako ceviche with Maui pineapple, Kona baby abalone with Hamakua Alii mushrooms and long beans with sherry cream sauce, and Kona kampachi with roasted local fennel and pickled beets with balsamic butter sauce.

Kuo’s appetizer comprised peppercorn seared ahi topped with shiso chiffonade sea asaparagus and crushed pink peppercorns; fried lime-cilantro Kahuku corn marinated with aloe vera, avocado and tomato concasse mousse garnished with Maui sweet onion Brunoise; and, in the glass, a refreshing Hawaii island lehua honey-ume liqueur lemonade with local aloe vera, cucumber and mint, garnished with orange supreme and green tea Maui raw sugar on the rim.

Kuo adds the finishing touches to his appetizer plate.

Nakano-Edwards’ salad entry was Maui Cattle Co. baby lamb salad with Big Island hearts of palm, Waialua asparagus, mizuna, crusted goat cheese round and lilikoi vinaigrette.

Kuo’s entree was a braised duck leg with Chinese spices and seared duck breast with yam-pearl ghocchi, fennel and Ho Farm tomato salad finished with an au jus reduction and hibiscus sauce.

Hiroshi Fukui ready to rate the appetizers.

Guests didn’t get to sample the competition dishes, but did get to enjoy lunch from Tanioka’s. Of course there was plenty of poke, spicy ahi on rice, and fried chicken, below, was a hit.

By Nadine Kam

Agnes Portuguese Bakeshop photo

If you’re tired of hitting the same restaurants on First Fridays, drop by the Chinatown Courtyard across the street from Little Village Noodle House on Smith Street, where there will be hot malasadas from  Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop in Kailua for sale.

will be selling freshly made Malassadas from Agnes’ Portuguese Bake Shop in the Chinatown Courtyard this First Friday, Nov 6th from The malasadas will be available from 5:30 to 9 p.m.  Nov. 6 as a fundraiser for TAG, The Actors’ Group.

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Early risers are also welcome to eat for a good cause at a Scones Fundraiser for Aloha United Way, taking place 5 to 10 a.m. at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani.

Head baker Mary Allum, a British expat who is director of housekeeping for the Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani, will be sharing her traditional family scone recipe, baking 3,000 scones to raise money for the local charitable organization.

Sweet cinnamon scones and savory cheese scones are expected to be out of the oven by 8 a.m., and available until they run out. The aim is to raise $15,000 for Aloha United Way. Do the math.

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The biggest dine out for a cause event is Restaurant Week, coming up Nov. 16 to 22, during which restaurants — large and small — will offer prix fixe and specialty meals at a discount from their regular prices to encourage people to try new spots and to raise funds for the expansion of Kapiolani Community College’s culinary arts program.

Visit  the restaurantweekhawaii.com Web site for all the details on participants and their special menus and make your reservations before your favorite restaurant is sold out.

I already grabbed some lunch slots, though my dinner plans are pending.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Cecilia Villafuerte, co-chair of the Filipino Flavors event, with chef Elmer Guzman of The Poke Stop, who created a dish of deconstructed pinakbet for the event. Elmer’s everywhere these days, serving food at various  community events, posting specials to Twitter, and soon to appear on a Food Network segment of Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

The Filipino Community Center in Waipahu was the venue for the first Filipino Flavors event Oct. 24, 2009, highlighting Filipino fusion cuisine as cooked up by Filipino celebrity chefs: Elmer Guzman of Poke Stop, Rhodel Ibay of Sergio’s Italian Restaurant, Aurelio Garcia of Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch and Crab, Michael Rabe of Creations in Catering, and Greg Nicolas and Anabel Cabebe of Mang Gorio’s Lechon and Catering, with wine pairings by master sommelier Roberto Viernes.

Roberto’s selections were a 2007 Leitz Dragonstone Reisling, 2007 Champalou Vouvray Cuvee Fondraux chenin blanc from the Loire Valley and fabulous 2007 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend, of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot intended to enhance adobo risotto but delicious solo as well.

The idea behind the event was to encourage people to revisit Filipino cuisine in a new light, with familiar flavors of adobo and sarciado presented in an upscale style with small portions and eye-catching presentations. You can read more about it in Gary Chun’s story preceding the event: http://www.hsblinks.com/16r

I like Filipino food but I can’t tell you how many people tell me they don’t like it, not that they’ve even sampled much of it. They simply don’t like the aesthetic of a stew-y mass. Talk about culinary bigotry.

This event attempts to challenge and change that perception, and hopefully this is the start of an annual event that will have many more sampling new flavors.

The funny thing is that most patrons enjoyed dinner … twice. Food stations were set up outdoors, so naturally, people started picking up plates and eating immediately, only to find dinner service awaited at formal tables inside the Filcom Center! The waitstaff worked hard to bring the nine courses to the table, only to have half the dishes waved off because we had tried them outside. By then we were all so stuffed that all anyone could think of was dessert of halo halo. I overheard one woman say she just came for the halo halo, which isn’t likely true given that ticket prices were $100, but that just goes to show how those two words are so magical.

In addition to the food, there was plenty of music and dance, and you can get a samping of the evening in the video:

Fish sarciado was accompanied by a salad that included chewy sweet potato leaves that I never tried before the event.

Joelle of Creations in Catering poured a glass of wine forHPD chaplain Alex R. Vergara. The wine recommendations came from master sommelier Roberto Viernes.

Tagalog beef from Filipino Express was a special request of event co-chair Cecilia Villafuerte. I was so full when the dish arrived, but after a small nibble I wanted more. Beef can look unappetizing in photos, but this was so tender and I loved the flavors of soy sauce and lime, the latter a substitution for calamansi, which was unavailable.

Macadamia-crusted tilapia presented by Aurelio Garcia of Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch and Crab, was a crowd pleaser. The fish itself tasted like catfish.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann was there, as was prolific L&L restaurateur Eddie Flores.

Many people thought that halo halo marked the end of the meal, so had seconds, only to find more desserts awaited. Waiters delivered plates full of, from left, tupig (rice flour and coconut in banana leaves) and linapet (cassava wrapped in banana leaves), casava cake, cascaron (mochi ball with coconut) and banana turon (bananas and jack fruit deep fried in lumpia wrapper).

After the meal, guests jokingly asked, “Where’s the Ziploc bags?” Tess Guemado, an administrative assistant at the Filcom Center, improvised with plastic plates.

Alex Vergara said the typical Filipino party has so much food that guests bring their own Tupperware and plastic bags to collect the leftovers. This time, they improvised take-home containers, stacking the plastic plates to savor uneaten desserts later.

The chefs were applauded on stage toward the end of the evening, from left, Rodhel Ibay, Aurelio Garcia, Elmer Guzman and Michael Rabe.

By Nina Wu

First, you take a small bite and let the extra-dark chocolate square melt in your mouth, revealing a velvety texture, and overtones of deep cocoa and berry (like a chocolate forest).

Waialua Estate Chocolate, made from 70 percent Cacao grown at the old Waialua sugar mill on Oahu’s North Shore, isn’t incredibly well-known yet, but the word is spreading.

The dark chocolate is sold at Dole Plantation and Whole Foods Market at Kahala Mall for about $22.99 a pound – 10 squares of 25-gram squares will cost you a little more than $12.

And it’s actually processed by Guittard of San Francisco, which only puts its signature on select chocolates.

If you like milk chocolate, you can also get those for about half the price.

Waialua Estate, a part of Dole Food Co., was launched in 1996 as sugarcane was dying out. Dole was looking to diversify, and did so in two ways – by planting coffee and cacao trees. Coffee is grown on 165 acres on the slops of Waialua. The Cacao is grown on 20 acres.

Ever seen a Cacao pod? They’re colorful pods that come in various shades of reds and oranges — with seeds inside.

Here’s a great photo gallery from Waialua Estate that takes you on a journey from Cacao tree to pod, seeds and chocolate. The seeds are what get roasted and removed from their outer shells, revealing the nib which is melted and mixed into chocolate.

Waialua Estate Chocolate is available at Whole Foods Market at Kahala Mall, Sweet Paradise Chocolatier in Kailua, and Dole Plantation — and you may find it in the desserts at various restaurants (think flourless chocolate cake, mmm), including Alan Wong’s. You might also want to check out Malie Kai North Shore Chocolates.

By Nadine Kam

SPJ photo
Rehearsal for “No Aloha Mesa,” one of the numbers in Gridiron 2009.

Hawaii’s print and broadcast media (with the help of a few ringers), have been forced into collaboration mode more and more over the years, but their biggest collaboration to date comes with “Gridiron 2009: Doing Less with Less,” in which the newspapers drop their pens, microphones and cameras to skewer politicians and other local personalities with song and dance.

The show, a benefit for the Society of Professional Journalists’ scholarship and internship fund, continues at Diamond Head Theatre through Saturday night, and I got a taste of some of the numbers after being enlisted — to help serve food at rehearsals Tuesday night.

Lynette Lo Tom, president and CEO of Bright Light Marketing, an SPJ member for more than 25 years, volunteered her time and kitchen to feed 65 hungry journalists, reasoning she can’t sing or dance, but she can cook.

Can she ever. The theme of the evening was Southern cookin, with baked ham, baked mac and cheese, cornbread and a spicy stew of tomatoes, corn and okra. You can see the whole menu here:

As always the case with Lynette, the food-service was well under control, so there was not much for me to do except enjoy the food! I only had one food-service job in my life — at Zippy’s when I was a teen-ager — but I never felt a calling for it, like those who want to become chefs. I feel Zen-like when cooking at home, but cooking for masses is more about theater and management than food, to me, and I like the soulful, aesthetic part of the equation best.

A whole lot of paring, coring and slicing went into a dessert of apple crisp.

I just wish I could have been there for Mediterranean Night Thursday, when Lynette cooked up a big fat Greek salad, orzo mint pasta salad and rosemary-roasted lamb with accompaniments of dates and almonds, hummus, eggplant dip and oranges in ginger sauce with pomegranate seeds.

You won’t get the food, but you can still enjoy the show, with tickets running $40 and $60, plus fees, at www.ticketmaster.com. Or visit www.hawaiispj.org.

Lynette Lo Tom serves up stew of tomatoes, corn and okra.