Nadine Kam photos
Town’s David Caldiero, left, and Ed Kenney deliver their thanks to guests and contributors to the restaurant’s five-year success.

Town’s David Caldiero and Ed Kenney celebrated the restaurant’s fifth anniversary with a back-yard ohana style bash in the parking lot behind the restaurant on April 18, 2010. I had to come straight from a fashion show at Halekulani so was a skosh overdressed for the occasion, but it was an all-embracing, anything goes kind of afternoon.

I didn’t realize it was going to be set up festival style, so the first thing I saw, beyond the keiki bounce house, was Sean Priester’s Soul Patrol lunchwagon, where Sean was serving up his black-eyed pea chili, collard greens and cornbread. He’s on the brink of opening a permanent site for his soul food with local flair, near Sabrina’s at the base of Waialae. But the truck will also remain in service.

Then there was the tireless Henry “Hank” Adaniya serving up his Chicago dog, turned Townie dog for the occasion.

People thought I was nuts when I went for the Boston’s Pizza, because pizza is something most people can get anytime, but for me it was different becuase I’ve actually been hitting up the Soul Patrol truck quite a bit. It’s almost in our back yard, parked Tuesdays to Thursdays behind the Honolulu Advertiser building. And I’ve run into Hank quite a bit lately at events as well. And, of course, Hank’s Haute Dogs is another of our Kakaako neighbors.

Then there was cooling off time with Josh Lanthier-Welch and Joseph Welch of OnoPops, a new frozen pop treat, with savory as well as sweet flavors, like P to the O to the G (what’s that spell?) and Ume-Thai Basil. Yum! If you want to check them out firsthand, they’ll be at the Farm Bureau Market at Blaisdell Center from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

But where was Town’s contribution, I wondered, and Ed pointed me to the pork on a spit just behind the restaurant, with a few hours to go until perfect doneness. The party started at noon and I got there at 2 p.m., but I also had to be home by 6 for a phone interview so I missed the roast pork, which I learned from a tweeting Nathan Kam (no relation I believe) was “the best ever!” And my interview never materialized because the guy had his phone somewhere on vibrate so never checked it. I said it on Twitter and I’ll say it again, Grrrr!

Happy 5th Ed and Dave!

Musicians Makana and Taimane goofed off away from the stage.

“Lost’s” Michael Emerson is surrounded by fans, from left, Debra Rego, Sonda Danko and Luana Kuhns. He says he has no post-”Lost” plans save for finale promo appearances and catching up on friendships put on hold for the last five years, and at some point returning to stage.

The Town ohana gathers for a group photo.

Sean Priester takes a break from Soul Patrol duties while talking to Tiffany Sato-Holt.

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Debbie Gayagas puts dinner on the table for members of the Hawaii Stitchery & Fibre Arts Guild.

During a meeting of the Hawaii Stitchery & Fibre Arts Guild last Wednesday, welcoming a demonstration by visiting polymer clay artist Donna Kato in advance of a weekend workshop, there was a potluck dinner awaiting members.

Typically, that means everyone brings a dish to share, but this time, much of the bountiful buffet was the work of the group’s Hospitality director Debbie Gayagas. Let’s just say she knew the job was laborious when she took it.

She said the group’s potlucks usually does involve a group effort, but when they do have special guests, she shoulders most of the responsibility for the meal, along with a few others who might add a salad, and dessert or two.

Debbie says she enjoys cooking and finding new recipes, so she’ll spend time researching possibilities on the Internet before the meetings. What the rest of the group may not know is that they’re the guinea pigs for her cooking experiments. “If they like it, I might cook it again for my family,” she said.

Luckily, first time was a charm that night, at a table that included Thai-style wraps, meatballs, baked brie, pasta salad, udon with tofu and Asian greens, and a strawberry-blackberry summer trifle from a recipe she found on www.foodnetwork.com.

I thought the lettuce wraps were an especially good idea for moms trying to find more ways to get a quick meal on the table while introducing veggies into their kids’ diet. Following is the recipe she found at the Better Homes and Gardens Web site, www.bhg.com.

Thai-Style Lettuce Wraps
1  tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/4  pounds ground chicken
1  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4  cup onion finely chopped
3/4  cup Sun-Maid Golden Raisins
1/2  cup peanuts
1/4  cup sweet red Thai chili sauce
4  teaspoons lime juice
1/4  cup cilantro finely chopped
24  Bibb lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in large skillet.
Add ground chicken when oil is shiny and season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken using a spatula to break into small pieces.
Add chopped onion and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add Sun-Maid Golden Raisins and peanuts.
Stir in sweet Thai chili sauce and lime juice; heat through, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Form a single lettuce leaf into a cup and spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture into lettuce cup to serve.
Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (based on a 2,000-calorie diet):
Calories: 300
Total fat: 17 grams
Saturated fat: 3.5 grams
Cholesterol: 50 milligrams
Sodium: 560 milligrams
Carbohydrate: 22 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Protein: 15 grams