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Hawaii's chefs, restaurants and food producer have established stellar reputations for themselves in recent years and learning about the islands' cuisine provides a unique insight into its culture. Whether enjoying a five-course lunch incorporating vanilla beans from the Big Island or taking a tour of a sugar plantation, groups will get a taste of life as many locals know it. Ask our Hawaii Specialist to suggest some local food tours during your next Hawaii vacation! Spice
Things Up With Multi-Island Food Tours, From Farm to Plate Sugar, along with pineapples, once served as the backbone of the state's economy, but now only two plantations remain. The GAY & ROBINSON SUGAR PLANTATION on Kauai is not only a working plantation, but also a living museum. A one-hour tour takes groups of 24 or less up an historical village main street and through the fields to see the planting and irrigation process. It ends at the mill, where the cane is processed and samples of sugar are distributed. Groups have an opportunity to sample the agricultural bounty on the Big Island, too. At the HOLUALOA KONA COFFEE COMPANY, you will learn how coffee is made, from the tree to the cup. Guided tours of the plantation are given for groups of up to 25 people who get a chance to see the mill and roasting operation that handle production for more than 100 nearby farms.
For other Big Island options, local operator FLY AWAY HOLIDAYS conducts agricultural tours that give groups a chance to see field of macadamia, orchids, mushrooms and cocoa beans and meet the farmers who grow them. This rural renaissance experience offers insight into Hawaii's agricultural heritage and the people who preserve it. The tour might include a five-course lunch at the HAWAIIAN VANILLA COMPANY plantation, the only U.S. vanilla grower, with dishes inspired by vanilla and Big Island fruits, vegetables and goat cheese. The vanilla company also takes its two-hour presentation on vanilla directly to groups at hotels. Maui is the site of Hawaii's first winery. TEDESCHI VINEYARDS is part of the 20,000-acre Ulupalakua Ranch on the slopes of Mount Haleakala in up-country Maui. It has been producing wine since 1974 for the visit of King David Kalakaua to Maui, serves as the winery's tasting room and historical ranch buildings remain on the property that began as a sugar plantation and later was converted into a cattle ranch. Private tours and tastings are conducted for groups of 20 to 75 people and open-air or tented catering can be done on the lawn. Groups holding programs in Honolulu have a unique opportunity to meet and cook with chefs at some of the city's top restaurants. GOURMET COOKING HAWAII arranges gourmet cooking classes at such notable eateries as Chef Mauvro, Mariposa, Sam Choy's Diamondhead, Padovani's Restaurant & Wine Bar, the Prince Court Restaurant, Morton's Steakhouse or Tiki's Grill & Bar. Because these establishments only serve dinner, the kitchens are free in the morning when classes take place. They include demonstrations and hands-on experience preparing an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. Each course is paired with wine and participants receive gift bags with cooking utensils, recipes and a photo of themselves with the chef to take home as souvenirs. Even more importantly, they get a behind-the scenes view of some of Honolulu's most famous restaurants.
For those who would rather just eat, HAWAII FOOD TOURS, a brand new company established by former Honolulu Advertiser restaurant critic Matthew Gray, can custom-design an eating spree that acquaints diners with restaurants all over town. One of his favorite offerings, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant tour, includes local Vietnamese, Indian and Italian restaurants, as well as a bakery and an okazuya, a Hawaiian-Japanese version of a deli. After the tour, groups of 24 or less will have an insider's knowledge of the local culinary scene. Thanks
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