HAWAII. Taste of. Global Gourmet. Discover the Big Island s sweet and savory sides. BY CAROL PUCCI

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1 Taste of HAWAII Discover the Big Island s sweet and savory sides. BY CAROL PUCCI PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN J. MIYAZAKI CEILING FANS SPIN ABOVE TABLES covered with mint-green cloths as we settle in for lunch and a farm tour at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company. Here in the rain-forest town of Paauilo, Local flavor: Merriman s Waimea restaurant and (right) Rare Hawaiian Honey Company s finest. an hour s drive from the sunny Kohala Coast, jelly jars filled with vanilla-scented iced tea and lemonade arrive, along with vanillainfused sautéed shrimp, grilled chicken in a bourbon-vanilla-citrus marinade, and a salad tossed with a vanilla-spiked raspberry vinaigrette. Any regrets I had about leaving the beach behind to explore the agricultural side of an island normally associated with volcanoes and lava-rock fields disappear as quickly as our dessert of vanilla ice cream with passion-fruit curd. In business since 2000, Hawaiian Vanilla is among a handful of Big Island microfarms and culinary entrepreneurs welcoming visitors for a look behind the scenes. In 1988, when Peter Merriman, one of Hawaii s best-known chefs and a cofounder of its regional cuisine movement, opened his first restaurant (Merriman s Waimea) in the inland ranching town of Waimea, the majority of agriculture was intended for export, and it was mainly cattle, pineapple, and sugar. Like the rest of the state, 54 VIRTUOSO LIFE

2 the Big Island imported much of what it needed from the mainland. There weren t enough people in Hawaii, and the tourism industry wasn t big enough yet to develop supplies for the local market, Merriman says. We literally had to run an ad in the newspaper saying, Hey, we want to buy stuff that s locally grown. Sugar exports all but disappeared by the mid-1990s, lost to countries with lower production costs, but the island s diverse mix of microclimates and rich volcanic soil meant almost anything could grow well. Today, the menu at Merriman s country-manor-style restaurant reads like a guide to the best of Big Island locavores. From the dirt farm salads composed of tomatoes, roasted beets, and papayas to the roasted mushrooms and naturally raised lamb, 90 percent of what s served comes from the island. Tables fill early, even on off-season weeknights, when they re often reserved by locals and affluent visitors from Honolulu who have second homes in Waimea. Visit a few of these new-school purveyors, Merriman says, and you ll get close to the heart and pulse of the real Hawaii. SHORELINES STREWN WITH LAVA ROCK give way to green hills and forests as my husband steers our rental car onto Highway 19, the two-lane road that turns into Highway 11 and circles the island. It s just a 12-mile drive from the white-sand beaches on the south Kohala Coast to Waimea, at an elevation of 2,600 feet. First stop: the Rare Hawaiian Honey Company. Without a GPS or good directions, it would be easy to miss the warehouse that doubles as a tasting room for an organic white honey as precious as fine perfume. Michael Domeier, a marine scientist, and his wife, Amy Grace, a jewelry designer, raise bees that harvest nectar from a single grove of kiawe trees, a type of mesquite often used for firewood. The honey is put through a natural crystallization process that produces a creamy texture, more like butter than traditional honey. The company hopes to start tours soon. For now, tastings are free, and visitors sample honey infused with ginger and passion fruit, among others. THIRTEEN MILES EAST OF WAIMEA, A landscape lush with tropical foliage flanks the highway as we approach the rainy Hamakua Coast. This is the start of a scenic 45- mile drive ending in Hilo, the jumping-off point for visits to the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano, the highest point in Hawaii A vanilla plant and ice cream at Hawaiian Vanilla Company. 3. Tending the hives under a kiawe (mesquite) tree at Rare Hawaiian Honey Company. 4. Busy bees. 5. Rare Hawaiian Honey Company owners Amy Grace and Michael Domeier Long Ears Hawiian Coffee advertising and owners Wendell and Netta Branco. 56 VIRTUOSO LIFE

3 hand-cranked pulping machine he bought for $500 and laughs at how he tried to dry his first batch of beans in a clothes dryer. The Brancos have since improved their equipment and techniques, but still do everything themselves by hand, from picking the bright-red coffee cherries from their trees to drying, aging, and roasting the beans. Coffee, cultivated today mainly on the dry Kona side of the island, thrived here too before sugarcane became the major crop. Today, a small group of artisan producers is leading a coffee-growing revival. Among them is Wendell Branco, a rugged former mule breeder who founded Long Ears Hawaiian Coffee with coffee from trees 6 7 growing wild on his estate in the foothills of Mauna Kea. Wendell and his wife, Netta, both 71, greet visitors with handshakes and hugs, and offer samples around a picnic table in a tasting room decorated with vintage coffee pots. Explaining the challenges of small-scale production, Wendell points to a LEAVING LONG EARS, WE DRIVE A FEW more miles southeast on Highway 19, then detour onto a steep back road and across a one-lane bridge to the Hawaiian Vanilla Company, in the hills overlooking the Pacific. An orchid enthusiast convinced Jim and Tracy Reddekopp that vanilla (the fruit of the planifolia orchid) could grow in Hawaii. They planted two acres on their high-elevation ranch and in 2000 became the first to grow vanilla beans commercially in the U.S. Working in an abandoned coffee mill and slaughterhouse they converted into a kitchen and country store, they and some of their five children cook for visitors and refine a For modern-day explorers, there s no place like The Florida Keys. With its natural beauty, world-class fishing and diving, eco-adventures, rich history and fine island cuisine, a week or more in The Florida Keys is exactly what your inner explorer needs. For reservations, call your Virtuoso travel advisor. fl a - k e y s. c o m ISLAMORADA KEY LARGO KEY WEST BIG PINE KEY & THE LOWER KEYS MARATHON

4 repertoire of 80 vanilla-infused products for sale. Lunches include a lesson on making extract using vanilla beans and vodka, followed by a walk to the farm, where vines grow under black shade cloths to buffer the sun. Growing and harvesting vanilla on a small scale is a labor-intensive business. Blossoms appear just one day a year for four hours and must be hand-pollinated in that brief window of time one reason why a single bean sells for $11. OUR LAST STOP BEFORE HEADING BACK to Waimea for dinner at Merriman s is the Onomea Tea Company, a 30-mile drive south along the coast s most scenic stretch. Owners Rob Nunally and Mike Longo were sipping a cup of Earl Grey one day in 2003, thinking about a crop that would fit the agricultural history of the former sugarcane fields they d bought overlooking Onomea Bay, just north of Hilo. They found out that tea, part of the camellia family, had been grown in Hawaii in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Starting with 40 seeds planted Local brew: Chinesestyle service at Onomea Tea Company. in pots on their front steps, they began a boutique business growing organic teas. Tours start with a walk through the tea fields, where citrus and banana trees surround 2,500 plants spread out on land above rocky sea cliffs. Rob shows visitors how tea is picked by plucking the stem and top one or two leaves, and explains the different processing methods that result in organic green, oolong, or black varieties that sell for $15 to $20 per ounce. tip Stop at Island Gourmet Markets in Waikoloa for specialty foods or a cup of Kona coffee in the café. The store has a bakery, meat and fish market, deli, wine bar, and health and beauty products. They also do catering. Jill McGowan, travel advisor, Maunaloa, Hawaii When we return to Onomea s outdoor deck, warm cranberry scones appear as Mike begins a Chinese-style tea ceremony. Filling a thimble-shaped aroma cup, then covering it with a larger sipping cup, he demonstrates how to quickly invert the two so as not to spill any liquid. We do the same, tilting the aroma cup to inhale a fragrant mist. Then we slurp the tea, letting it hit the back of our throats, and savor yet another taste of Hawaii. With every spectacular sunrise, opportunity and adventure dawn across the picturesque Kenyan landscape. Picture yourself traveling aside a thundering herd of wildebeest or encountering unique cultures in a world of wonder. No other country offers the visitor as much to see and do; much more than you would ever expect. CONTACT YOUR VIRTUOSO TRAVEL ADVISOR TO PLAN YOUR NEXT VACATION.

BIG-ISLAND BOUNTY Plush hotels and lush destinations around Hawaii. STAY The 540-room Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii bloomed anew last year with a comprehensive renovation.

5 BIG-ISLAND BOUNTY Plush hotels and lush destinations around Hawaii. STAY The 540-room Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii bloomed anew last year with a comprehensive renovation. The hotel offers guests guided botanical tours, turtle talk sessions, and archaeological hikes to nearby petroglyph fields. Doubles from $299, including breakfast daily and two activity passes. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has 243 rooms and suites and a family-friendly focus. There s a sand-bottomed children s pool, in-room cookies and milk, and a kids program and babysitting onsite (plus an adults-only pool). Doubles from $645, including breakfast daily and a $100 dining credit. Many consider the whitesand crescent beach at the 252-room Mauna Kea Beach Hotel to be the island s best. Soak up the views from private lanais off bedrooms and sign up for the Saturday tours of founder Laurance Rockefeller s Asian art collection. A renovated beachfront wing includes 96 rooms ideal for families. Doubles from $405, including breakfast daily and complimentary parking. At Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows on the Kohala Coast, 90 percent of the 341 rooms have ocean views. Chef Allen Hess plantationstyle menu wins praise from locals for its focus on fresh, sustainable ingredients. Doubles from $400, including breakfast daily and a $100 dining, spa, or golf credit. TASTE Long Ears Hawaiian Coffee Call ahead for drop-in visits or tours ($35) Waipahi Place, Honokaa; 808/ ; Hawaiian Vanilla Company Tastings, lunches, tours, and teas ($25-$39) by reservation Paauilo Mauka Road, Paauilo; 808/ ; Rare Hawaiian Honey Company Tasting room open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM Lalamilo Farm Road, Waimea; 888/ ; hawaiianhoney.com. Onomea Tea Company Tours and tastings by reservation ($30) Alakahi Place, Papaikou; 808/ ; LEIGH WELLS Four Seasons Resort Hualalai Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Rare Hawaiian Honey Company Merriman s Waimea Long Ears Hawaiian Coffee Hawaiian Vanilla Company Onomea Tea Company MARCH APRIL

Hawaiian Discovery ~ The Spirit of Aloha 13 Days in Paradise Oahu ~ Big Island ~ Maui

Hawaiian Discovery ~ The Spirit of Aloha 13 Days in Paradise Oahu ~ Big Island ~ Maui Welcome to Hawaii! Hawaii: The expression of Aloha The diverse culture of Hawaii is expressed in (among other things)