Let’s Talk Food: Happenings around town

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Volcano Arts Center Love of the Arts

Volcano Arts Center’s 16th annual Love of the Arts, “The Roaring 2020’s, Putting on the Ritz,” is being held 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Hale Hoomana, Niaulani Campus. The menu includes:

From the Grill:

• Succulent butterflied leg of lamb, marinated in red wine and herbs, thinly sliced and served on mini rolls with minted pineapple poha chutney. Sandwiches will be passed and a platter will be on the buffet.

• The Pottery Room will have: cheese and fruit, vegetable display, pate’ terrine and French bread, salami, olives, cranberry goat cheese with almond crackers and gluten-free bread.

The Varez Room Buffet will feature:

• Large cold shrimp, served with a traditional spicy cocktail and lemon sauce.

• Baby spinach “build you own salad” with toppings of bacon crumbles, feta cheese sprinkles, raspberry balsamic vinaigrette.

• Tropical Waldorf Salad composed of apples, pineapple and seedless grapes, tossed with toasted walnuts and creamy citrus dressing.

• Mini Chicken kabobs.

• Tomato aspic with artichoke hearts, cucumber, tangerine sections, heart of palm, and asn orange lemonaisse dollop.

• Chafing dish of vegetarian tetrazzini which is rigatoni pasta tossed in a rich, creamy mushroom and petite pois, topped with toasted almonds and crisp onion rings.

• Dessert will be homemade truffles and cookies and a Kona Coffee service, as well as South-side gin fizz non alcoholic punch, fine wines and beer.

Entertainment will be by members of Harmony on Tap and opera singer D’Andrea Pelletier. There will be incredible live and silent auctions with artwork, jewelry, and gift certificates that will surely be worth fighting over.

Tickets are $70 or $65 for current VAC members and are available for purchase at the Volcano Arts Center Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village, VAC Gallery in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, or by calling 967-8222 and online at www.volcanoartcenter.org/lva.

Your Love of the Arts ticket will also give you free admission to the Love of the Arts Valentine’s Day Dance being held the following weekend from 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. You can learn the Charleston and the Lindy Hop while enjoying live music by the Hep Cats. If you did not attend the Love of the Arts event, you can buy tickets for the dance for $15 or $10 for VAC members.

Hawaii Community College’s Bamboo Hale

The Hawaii Community College’s second year students are ready to work on their skills in waiting, bussing and preparing food for you in the Bamboo Hale. Here is their schedule:

Jan. 28-31 Americas Standard Menu and Peru Special

Feb. 4-7 Americas Standard Menu and Mexico Special

Feb. 11-14 Americas Standard Menu and New Orleans Special

Feb. 20-21 Asian Standard Menu and India Specials (Closed February 18-19)

Feb. 25-28 Asian Standard Menu and Thailand Specials

March 3-March 5 Asian Standard Menu and Philippines Specials (Closed March 6)

March 10-12, 13 Asian Standard Menu and China Special (Closed March 11, March 13 Wine Dinner)

March 16-20 Closed for Spring Break

March 24-25 and 27 European Standard Menu and Spain Special (Closed March 26)

March 31-April 3 European Standard Menu and France Special

April 6-9 Closed for Hilo Classic Food Show

April 14-17 European Standard Menu and Italy Special

April 21-22 European Standard Menu and Germany Special (Closed APril 23 and 24)

April 28-May 1 Hawaii Special

Mondays are academic days so the Bamboo Hale is open 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, unless otherwise closed for holidays, etc. Reservations are recommended by calling 934-2591. Walk-ins and take-outs are welcomed and last seating is at 12:30 p.m.

Hawaii Community College’s Culinary Program has goals to support local farmers, farm to table and sustainability.

They proudly serve produce and herbs grown by the HCC’s College of Agriculture and Mahi‘ai programs. Menus are posted online at http://hawaii.hawaii.edu/bamboo-hale.

New this year, there are light lunches with a choice of soup of the day, with HCC Ag Salad and house bread for $7.50. The days are chilly right now so soup sounds really good! Call 934-2591 for reservations or questions.

JCCIH and Community First Heart Health Event

This Thursday at the ARC of Hilo, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce &Industry of Hawaii and Community First will present “Know Your Number Campaign and Heart Health,” from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The event is $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Call the JCCIH office at 934-0177 for more information or to purchase tickets in advance. An Ornish Wellness lunch will be served.

Community First’s vision is “a community where we all take personal responsibility and help each other care for our well-being.” Their mission is “To create a sustainable medical system which provides quality care for all the people of our community.”

Community First is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 2014 with a very prestigious board of directors and Mike Sayama as its executive director. Mike worked in the health care industry for over thirty years, and has a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology from Yale and the Univeristy of Michigan.

Cosmic Crisp apples

I wrote with great enthusiasm, about the newest variety of apple, Cosmic Crisp in December. I received samples from the marketing company promoting this apple which were gorgeous, deep wine colored, tasting wonderfully, with a nice sweetness and a bit of tartness in the back.

The apples arrived at the supermarkets, rather green. I wrote my contact, who said the demand was greater than the supply and the growers were sending green apples in order to fulfill their orders. It is unfortunate that 10 million dollars was spent to promote Cosmic Crisp apples and Mother Nature did not cooperate. Please be patient and hopefully we will soon receive Cosmic Crisp apples that will taste and look as it is supposed to.

On a separate note, the new crop of Envy apples are delicious!

Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.