(Warning: *CHOKE* Photos)
Yeah, I know. Dis post is more than a week overdue, but bruddah ova hea had to sift through 635 photos from all ova da creation (Twitter/Twitpic, flickr, Facebook, etc.) from like 20 different peeps. Finally whittled it down to a little over a hunny in the hopes of giving you a little glimpse into the event that absolutely consumed my life for the last year or so.
For those who don’t know, I am the co-founder of an event called Rice Fest , an event that I am very passionate about, and one that I can honestly say Hawaii wants/needs. Let’s face it. We love our rice here in Hawaii. The plan is to put the Rice Fest on every September (in line with National Rice Month), which we started at our inaugural event last week Saturday (September 11, 2010) at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Below are the scenes from that day. Mahalo to everyone for the support!
Our Rice Fest sign on the morning of… Exciting!
The line waits in anticipation (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Scenic shot of Aloha Tower (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Our Sponsor Diamond G Rice (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
(A big mahaloz to our sponsors/partners: Diamond G Rice, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Lanakila Pacific, Vacations Hawaii, HPE Live, and the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace!)
Diamond G Rice gave away free rice to patrons every half hour! (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Stephen aka @PHOTOluluTV won free rice and quickly donated it to our non-profit partner Lanakila Pacific. So thoughtful!
Stephen donating his rice to Lanakila Pacific. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Still early in the day, I had some down time to visit each booth to capture the sights.
Bruddah Kalani Miller and his niece(?) at their Mobile Gamer Guys’ booth.
Due to a tent mix-up, the ladies of the 58th Cherry Blossom Festival Court were out in the hot sun for part of the day. A big mahalo to all of them for being such troopers!
Also in the Keiki Zone, University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Department of Human Nutrition, Food, and Animal Science educator Dr. Maria Stewart shared her current research in an interactive and educational display entitled “Nutrition for Everybody: Learn How Rice Promotes a Healthy Body”.
Dr. Maria Stewart’s Rice Education booth. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
The fellas from the Snow F|A|C|T|O|R|Y (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Russ aka @ParkRat enjoying his treat from Snow F|A|C|T|O|R|Y. (Photo Courtesy @Melissa808)
The early scene from above. (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Pacific Soul’s Sean Priester and his staff. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Pacific Soul’s offerings at the Rice Fest. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Pelekunu’s booth. They won the Most Creative Booth Award! (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Grilled Teri Chicken plate from Pelekunu’s. (Photo Courtesy @Melissa808)
The Mixed Plate from Thai Kitchen
Slowly starting to pick up (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Spicy Tuna temaki (handroll) from Kats Sushi. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Primo Sushi’s booth. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Big City Diner’s booth. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Island Taste’s booth. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Arturo’s Hot Sauce booth. (Photo Courtesy @LanakilaPacific)
Julia, Chimaine, Umma and Mai at the Scrip booth. (Photo Courtesy Umma Kayvalyam)
Sweet Charlotte’s offerings. (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Hawaiian Kine Seasonings’ booth.
Offerings from Hawaiian Kine Seasonings. (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Yelp booth. (Photo Courtesy @Melissa808)
Leonard Jr.’s malasada van. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Our friends at the Lanakila Pacific booth. (Photo Courtesy @Melissa808)
One of @LanakilaPacific’s tweets during the day. (Photo Courtesy @LanakilaPacific)
The guys from Oishi-Genmai GIC Japan. Look for their products next year!
The Admission/Volunteer Check-In/Twitter #RICEHUNT booth. (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Goodie bags for all Twitter #RICEHUNT participants. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
And then the #RICEHUNT Twitter Scavenger hunt began! Here are the list of items the participants had to find and Twitpic out in order to win:
- A member of the 58th Cherry Blossom Festival Court
- A pair of chopsticks
- A picture of Bruddah Bryan from 102.7 Da Bomb
- A picture of both Chef Barry “Cutty” Cutler and Hawaii News Now’s Stephanie Lum at the Celebrity/Chef Cooking Demo at 1PM
- A scenic picture of Aloha Tower
- A food dish with rice
- A food booth at Rice Fest
- Maribel with the new IntelliGo (at the Oceanic sponsor booth)
- A close-up of The Mobile Gamer Guys’ Bus
- A Rice Fest volunteer / staff – They must be wearing the Rice Fest shirt
Below are some of the images from the #RICEHUNT.
“A member of the 58th Cherry Blossom Festival Court” (Photo Courtesy @biznaz)
“A pair of chopsticks” (Photo Courtesy @princesstara459)
“A picture of Bruddah Bryan from 102.7 Da Bomb” (Photo Courtesy @bitachu)
“A scenic picture of Aloha Tower” (Photo Courtesy @bitachu)
“A food dish with rice” (Photo Courtesy @princesstara459)
“A food booth at Rice Fest” (Photo Courtesy @emichan58)
“Maribel with the new IntelliGo (at the Oceanic sponsor booth)” (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
“A close-up of The Mobile Gamer Guys’ Bus” (Photo Courtesy @bitachu)
Mahaloz to all of our #RICEHUNT participants: @amisan34 (and friend), @bitachu (and friend), @biznaz, @photolulutv, @princesstara459 (and friend), @emichan58 (and friend), and @lauriecicotello, and congratulations to @bitachu for winning the grand prize that included gifts from VG Addict, OhanaPCS, TNBLive, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Special thanks to @octobersoldier for coordinating the game and prizes! Awesome job!
And then, it was time for the Rice Fest to officially begin! 102.7 Da Bomb’s Bruddah Bryan gets us started…
Cutty and Stephanie’s “Healthy Fried Rice” dish. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Ingredients for Cutty and Stephanie’s “Healthy Fried Rice”:
- Brown Rice
- Olive/Grapeseed Oil
- Turkey Bacon/Turkey Sausage
- Organic Eggs (whites only)
- Carrots
- Maui Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Salt & Pepper
- Seasonings
- Lettuce Leaves
- Cilantro
- Braggs Liquid Aminos
Serve on a fresh butter lettuce leaf
And before you knew it, it was time for the 2nd Celebrity/Chef Cooking Demo, featuring Kai Market’s Chef Darren Demaya and KITV4’s Lara Yamada.
Kai Market’s Chef Darren Demaya cooking with KITV4’s Lara Yamada
Chef Darren and Lara’s dish (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Soon it was time for the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club to bless our event with good luck via a traditional lion dance. I was told to stand in front while the lions start on me. Love love LOVE this cool shot from @PhotoluluTV that totally captured the moment!
Getting blessed from the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club Lion Dancers (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
The drummers from the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Up close on one of the lions. (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Next up: The Ukulele Hale keiki and Jody Kamisato & Chris Salvador, aka Heart and Soul!
Jody Kamisato introducing his band Heart & Soul (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Heart & Soul with their special guest Kalei Gamiao (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
I gotta say, I was REALLY impressed with young Chris Salvador’s voice. Wow!
Kalei Gamiao, Heart & Soul, and the Ukulele Hale keiki jammin’ it up! (Photo Courtesy Jody Kamisato)
One of my favorite events of the day was the “Riceipe” Cooking contest that pitted 5 professional chefs against each other to see who could make the best dish that incorporated rice. Fun, adrenaline pumpin’, exciting stuffs!
The participating chefs were Chef Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi from Tokkuri-Tei, Chef Kendall Uyehara from HMSHost, Chef Robert Denis from Don Ho’s Island Grill, Chef Matthew Naula from RumFire, and Chef Colin Hazama from Kauai Grill.
3-2-1… Go!
Kauai Grill’s Chef Colin Hazama goes at it. (Photo Courtesy @Mel808)
Chef Colin’s Hanalei Squid Luau Risotto (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
RumFire’s Chef Matthew Naula tosses rice in his pan. (Photo Courtesy Todd Masui)
Chef Matt’s dish. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
The crowd gathers as the chefs hurry to complete their dish. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Don Ho’s Island Grill’s Chef Robert Denis preps his dish.
HMSHost’s Chef Kendall Uyehara works on his gravy. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Chef Kendall’s Loco Moco a la Francaise dish. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Tokkuri-Tei’s Chef Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi just cruisin’. (Photo Courtesy @Mel808)
Chef Santa kicks it into high gear. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Chef Santa’s Seafood Risotto. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
I’m still trying to convince him that “Sugimoto Risotto” has a much better ring to it. 😉
Meanwhile the judges took their places on stage and prepared to feast on some ono kine (rice) grindz! Our judges were Star-Advertiser Food Critic Nadine Kam, Twitter Goddess and all around foodie Melissa Chang (@Melissa808), Professional Baker Ed Morita (@NctrnlBst), and Diamond G Rice’s Harrison Wong.
Harrison, Ed, Nadine, and Melissa get interviewed by Bruddah Bryan. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Melissa taking a shot of Chef Matthew Naula’s dish. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
And then it was time to announce the winner… I’ll just let the next four photos tell the (funny) story.
Chef Santa asks, “Who me!?” (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Chef Santa in shock. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Chef Santa finally cracks a smile. (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Chef Santa still in shock. (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
Chef Santa’s Seafood Risotto as seen from Nadine Kam’s perspective. (Photo Courtesy @fashiontribe)
Congratulations Santa-san!
Next up was an amazing Taiko Drum performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii under the direction of Sensei Akemi Martin.
Taiko Drum performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii (Photo Courtesy @ParkRat)
Taiko Drum performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii (Photo Courtesy @PHOTOluluTV)
@NctrnlBst’s Youtube video (for Nonstop Honolulu) with footage/images from the Rice Fest
Crowd shot. (Photo Courtesy Tyson Yamada)
I was unfortunately running around so I was unable to capture the dish, but FYI, it was “Slow cooked New Zealand King Salmon” with miso yuzu broth, young ginger, soft tofu, and crispy jasmine rice… A dish Chef Colin serves at his Kauai Grill restaurant.
And then Kapena takes the stage!
Kapena / De Lima `Ohana serenading the audience at Rice Fest. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Scenic shot of Aloha Tower as nightfall sets in. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
The crowd enjoys the music of Kapena. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Walter and Lincoln hanging out at the Vacations Hawaii booth. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Maude and Travis working the Oceanic Time Warner Cable booth. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Harrison holding things down at the Diamond G Rice booth. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
And then came the hilarious and entertaining SPAM Musubi eating contest. The contestants had 3 minutes to eat as many SPAM Musubis as possible!
Bruddah Bryan counts down to the start of the SPAM Musubi Eating Contest.
And… they’re off! (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
The look of pain (or concentration)! One of the two. 😉 (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Still going! … As the audience captures footage. (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Keep it going! (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Time’s running out! (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
“Uncle Rodney” gets mobbed by his adoring fans/family! (Photo Courtesy Kiman Wong)
Why do I call him “Uncle Rodney”? Check out the video! LOL!
SPAM Musubi Eating Contest at the 2010 Rice Fest
And then it was a wrap!
The 2010 Rice Fest is in the books! See you next year!
A big mahalo to everyone who came out to support our first event. Thank you to our hard working staff and volunteers (especially Lincoln Jacobe and my day-to-day partners in crime: Umma Kayvalyam, Harold Su and my wife Mai). Thank you to the media for all of your coverage, including Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Hawaii News Now’s Sunrise, KITV4 This Morning, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Nikkan Sun, KUMU, Nonstop Honolulu and all those who talked/blogged about us in Hawaii’s Social Media space (@Melissa808, @ParkRat, @Mel808, @RickNakama, @sarakata, @PhotoluluTV, @fashiontribe, @octobersoldier, @LanakilaPacific, @randi808, @pacificsoul, @Nctrnlbst, @amisan34, @bitachu, @biznaz, @princesstara459, @emichan58, @lauriecicotello, @tweetpea, @haboolani, @HawaiiIRL, @hnlmark, @strobie, @SSquire, @MikeSumida, @ChrisHall78, @JKuroiwa, @atmarketing, @Living2Shop, @theodene, and more! Sorry, I know I’m missing a lot!). Mahaloz to @PhotoluluTV, @ParkRat, Kiman Wong, Todd Masui, Tyson Yamada, and more, for taking photos and letting me “borrow” some for this blog. 😛
Mahalo to our sponsors and partners Diamond G Rice, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Lanakila Pacific, Vacations Hawaii, HPE Live, the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, and Rob Yunich and the rest of the USA Rice Federation team. Thank you to all of our vendors: Arturo’s Hot Sauce in Hawaii, Big City Diner, Don Ho’s Island Grill, Dr. Maria Stewart (University of Hawaii at Manoa Professor of Nutrition), Eastern Food Center, Hawaiian Kine Seasonings, Himalayan Kitchen, Island Taste, KATS SUSHI, Lanakila Pacific, Leonard’s Malasadas, Mobile Gamer Guys, OISHI-GENMAI – GIC JAPAN, Pelekunu’s Teri Sauces, Primo Sushi, Thai Kitchen, Soul Patrol, SNOW |F|A|C|T|O|R|Y|, and Sweet Charlotte, and our entertainers: 102.7 Da Bomb’s Bruddah Bryan, Cookin’ With Cutty’s Chef Barry “Cutty” Cutler, Hawaii News Now’s Stephanie Lum, Kai Market’s Darren Demaya, KITV4’s Lara Yamada, Kauai Grill’s Chef Colin Hazama, Hawaii News Now’s Minna Sugimoto, Ernie Loo and the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club, Heart & Soul (and Kalei Gamiao), the Ukulele Hale Keiki, Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii under the direction of Sensei Akemi Martin, Kapena (Kelly Boy, Kalena, and Lilo De Lima), Jonathan Murai and the 58th Cherry Blossom Festival Court, and Bubbles Duh Clown.
Thank you to our SPAM musubi eating contestants and our “Riceipe” Cooking contestants: Don Ho’s Island Grill’s Chef Robert Denis, Kauai Grill’s Chef Colin Hazama (again!), Tokkuri-Tei’s Chef Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi, RumFire’s Chef Matthew Naula, and HMSHost’s Chef Kendall Uyehara. Mahalo also to our Starwood contacts: Candice Lee Kraughto, Jocelyn Elfstrom, Joanie Matsumoto, and Chaunce Lovett, among others. Mahaloz to the “World Wide Ed” community for reading this far and always showing your support in whatever I do. I know I’m forgetting a lot more, so thank you to anyone and everyone who helped make the inaugural Rice Fest a reality. See you guys next year! 🙂
Video highlights from the 2010 Hawaii Rice Fest
World Wide Ed 