Call me Jiro because I always dream of sushi. And in those dreams, I typically envision a small, dark, packed-to-the-brim hole-in-the-wall with a certain “je ne sais quoi” aura. Behind the sushi bar stands a stoic, elder sushi master who earned that title of “master” by working his way up the sushi making ranks for decades. With an air of arrogance, he’ll take his time with your order, giving off the impression that he’s doing you a favor by serving his food.
Local sushi chef James Matsukawa takes that visual and completely flips it on its head. Barely 30, he is the energetic owner of Kona Kai Sushi, a somewhat undiscovered sushi restaurant on Coyne Street, that just celebrated its 1 year anniversary in July. And although Kona Kai does give off that appealing, hole-in-the-wall vibe, Matsukawa is anything but old and stoic.
A look inside Kona Kai Sushi
Matsukawa grew up in Kealakekua on the Big Island where his love for fishing began early when, at the ripe old age of 10, he started hanging out with the old timers, regularly fishing for menpachi, akule and papio.
Years after moving to Oahu, he worked as a line cook at Kabuki Restaurant before moving behind the sushi bar under master chef Yoshio Kazama. He continued his practice at countless other Japanese restaurants like Kohnotori, Jimbo’s, 808 Kapahulu, Shigezo, and Sushi Izakaya Shinn until a stint at Sushi Sasabune changed his life forever.
“It was like sushi boot camp.” describes Matsukawa. “I think it was the hardest place to work, both mentally and physically. Long hours at a frantic pace. I basically lived there, but it has been the most influential experience to this day by far.”
Under master chef Seiji Kumagawa’s careful tutelage, Matsukawa was taught to be extremely disciplined and to respect the fish. It was not about how to do things, but why.
He then moved on to the popular izakaya Tokkuri Tei, which influenced him in an entirely different way.
“Tokkuri Tei showed me a more casual way of doing sushi. The clientele atmosphere had a lively, easy going energy typical of an izakaya (in Japan).”
After Tokkuri Tei, he felt that he was ready to open his own restaurant in the form of Umi no Sachi on 11th Ave in Kaimuki. Unfortunately, due to inexperience and poor business relationships, it closed after only three months. Matsukawa then took an 8 month hiatus, regrouped and was ready to sushi again.
James Matsukawa
Enter Kona Kai. Named after his roots (Kona) and his love for the ocean (Kai), Kona Kai brings the best of Matsukawa’s experiences and serves it to his highly targeted clientele.
“We don’t advertise and we really don’t want to. Sasabune taught me that word of mouth (advertising) is the most important.”
On a recent trip with the boys from Lawai`a (the Fishing magazine I write for), we went omakase style and here is what we were served:
Seared Canadian Tombo (albacore tuna) with ponzu
Baby Calamari stuffed with Blue Crab
2 types of Washington Oysters: 1 baked & 1 fresh with Alaskan King Salmon Caviar
Spanish Bluefin Sushi
Red Snapper from Southern Japan (Kyushu) with Canadian Rainbow Trout Caviar with reduced shoyu
Shimaaji from Shikoku (background) & Golden Eye Snapper with Shiokara on top (foreground)
Hokkaido Tako, simmered with shoyu, massaged by hand with daikon for 45 minutes (background) & Aji (Japanese Akule) with ginger and green onions (foreground)
Russian King Crab with Kani Miso (background) & Prawn from New Caledonia with black Flying Fish Caviar (foreground)
South African Rock Lobster tail from the Tristan da Cunha islands
Matsukawa wants to create an atmosphere where his clients become his friends. His main goal is to continually top his customers’ last visit.
Many of the dishes from our night were brok’ da mout’ amazing. Creative, yet fundamentally sound. If he is planning on topping that the next time around, sign me up!
I posted something similar yesterday, but in case you missed it, here are all the details for the Common Grains 3rd Annual Rice Fest, taking place TODAY from 11am-7pm at Ward Warehouse. Hope to see y’all there!
Common Grains & JRE 3rd Annual Hawaii Rice Festival
Ward Warehouse TODAY from @ 11am-7pm
12:45pm-1:15pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Contest with returning champ Chef Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi from Tokkuri Tei, Chef Eric Goodhew from Kincaid’s Restaurant, Chef Jonathan Mack from Caribbean Spice, and Chef Andy Dalan from YogurStory).
1:15pm-1:45pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Contest Judging – Food experts Nadine Kam from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Melissa Chang & Mari Taketa from Nonstop Honolulu, and Katie Ka’anapu from Ward Centers
6:30pm-7pm – Contest Winner Announcements and closing remarks
7pm – 2012 Rice Fest concludes
All Day (11am-7pm)
* Brown Rice Donation Center – Brown Rice and monetary donations accepted for Lanakila Meals on Wheels at the Lanakila Pacific / Info booth, Oceanic Time Warner Cable booth, Channel808 booth, and VH07V booth
* Guinness World Record™ attempt – Construction of the world’s Largest SPAM® Musubi in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record™ of 286 lbs!
* Live Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt – Compete in this Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win great prizes!
* Rice Education Booth – Learn all about Rice from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Professor of Nutrition Dr. Maria Stewart
And let’s not forget about all of the participating vendors & food trucks:
Menu: Mochi: bod-bod butter mochi (butter mochi on top, mochi rice on the bottom), butter mochi, and poi mochi; Cupcakes: chocolate toffee peanut butter, red velvet, and pumpkin; Cookies: chocolate chip with macadamia nuts, oatmeal raisin, and oatmeal coconut chocolate chip
Menu: Osaka Jo, Japanese Pork Taco; Zeus’ Glory, Greek Lamb Taco; Salad de Casbah, Rice, with Tuna, Corn, Cumin, and Spicy Bacon; Damascus, Vegetarian Hummus Tacos; South of the Border, Mexican Ground Beef Taco; Ceylon, Spicy Sri Lankan, beef taco; Curry spiced beef with jalapeno, kimchee, and grilled onion; Moroccan Pomme Frites
I posted something similar yesterday, but in case you missed it, here are all the details for the Common Grains 3rd Annual Rice Fest, taking place TODAY from 11am-7pm at Ward Warehouse. Hope to see y’all there!
Common Grains & JRE 3rd Annual Hawaii Rice Festival
Ward Warehouse TODAY from @ 11am-7pm
12:45pm-1:15pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Contest with returning champ Chef Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi from Tokkuri Tei, Chef Eric Goodhew from Kincaid’s Restaurant, Chef Jonathan Mack from Caribbean Spice, and Chef Andy Dalan from YogurStory).
1:15pm-1:45pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Contest Judging – Food experts Nadine Kam from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Melissa Chang & Mari Taketa from Nonstop Honolulu, and Katie Ka’anapu from Ward Centers
6:30pm-7pm – Contest Winner Announcements and closing remarks
7pm – 2012 Rice Fest concludes
All Day (11am-7pm)
* Brown Rice Donation Center – Brown Rice and monetary donations accepted for Lanakila Meals on Wheels at the Lanakila Pacific / Info booth, Oceanic Time Warner Cable booth, Channel808 booth, and VH07V booth
* Guinness World Record™ attempt – Construction of the world’s Largest SPAM® Musubi in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record™ of 286 lbs!
* Live Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt – Compete in this Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win great prizes!
* Rice Education Booth – Learn all about Rice from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Professor of Nutrition Dr. Maria Stewart
And let’s not forget about all of the participating vendors & food trucks:
Menu: Mochi: bod-bod butter mochi (butter mochi on top, mochi rice on the bottom), butter mochi, and poi mochi; Cupcakes: chocolate toffee peanut butter, red velvet, and pumpkin; Cookies: chocolate chip with macadamia nuts, oatmeal raisin, and oatmeal coconut chocolate chip
Menu: Osaka Jo, Japanese Pork Taco; Zeus’ Glory, Greek Lamb Taco; Salad de Casbah, Rice, with Tuna, Corn, Cumin, and Spicy Bacon; Damascus, Vegetarian Hummus Tacos; South of the Border, Mexican Ground Beef Taco; Ceylon, Spicy Sri Lankan, beef taco; Curry spiced beef with jalapeno, kimchee, and grilled onion; Moroccan Pomme Frites
Wow, I can’t believe Rice Fest 2012 is finally here! Tomorrow, from 11am-7pm, Hawaii’s only rice inspired food festival takes place at Ward Centers in Honolulu. Amongst the day’s food and festivities, there will be celebrity & chef cooking demonstrations, a “Riceipe” cooking competition, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato, and Jon Yamasato and a Taiko Drum Performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, a SPAM® Musubi Eating Contest, and a Guinness World Record™ attempt to create the Largest SPAM® Musubi in the world!
Below is the commercial and an an hour by hour breakdown of the day’s events. Hope you can join us!
Common Grains & JRE 3rd Annual Hawaii Rice Festival
Ward Warehouse TOMORROW from @ 11am-7pm
12:45pm-1:15pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Contest with returning champ Chef Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi from Tokkuri Tei, Chef Eric Goodhew from Kincaid’s Restaurant, Chef Jonathan Mack from Caribbean Spice, and Chef Andy Dalan from YogurStory).
1:15pm-1:45pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Contest Judging – Food experts Nadine Kam from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and Melissa Chang & Mari Taketa from Nonstop Honolulu, and Katie Ka’anapu from Ward Centers
6:30pm-7pm – Contest Winner Announcements and closing remarks
7pm – 2012 Rice Fest concludes
All Day (11am-7pm)
* Brown Rice Donation Center – Brown Rice and monetary donations accepted for Lanakila Meals on Wheels at the Lanakila Pacific / Info booth, Oceanic Time Warner Cable booth, Channel808 booth, and VH07V booth
* Guinness World Record™ attempt – Construction of the world’s Largest SPAM® Musubi in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record™ of 286 lbs!
* Live Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt – Compete in this Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win great prizes!
* Rice Education Booth – Learn all about Rice from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Professor of Nutrition Dr. Maria Stewart
And let’s not forget about all of the participating vendors & food trucks:
Menu: Mochi: bod-bod butter mochi (butter mochi on top, mochi rice on the bottom), butter mochi, and poi mochi; Cupcakes: chocolate toffee peanut butter, red velvet, and pumpkin; Cookies: chocolate chip with macadamia nuts, oatmeal raisin, and oatmeal coconut chocolate chip
Menu: Osaka Jo, Japanese Pork Taco; Zeus’ Glory, Greek Lamb Taco; Salad de Casbah, Rice, with Tuna, Corn, Cumin, and Spicy Bacon; Damascus, Vegetarian Hummus Tacos; South of the Border, Mexican Ground Beef Taco; Ceylon, Spicy Sri Lankan, beef taco; Curry spiced beef with jalapeno, kimchee, and grilled onion; Moroccan Pomme Frites
Holy mackerel! Can’t believe Rice Fest is almost here! Guess we’re just gonna haveta take you into Rice Fest weekend with a few (what else?) rice-themed WIH photos! Hope to see y’all on Saturday! 🙂
Points for Photo #1…
* Name dis dish: 3 points
* Name da oddah dishes: 2 points each
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #2…
* Name dis dish: 3 points
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #3…
* Name each soosh: 2 points each
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
* I’ve been looking into outsourcing the fulfillment duties (shipping, inventory management, etc.) for the VH07V brand because it’s getting shmall kine hard to manage part-time. No can handle Randall! If all goes well, I should be then able to open up an online ordering site. Stay tuned!
* In the meantime, I’ve been jammin on all kine new hats. Whatchu tink of this sampo color combo?
* My friend Shari continues to be a selling machine for her Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure team: Team VH07V! Below is a photo she took of her second order, and believe it or not, she still has another few orders in the queue. If you’d like to donate to her team, please visit the Team VH07V page. If you’d like to join her team for the walk (October 21st), click on this link.
* As one of the sponsors for this year’s Rice Fest (duh!), VH07V will be responsible for producing both the official Rice Fest shirt (for sale at the event at the VH07V booth) and the shirt for all volunteers. Here’s an online album of the process these shirts went through to get screened in time for this Saturday’s Rice Fest! Special thanks to Lanakila Custom Products for coming through in the clutch!
Where/When you can find VH07V in the coming weeks:
09/15/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. Lamar. Stop by and say hi.
09/22/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 4:30pm game vs. Nevada. Stop by and say hi.
09/29/12: 3rd Annual Rice Fest – As a sponsor of the event, VH07V will also have a booth at this year’s Rice Fest where we will sell all of our VH07V shirts in addition to the custom event shirt! Come on down to the Ward Warehouse complex to visit our booth any time from 11am-7pm.
10/13/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. New Mexico. Stop by and say hi.
10/19/12-10/21/12: 48th Annual Food & New Products Show – Get your Christmas shopping done at the Blaisdell all weekend! Come visit us at our booth for a free gift!
11/10/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 2pm game vs. Boise State. Stop by and say hi.
11/24/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. UNLV. Stop by and say hi.
12/01/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. South Alabama. Stop by and say hi.
As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)
This year’s Rice Fest will be held THIS Saturday, September 29th from 11am-7pm at Ward Warehouse! There will be cooking demonstrations from Chef Mavro of Chef Mavro Restaurant and his partners Stephanie Lum and Shawn Ching of Hawaii News Now, and Grant Kawasaki of Hawaiian Grown TV & Hawaiian Grown Kitchen and his partner Justin Cruz from KHON2, Santa Miyoshi of Tokkuri Tei defending his “Riceipe” contest belt, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato & ‘Uke’s Rising Stars and Jon Yamasato, and taiko drumming from Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, our 3rd annual SPAM Musubi eating contest, and our attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s Largest SPAM Musubi! Don’t forget to also bring your brown rice or monetary donations for our beneficiary Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Can’t wait! See you there…
A Monday post! Wha-WHAT!? Yes, I’m working on a local saimin series (like I did with my previous Ramen Quest series) and need your help y’all!
So far, I’ve documented my experiences at Shige’s, Shiro’s, Hamura’s, Nakai, and have a few others up my sleeve, but I wanted to put the call out to you folks to see if you had any other suggestions. In the comment area below, please post your list of fave saimin eateries around town and why and I’ll go check um out. If you have da time, let’s eat there together so I can include you in the article! 🙂
Other than that, my life has been pretty much all Rice Fest (I may even be on tomorrow morning’s news on Hawaii News Now). Hope y’all can make it this Saturday!
This year’s Rice Fest will be held next week Saturday, September 29th from 11am-7pm at Ward Centers! There will be cooking demonstrations from Chef Mavro of Chef Mavro Restaurant and his partners Stephanie Lum and Shawn Ching of Hawaii News Now, and Grant Kawasaki of Hawaiian Grown TV & Hawaiian Grown Kitchen and his partner Justin Cruz from KHON2, Santa Miyoshi of Tokkuri Tei defending his “Riceipe” contest belt, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato & ‘Uke’s Rising Stars and Jon Yamasato, and taiko drumming from Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, our 3rd annual SPAM Musubi eating contest, and our attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s Largest SPAM Musubi! Don’t forget to also bring your brown rice or monetary donations for our beneficiary Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Can’t wait! See you there…
It’s been another one of those cray cray weeks y’all! After Rice Fest is pau, hopefully things will get a little more back to normal. But until then, we’ve got another one pic week…. We’ll try to make it easy this time so we can get a skosh more than 13 comments. 😛
Points for Photo #1…
* My fave item hea: 3 points
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken? (duh!): 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #1
* Name each item: 1 point each (Futomaki, Cone sushi, mochiko chicken bento, hot dog, spam, ahi ogo poke – Kage)
* Location: 2 points (Tanioka’s – Kage)
* General area: 1 point (Waipahu – carokun)
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each (Farrington Hwy – carokun)
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points (carokun)
Points for Photo #2
* Big Fat Zero
Points for Photo #3
* Fun name for each player: 1 point each (Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc, Happy – carokun)
For this week’s “Spotted“, we have another video of a little SkinnyHawaiians silliness involving everyone’s favorite drink: Green River. A few months ago, I posed a question out to y’all about where the BIL can find some Green River in Hawaii these days. After researching that, I actually tried to make it on my own and suddenly became an expert at it. 😛 Here’s how that turned out…
* My two new colorways are FINALLY in! Gray/Green for the new football season and Blue/Pink (partially for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure walk)! Both are selling like hotcakes so far, especially the Gray/Green one!
* Speaking of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, my friend Shari continues to sell products and get mad donations for her team: Team VH07V! As of this writing, her team is up to $625 in donations and is at 63% of her $1,000 goal. Help them reach that goal by clicking on that link and making your tax deductible donation! I will also personally donate proceeds from the sale of the Blue/Pink VH07V shirts during this drive right back to Shari and her team. If you’d like to join her team and walk, click on this link.
* Last week’s tailgating kine action prior to the Hawaii Warriors vs. Lamar Cardinals game was a great success. Did you guys go? Got to hang out with some friends I haven’t seen in a long time and have a few before the game. Even got a good seat to catch a glimpse of the first ever Warrior Walk, a tradition that coach Norm Chow instituted this year where the players and coaches walk through the crowd before heading towards the stadium. Here’s some footage I was able to catch of the first ever Warrior Walk:
Warrior Walk – First Hawaii Warrior Walk Before Lamar Game
* As one of the sponsors for this year’s Rice Fest (duh!), VH07V will be responsible for producing both the official Rice Fest shirt (for sale at the event at the VH07V booth) and the shirt for all volunteers. Check out this sample for our volunteers. Pretty legit right? 🙂
Where/When you can find VH07V in the coming weeks:
09/15/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. Lamar. Stop by and say hi.
09/22/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 4:30pm game vs. Nevada. Stop by and say hi.
09/29/12: 3rd Annual Rice Fest – As a sponsor of the event, VH07V will also have a booth at this year’s Rice Fest where we will sell all of our VH07V shirts in addition to the custom event shirt! Come on down to the Ward Warehouse complex to visit our booth any time from 11am-7pm.
10/13/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. New Mexico. Stop by and say hi.
10/19/12-10/21/12: 48th Annual Food & New Products Show – Get your Christmas shopping done at the Blaisdell all weekend! Come visit us at our booth for a free gift!
11/10/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 2pm game vs. Boise State. Stop by and say hi.
11/24/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. UNLV. Stop by and say hi.
12/01/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating near or along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. South Alabama. Stop by and say hi.
As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)
Don’t forget, this Saturday (Sept 22 from 8am-1pm), my home storage facility – Hawaii Self Storage in Mililani – will be holding a “Garage Sale” to help support the Hawaii Meth Project. Buy great stuff and support a good cause at the same time. If you wanna pick up some VH07V merch while you’re there *grin* , message me on Facebook and I’ll see if I can swing by and meet you at my unit.
This year’s Rice Fest will be held next week Saturday, September 29th from 11am-7pm at Ward Centers! There will be cooking demonstrations from Chef Mavro of Chef Mavro Restaurant and his partners Stephanie Lum and Shawn Ching of Hawaii News Now, and Grant Kawasaki of Hawaiian Grown TV & Hawaiian Grown Kitchen and his partner Justin Cruz from KHON2, Santa Miyoshi of Tokkuri Tei defending his “Riceipe” contest belt, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato & ‘Uke’s Rising Stars and Jon Yamasato, and taiko drumming from Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, our 3rd annual SPAM Musubi eating contest, and our attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s Largest SPAM Musubi! Don’t forget to also bring your brown rice or monetary donations for our beneficiary Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Can’t wait! See you there…
Points for Photo #1…
* Name each item: 1 point each
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #2…
* Name of dish: 5 points!
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #3…
* Fun name for each player: 1 point each
* Real first name for each player: 3 point each
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #1
* Location: 2 points (Cafe Laufer – Paco)
* General area: 1 point (Kaimuki – Paco)
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each (Waialae Ave – Paco)
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points (Paco)
Points for Photo #2
* First name of bride & groom: 10 points each! (Jen – carokun)
Points for Photo #3
* Name of sammich: 3 points (Grilled Mahi – Coconut Willy)
* Location: 2 points (Kua’aina – Kage)
For this week’s “Spotted“, we have Japanese ice skating legend Miwa Nishida as she sports her Blue/White Logo T colorway during a recent practice session at the Olympic Prep Arena in Yokohama Japan. Here’s Miwa’s blog post about it!
* Still waiting for my two new colorways to come in. Gray/Green for the new football season and Blue/Pink (partially) for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure walk (and because it looks cool! 😉 ). Will keep y’all posted!
* Speaking of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, my friend Shari has been ON FIRE with collecting donations/pledges for her team: Team VH07V! As of this writing, her team is up to $550 in donations and is #1 so far amongst all teams from Hawaii. Help them reach their goal of $1,000 by clicking on that link to make your tax deductible donation! I will also personally donate proceeds from the sale of the Blue/Pink VH07V shirts during this drive right back to Shari and her team.
* As one of the sponsors for this year’s Rice Fest (duh!), VH07V will be responsible for producing both the official Rice Fest shirt (for sale at the event at the VH07V booth) and the shirt for all volunteers. The sample I saw looked SICK! Can’t wait to share it with you guys!
* Other than that, I’ve been running low on a lot of stock just waiting for my “fill-in” shirt request to get filled. I plan on being fully loaded just in time for the new football season and the upcoming Rice Fest on the 29th.
* Depending on the tailgating sitch, I plan on being in the parking lot at Aloha Stadium this Saturday prior to the first UH Warrior home game. You guys going? If you wanna stop by and ask questions about VH07V or see some samples (or just hang out), holla!
* Last week, I visited my sticker guy on Maui to talk “bidness”. Found out his shop also did hats. It turned out to be quite the productive visit as I was able to get a bunch of new hat styles produced super fast kine (same day!). Which one do you like da bes?
Where/When you can find VH07V in the coming weeks:
09/15/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. Lamar. Stop by and say hi.
09/22/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 4:30pm game vs. Nevada. Stop by and say hi.
09/29/12: 3rd Annual Rice Fest – As a sponsor of the event, VH07V will also have a booth at this year’s Rice Fest where we will sell all of our VH07V shirts in addition to the custom event shirt! Come on down to the Ward Warehouse complex to visit our booth any time from 11am-7pm.
10/13/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. New Mexico. Stop by and say hi.
10/19/12-10/21/12: 48th Annual Food & New Products Show – Get your Christmas shopping done at the Blaisdell all weekend! Come visit us at our booth for a free gift!
11/10/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 2pm game vs. Boise State. Stop by and say hi.
11/24/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. UNLV. Stop by and say hi.
12/01/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. South Alabama. Stop by and say hi.
As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)
Next weekend (Sept 22 from 8am-1pm), my home storage facility – Hawaii Self Storage in Mililani – will be holding a “Garage Sale” to help support the Hawaii Meth Project. Buy great stuff and support a good cause at the same time. If you wanna pick up some VH07V merch while you’re there *grin* , message me on Facebook and I’ll see if I can swing by and meet you at my unit.
Save the Date! This year’s Rice Fest will be held on Saturday, September 29th from 11am-7pm at Ward Centers! This year, we will have cooking demonstrations from Chef Mavro of Chef Mavro Restaurant and Grant Kawasaki of Hawaiian Grown TV & Hawaiian Grown Kitchen, Santa Miyoshi of Tokkuri Tei defending his “Riceipe” contest belt, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato & ‘Uke’s Rising Stars, and taiko drumming from Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, our 3rd annual SPAM Musubi eating contest, and our 2nd successful attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest SPAM Musubi! Don’t forget to also bring your brown rice or monetary donations for our beneficiary Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Can’t wait! See you there…
Points for Photo #1…
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #2…
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* First name of bride & groom: 10 points each!
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #3…
* Name of sammich: 3 points
* Location: 2 points
* General area: 1 point
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points
* Month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the month photo was taken?: 1 point
* Day of the week photo was taken?: 1 point
* Year photo was taken?: 1 point
* Exact time photo was taken?: 5 points
Points for Photo #1
* Location: 2 points (Yohei Sushi – Otto)
* General area: 1 point (Kalihi – Otto)
* Closest street(s)?: 1 point each (Dillingham, Kokea – carokun)
* Google Street View link (if get)?: 2 points (carokun)
* Still waiting for my two new colorways to come in. Gray/Green for the new football season and Blue/Pink (partially) for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure walk (and because it looks cool! 😉 ). Will keep y’all posted!
* As one of the sponsors for this year’s Rice Fest (duh!), VH07V will be responsible for producing both the official Rice Fest shirt (for sale at the event at the VH07V booth) and the shirt for all volunteers. The sample I saw looked SICK! Can’t wait to share it with you guys!
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Where/When you can find VH07V in the coming weeks:
09/15/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. Lamar. Stop by and say hi.
09/22/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 4:30pm game vs. Nevada. Stop by and say hi.
09/29/12: 3rd Annual Rice Fest – As a sponsor of the event, VH07V will also have a booth at this year’s Rice Fest where we will sell all of our VH07V shirts in addition to the custom event shirt! Come on down to the Ward Warehouse complex to visit our booth any time from 11am-7pm.
10/13/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. New Mexico. Stop by and say hi.
10/19/12-10/21/12: 48th Annual Food & New Products Show – Get your Christmas shopping done at the Blaisdell all weekend! Come visit us at our booth for a free gift!
11/10/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 2pm game vs. Boise State. Stop by and say hi.
11/24/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. UNLV. Stop by and say hi.
12/01/12: University of Hawaii Football game – Will likely be tailgating along the main walkway leading up to Aloha Stadium prior to the 6pm game vs. South Alabama. Stop by and say hi.
As always, a big mahalos to everyone for your support and for helping to spread the VH07V! 8)
Save the Date! This year’s Rice Fest will be held on Saturday, September 29th from 11am-7pm at Ward Centers! This year, we will have cooking demonstrations from Chef Mavro of Chef Mavro Restaurant and Grant Kawasaki of Hawaiian Grown TV & Hawaiian Grown Kitchen, Santa Miyoshi of Tokkuri Tei defending his “Riceipe” contest belt, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato & ‘Uke’s Rising Stars and taiko drumming from Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, our 3rd annual SPAM Musubi eating contest, and our 2nd successful attempt to break the Guinness World Records for the World’s Largest SPAM Musubi! Don’t forget to also bring your brown rice or monetary donations for our beneficiary Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Can’t wait! See you there…
And lastly… Jon Yamasato, a fellow Kaiser alumni reached out to me and asked if I could help support his friend Jay Veltri, who, at just 33 years old, is in the middle of his 2nd “battle for survivorship” with cancer.
This Saturday, September 8, 2012, the day before Jay’s 34th birthday, there will be a fundraiser held at a private estate at Paiko Lagoon (near Kuliouou). Suggested ticket donation is $25. The festivities will include a live band, buffet, children’s activities, a silent auction, raffle prizes and more! For fundraising ticket information, visit jayveltri.com.
I don’t know Jay personally, but because of our many mutual friends, it feels like I do, so I donated to his fight. If you are also able to donate to his fight or purchase tickets for the fundraising event this Saturday, please do. And please Pray for Jay… Mahalo!
Well, my baby has finally arrived. It took 1 whole year (again), but I pushed and I pushed and am ready to deliver it to you today. Hope you can make it down to Rice Fest at Ala Moana’s Magic Island today between 10am-6pm.
Check out the below for an hour by hour breakdown of the day’s festivities including celebrity & chef cooking demonstrations, “Riceipe” cooking competitions, live entertainment by Jody Kamisato, Bruce Shimabukuro and a Taiko Drum Performance by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, a SPAM® Musubi Eating Contest, and a Guinness World Record™ attempt to create the Largest SPAM® Musubi in the world!
12:30pm-1:30pm – “Riceipe” Cooking Competition – Professional Division (including returning champ Hideaki “Santa” Miyoshi from Tokkuri Tei, Executive Chef Wayne Hirabayashi from the Kahala Hotel & Resort, Executive Chef Hector Morales from the Turtle Bay Resort, and retired chef Kent Thompson).
“Riceipe” Cooking Competition – Judges (11:30pm-1:30pm) – Food experts John Heckathorn from Honolulu Magazine, Nadine Kam from the Honolulu Star Advertiser and Melissa Chang and Mari Taketa from Nonstop Honolulu.
All Day (10am-6pm)
* Rice Donation Center – Donate your brown rice to Lanakila Meals on Wheels and white rice to Hawaii Foodbank
* Guinness World Record™ attempt to create the Largest SPAM® Musubi
* Live Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt – Compete in this Tweetup/Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win great prizes!
* Rice Education Booth – Learn all about Rice from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Professor of Nutrition Dr. Maria Stewart, and
* The Keiki Zone – coloring contest hosted by members of the 2011 Narcissus Festival Court from 10am-2pm, bouncies, balloons and fun from Douglas Odani, Crystal Face Painting & Tattoos by Lei Crystal Tattoos, and games from JMJ Gaming.
World Wide Ed 