On Saturday, June 6th at the Pomaikai Ballrooms at Dole Cannery, the HFMA held their 2nd Annual TASTE Awards. The HFMA is an association of local food manufacturers, suppliers and support companies that encourage the development of food production in the state. It is the only food manufacturing association in the US!
Aloha Tofu was kindly nominated to be one of 5 finalists in the “Manufacturer of the Year – Small Company” category so we got a table and joined the festivities!
Soybean Polenta creates the base for this excellent selection courtesy of Chef Benjie Cabutaje of the Moana Surfrider Hotel!
Prior to the dinner and awards ceremony, there was a “Battle of the Chefs”, a silent auction and some sampling of members’ products, including Koloa Rum, Pacific Kool Ginger and Iced Tea from The Tea Chest. In addition to Governor Ige and US Representative Gabbard, the local food industry was well represented at what is quickly becoming a very popular event! The food provided by Pomaikai Ballrooms was wonderful, of course, as were the wines, provided by Maui Winery.
There are many great companies in Hawaii that produce wonderful products, so when I saw the other nominees in our category (Koloa Rum, Mulvadi Corporation (coffee), Hawaii Popcorn Company, Aloha Hawaiian Store), I really didn’t think we would have a chance, but it is still good to support the overall industry (and get a great dinner with wine as well).
…but guess what…! We won!
Jack Uyehara and Roy Uyehara (2nd Generation Owners) – now happily retired…
It’s a really beautiful award, but I think the kitchen was looking to use it to ground up some herbs or spices (and poi!)…
“Where do we put it?”
Come visit us at Aloha Tofu Town and see this beautiful award!
Mahalo to HFMA and the support of the members!
(Joanne and Roy Uyehara, Misa and Paul Uyehara, Barbara and Jack Uyehara)
“Tofu Day” Dinner!
Aloha! Did you know that October 2 is TOFU day?! In Japan they like to play with the sounds of numbers to create words. We do it as well! For example if you said, “1, 2” in Japanese, you would get: “ichi, ni” (“itchy knee”) or you remember, “5, 4, 4” – say that in Japanese and we know you have to excuse yourself…!
Well, in Japanese, there are different pronunciations for numbers depending on how they’re used. Most people may know “10” is pronounced, “jyu” and “2” is pronounced, “ni”, but another way to say “10” is: “To” (like “toe”) and “2” as “Fu”. Put them together and we have To-Fu (10-2) Day!
We have a shout out to all TOFU lovers out there (and even the skeptics, as well!)…In celebration of this glorious day, we will be having the first “Tofu Day” dinner in Hawaii! It will be on Thursday, October 12 (okay, it’s not ON Tofu Day, but 10 + 2 = 12 so…). Gazen Izakaya’s Chef Hiro has come up with a menu of dishes not seen in Hawaii especially for this event! I will also be making fresh yuba for Chef Hiro to utilize in his dishes!
It’s a one night event and seating is limited, so gather up your tofu -loving friends and family and let’s enjoy a night to celebrate the versatility and possibilities tofu has to offer!
We’ve been fortunate to work with Scott from the Natto Dinner Facebook Group and Mari from Frolic Hawaii to help get this together. Follow this link for more details!
Tofu Day Dinner!
Arigatofu!