DAYTIME AG FEST AND EVENING GALA 

WAIMEA, HAWAI‘I ISLAND—The island’s largest agricultural showcase offers both daytime and evening activities for the 23rd Taste of the Hawaiian Range on Saturday, Sept. 7. 

Activities are 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and include a free, outdoor agriculture festival with family fun and educational presentations at the YMCA Minuke Ole Park behind Parker Ranch Center. The ticketed evening Taste gala is 5:30-7:30 p.m. and will sprawl inside and out at the adjacent Old Kahilu Town Hall. 

The 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Taste Agriculture Festival offers livestock displays, an interactive Keiki Farm Hands Tent sponsored by the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, educational exhibits and scheduled presentations, local product sampling and sales, food trucks and beverages. 

“Keiki can enjoy hands-on agricultural-themed activities and games; plus pony rides will be available for a nominal fee by the Hawaii High School Rodeo Association,” says event chair Jeri Moniz. 

Learn how agriculture is the science, art and practice of producing food at agricultural and culinary-themed presentations starting 10:30 a.m. Topics include mushroom cultivation, tree grafting, home food preservation and hydroponics. 

The 2019 installment of Cooking Pasture-Raised Beef 101 is 2:30-4 p.m. in the classrooms behind the Old Kahilu Town Hall, adjacent to Minuke Ole Park. This year’s Cooking 101 is presented by Chef Jacqueline Lau, culinary specialist for HFM FoodService, a Sysco Company. Lau, who grew up on a ranch in Northern California, will demonstrate how to prepare beef tongue, which she calls “lengua.”  

The evening Taste Gala offers culinary stations preparing pasture-raised meats and local produce 5:30-7:30 p.m. inside and out of the Old Kahilu Town Hall. Culinary participants include Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers, Daylight Mind Coffee Company, Fairmont Orchid’s Brown’s Beach House, Four Season Resort’s Hualalai Grille, Ippy’s Hawaiian BBQ, Laulima Food Patch, Mai Grille, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Merriman’s, Red Water Café, Royal Kona Resort, Roy’s Waikoloa Bar & Grill, Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai, Village Burger/Noodle Club, The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, plus Hawai‘i Community College in both Hilo and Palamanui. 

Gala tickets are $50 online, at Parker Ranch Store and during the Taste Ag Fest; they will sell for $60 at the door if available as attendance is limited to 500. For ticket info, and the full list of activities and presentations, visit www.tasteofthehawaiianrange.com. 

The Old Kahilu Town Hall (Mana Christian ‘Ohana) is located behind Parker Ranch Center at 67-1182 Lindsey Road in Waimea. For more event information, visit www.TasteoftheHawaiianRange.com or phone Susan 808-969-8258. Stay connected via Facebook at TasteoftheHawaiianRange and at @TasteHI on Twitter and Instagram. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or a modification of policies and procedures to participate in this event should contact Susan at 808-969-8258 no later than August 7, 2019.                       

Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival provides a venue for sustainable agricultural education, plus encouragement and support of locally produced ag products. The quality and growth of this event are rooted in business participation, sponsorship and in-kind donations. Mahalo to 2019 supporters: Ace Hardware and Crafts in Waimea, Adaptations, Ahualoa Hog Farm, Asagi Hatchery, Double D Ranch Hawaii, HFM FoodService, a Sysco Company; Hawaiian Hogs, Hawaii Beef Producers, Hawaii Cattlemenʻs Association, Hawai‘i Cattlemenʻs Council, Hawai‘i Community College Agriculture Program, Hawai’i Community College Culinary Programs-East and West Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i County 4-H Livestock Association, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Hawai‘i Farm & Food Magazine, Hawai‘i Ulu Copperative, Hirabara Farms, Island Of Hawaii YMCA, KK Ranch, Kamehameha Schools Land Assets Division, Kuahiwi Ranch, Palani Ranch, Paniolo Cattle Company, Parker Ranch Center, PepsiCo, Ponoholo Ranch and University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at Manoa. For more info, visit www.TasteoftheHawaiianRange.com.