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Arigato, Mrs. Roboto – Nom Kaua‘i

NOM Kauai, situated in Kapaa, Hawaii, represents an establishment deeply interwoven with the personal and professional journey of its founder, Thomas. In his pursuit to merge comfort and innovation in the sphere of breakfast and brunch dining, Thomas chose a path marked by a hands-on approach to the culinary industry. With a trove of industry knowledge amassed over approximately a decade, and devoid of formal culinary education, Thomas, alongside his partner, Alicia, actualized his aspirations into NOM Kauai in 2018.

A video, hosted by a woman named Dida, delves into the operational and culinary realm of NOM Kauai, with Chef Tom and Alicia providing insights into their culinary creations and inspirations. Chef Tom elucidates, “I just like to make food that I like to eat: big, fatty burgers, fried chicken, biscuits and gravy. We grew up eating southern food and different fusion foods in Florida that are southern at heart but have different twists to them.” The dishes, as presented in the video, are reflective of this sentiment, grounding themselves in Southern roots, while also embracing influences from Floridian fusion cuisine.

Moreover, Chef Tom’s previous culinary competitions, including those on a well-known television network, have direct implications for the establishment. He admits, “I did compete on the Food Network. I won $10,000 and helped bankroll the restaurant.” Thus, his triumphs on platforms like the Food Network serve as a financial and promotional scaffold for NOM Kauai.

Local sourcing stands paramount in the ethos of NOM Kauai, illuminating a dedicated adherence to locality and quality in their ingredients. With a forthright pronouncement, Chef Tom states, “We proudly support Maderos Farms, Makaweli Ranch, WA Coffee Roasters, Passion Bakery, [and] Hawaii Juice Company.” This declaration aligns with their tacit commitment to ensuring local businesses are threaded into their culinary tapestry, ostensibly forming a synthesis between local enterprise and gastronomy.

One of the highlighted dishes, Chef Tom’s shrimp and grits, employs “a cool coconut-style grit, still nice and savory, topped off with local warmed greens, blackened Hawaii shrimp, and a pineapple relish.” This dish, among others, presents as a tangible representation of NOM Kauai’s overarching commitment to amalgamating local ingredients with Southern and fusion flavors, elucidating an integral piece of their culinary philosophy without veering into a promotional timbre.

In essence, NOM Kauai, beneath the culinary offerings and modest local acknowledgment, encapsulates a story of personal ambition, culinary skill, and a tangible connection to local Hawaiian providers, coalescing into an establishment that aims to provide both nourishment and an experiential venture into the founder’s culinary roots and present inspirations. The foundational threads of southern and fusion foods, combined with a commitment to local sourcing, serve to sketch a portrait of NOM Kauai that is rooted both in past culinary experiences and present locale, rendered without a comprehensive dive into collaborative efforts or menu specifics.

Nom Kaua‘i Website |

Arigato, Mrs. Roboto – Kukui‘ula Market

Positioned in Koloa, Hawaii, Kukuiula Market signifies a longstanding locale which is more than a provider of groceries, also encompassing various culinary offerings and showcasing a blend of traditional Hawaiian market atmospheres with contemporary selection. The marketplace operates as a microcosm of numerous eateries and culinary options, with Auntie Terry’s Kukui‘ula Market shedding light on a variety of food and garden ingredients, and unique homemade offerings, such as blueberry oatmeal.

In a guided visual exploration by host Dida, viewers delve into the varied offerings within Kukui‘ula Market. It’s highlighted that Kukui’ula Market stands as “one of two of the last mom-and-pop stores left here on Kauai,” as per Auntie Terry Kirkland, and has been under the ownership of her family since 1970. Describing a multilayered culinary experience within a singular location, Dida noted, “This is the one spot where you can come and get four or five different types of food and garden ingredients from your farmers, including homemade blueberry oatmeal chia seed awesomness.”

Venturing into Anake’s Juice Bar, described as “Auntie Terry’s little baby creation,” a signature beverage named the Dawn Patrol was presented, which harmoniously “has oranges, lemons, carrots, apple, and a little bit of ginger.” The presenter notes, “You can taste the ginger, but it’s not too strong, and the carrot juice is subtle. It’s a super nice balanced blend and a good healthy pick-me-up in the morning.”

Furthermore, a culinary junction named So Tasty with JC showcases a devotion to “clean, healthy, fresh ingredients,” providing options like vegan Thai peanut noodles, which are “all homemade, gluten-free, using organic peanut sauce” and are characterized as being “from farm to table.” The nuanced flavors of dishes like the red curry, consisting of “pure coconut milk on the top and regular pasta that I made with my own fresh vegetables,” are also highlighted, with alternatives of chicken, tofu, or shrimp available for incorporation.

Adjacent culinary offerings within the market, such as Makai Sushi led by Chef Matt, demonstrate a commitment to freshness with dishes like their Grilled Poke Bowl. The chef elucidates that “all our food is made to order, including fresh sushi rolls and poke bowls,” to which Dida responded during the tasting, “This is super fresh.”

Concluding the tour with Local Koko Shave Ice, a sweet delight “served…inside of an actual coconut,” patrons also encounter an extra touch with the use of honey — a product of the owner’s beekeeping endeavor.

The video presents a vibrant and favorable view of the Kukui‘ula Market, touching upon various culinary hotspots and offerings within. The segment extends a hand toward an experience that mirrors local culture and inclusivity, encapsulating an ethos described by Dida: “That’s Aloha. That’s Hawaii. That’s our culture, yet tries to embrace the strangers to be able to come in and just be a part of the family.”

Thus, Kukuiula Market, through a lens uncolored by persuasive or promotional tones, emerges as an entity that has woven itself into the local fabric, offering a mixture of traditional and contemporary culinary experiences while maintaining its status as a longstanding family-operated establishment in Kauai.

Kukui‘ula Market

Arigato, Mrs. Roboto – Eating House 1849

Eating House 1849, settled in the realm of Poʻipū, Hawaii, serves as a symbolic interplay between varied culinary cultures, embodying the epicurean adventures and approaches of Chef Roy Yamaguchi. A subtle echo of Hawaii’s mixed cultural narrative, the establishment nods to a historic counterpart, the original Eating House, initiated by Peter Fernandez in the mid-19th century, a place where, as a representative of the establishment details, diverse “plantation-style food from different cultures” gathered, interacting in a kind of flavorful “potluck”.

While the premises of Eating House 1849 appear to be steeped in an intricate melding of Hawaiian, French, Californian, and Japanese culinary expressions, the dish exemplified in a described video involving Chef Clinton leans toward a nuanced blend of Hawaiian and Korean palates. “It’s a pork belly that’s been grilled, marinated prior with gochujang, which is traditional Korean chili paste, over a bed of romaine lettuce and some pickled veggies,” elucidated Clinton, offering a window into a dish that is “nice and light and crisp,” yet also navigates through the intricate textures and flavors that involve “the heat and the char of the grill and the pork belly.” The presentation is concluded with a delicate shower of “garlic chips that have been dehydrated.”

The culinary style and offerings at Eating House 1849 seem to underscore a marriage between diverse flavors and a conscious homage to the multiple cultural infusions that characterize Hawaiian cuisine. “It’s actually an identity,” emphasized Chef Clinton, addressing the varied culinary influences from “the Portuguese, Puerto Ricans, the Filipino, Koreans, the Chinese, Japanese.” It paints a tableau of a culinary identity that is both distinct yet profoundly interconnected with a myriad of cultural narratives.

In the shared dialogues about the dishes and culinary ethos of Eating House 1849, there lies a perceptible dedication to both respecting and innovatively adapting traditional flavors and techniques. Chef Clinton shares nostalgic reminiscences of his childhood, wherein “my grandma took charge of dinnertime,” initiating him into the culinary world through tasks like prepping onions and mincing garlic. These familial and cultural ties appear to weave into the fabric of his culinary creations, perhaps offering a subtle, yet intricate layer to the dishes presented to diners at Eating House 1849.

Chef Roy Yamaguchi, while not directly present in the video, is acknowledged as a pivotal influence, aiming to “bring back those moments” of culinary nostalgia and “have some sort of sentiment and some sort of sensibility towards what we call Hawaiian food,” as Chef Clinton emphasizes. This seems to illuminate the overarching approach at Eating House 1849, where the culinary explorations are not merely physical and sensory but also temporal, journeying through familial memories, cultural histories, and the diverse landscapes of international culinary arts.

Ultimately, the Eating House 1849 stands as a culinary entity that not only presents meals but subtly unfolds stories, embedding within its dishes traces of varied cultures, individual histories, and innovative culinary explorations. The discourse between traditionalism and modernity, local and international, appears to find a harmonious, flavorful coexistence within the confines of its kitchen and the experiences of its diners.

Eating House 1849 Website | Facebook | Instagram

Arigato, Mrs. Roboto – Lāwaʻi Food Trucks

Warehouse 3540 in Hawaii shelters an intersection of culinary narratives, manifested through two food trucks, Chipwrecked and Roots and Culture, each carving out its own distinct approach to cuisine. The former, operated by Justin and Sheena, is delineated by a notable commitment to the creation of “nachos, keeping it simple,” as articulated in a recent video hosted by Dida. This simplicity finds depth through careful, dedicated preparation of ingredients, a quality revealed in their meticulous preparation of various elements like the kalua pork, which is slow-cooked “with Hawaiian sea salt, cracked black pepper, and apple juice.”

The Black Pearl Nacho, a noteworthy dish from Chipwrecked, embraces components such as jalapeno, red onion, lilikoi barbecue sauce, and a particularly unique feature: crispy spam. Justin emphasizes the attention to detail in preparation, sharing that the spam is not merely used as-is, but is “marinated and deep-fried.” A commitment to ensuring a robust eating experience is underscored by their philosophy that “your chip will always be covered with cheese,” highlighting a meticulous attention to each component of their dishes. The Mermaid, a vegetarian nacho alternative, adopts roasted garlic and eggplant, alongside nutritional yeast and cashew milk, to compose a vegetarian cheese alternative that aims to ensure the dish is “really good.”

Chipwrecked’s dessert offering, dubbed the Anchor, juxtaposes white chocolate cream cheese sauce with a triple berry compote, exhibiting a dedication to transcending the savory and exploring the sweet, without departing from their fundamental chip-based medium. Meanwhile, Trish and Chef Mark of Roots and Culture craft dishes informed by a collective “about six nationalities,” navigating through a varied cultural and culinary landscape. Chili, “inspired by Chef Mark’s grandpa who used to make it every Sunday for the church,” represents not merely a savory dish but also a continuation of a familial tradition, incorporating Portuguese sausage, bacon, ground beef, and a melange of “special spices.”

Their kalbi, marked by a harmony of “sugar, soy, and more,” and their ahi, with its crust of wasabi peas and a complement of “truffle soy and toasted garlic aioli,” both echo a versatile exploration of flavor profiles. Additionally, a vegetarian offering brimming with “freshly organic greens and namasu” presents an alternative amid their diverse menu. These disparate yet cohesively presented dishes do not merely stand as isolated culinary options but symbolize a broader, multicultural culinary tapestry that Trish and Chef Mark navigate through their offerings.

Undeniably, this culinary exploration stationed within Warehouse 3540 opens a window to a gastronomic universe where traditions, narratives, and innovations mingle seamlessly. This landscape, delineated by nachos and diverse, multinational influences, casts a unique lens through which one might explore not merely a menu, but the storied and varied culinary histories encapsulated by both Chipwrecked and Roots and Culture. This presence of these food trucks extends beyond being mere eateries, translating into vessels through which patrons can, even if momentarily, partake in a rich, multifaceted culinary journey in the Hawaiian locale.

Lāwaʻi Food Trucks

Arigato, Mrs. Roboto – Live Fire Pizza

Nestled in Kauai, Hawaii, Live Fire Pizza, under the culinary direction of Chef Brandon Reed, maneuvers through its mobile existence within a reconfigured unit, originally a “cell tower on wheels,” as described by Chef Brandon. The vehicle, which underwent extensive refurbishments and now harbors a thousand-pound wood-burning oven, embodies a unique evolution in delivering pizzas that juxtapose traditional and unconventional practices in its creation process.

A pivotal instance of this creative deviation can be identified in Live Fire Pizza’s pesto preparation. Contrary to the traditional use of pine nuts in pesto, Chef Brandon opts for walnuts, a selection that subtly aligns with his philosophy of layering distinctive flavors in each culinary offering. As he noted, the pesto is utilized in creations like the Goat Cheese Pesto Pizza, which further consists of “zucchini, goat cheese, and even [a] sprinkled [bit] of mozzarella.” An observation by Dida, the video host, hints at the deliberation in ingredient balancing, as she notes, “I like how you didn’t load this up with too much goat cheese because it can get overwhelming.”

The methodical crafting of pizzas is discernibly an outcome of meticulous attention to each element and its contribution to the final flavor profile. One such element, the crust, with its distinctive “nice saltiness to it,” as characterized by Dida, emerges not as a mere base but a crucial component in the flavor amalgamation. “It’s the bread. You eat the bread,” as Chef Brandon succinctly put it, emphasizing the integral role of the crust in the overall gastronomic experience of the pizzas.

The Margherita Pizza, a classic adored by many, is brought into being by Chef Brandon with “basil leaves and the fresh mozzarella cheese,” maintaining a semblance of traditional pizza-making. However, the chef’s inclinations towards a not “two-inch thick cheese pizza” perhaps denote a pursuit of balance where each element, from the crust to the toppings, can be distinctly savored without overwhelming the palate.

Chef Brandon’s culinary endeavors through Live Fire Pizza, in its uniquely mobile form, curate an experience that balances classic and innovative culinary practices, thereby introducing patrons to a gastronomical journey where tradition and ingenuity coalesce. The pizzas, while rooted in familiar flavors, explore new terrains through thoughtful ingredient choices and crafting methods, serving not just a meal but a slice of the chef’s commitment to an ever-evolving culinary artistry.

Live Fire Pizza Facebook